Changes may be coming to the Lake Central School Board's makeup.
Currently, all five members are elected by all voters in the district, but there are residency requirements: one representative each for the towns of Dyer, Schererville and St. John, as well as unincorporated St. John Township, plus one at-large member.
But Superintendent Dr. Larry Veracco says the proportion of residents living in unincorporated has decreased since the board was formed and is currently estimated to be below three percent. "The idea was to get an equal representation from the various parts of the communities, since we are a consolidated school corporation," Veracco told board members Monday. "As the population in the unincorporated area has gotten lower and lower, now it's not a true representation."
Veracco asked the school board to consider replacing the seat for unincorporated St. John Township currently held by Howard Marshall with a second at-large seat.
As a first step, the school board will likely vote on a resolution next month. If approved, there would then be a public comment period lasting several months, before the change is finalized. It would take effect during the next election cycle.