Community members urge inclusion and caution against single‑high‑school consolidation
February 27, 2026 | Vigo County, Indiana
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Minister Duane Malone, a lifelong Vigo County resident who identified himself during public comment, told the oversight board he was "here today at the encouragement of God's holy spirit to speak to you about the concerns we have in the black community regarding these new schools." He said his primary concern was a committee formed "with no African American representation" and urged inclusion in planning.
"My first concern comes at the formation of this committee with no African American representation," Malone said, adding that the committee’s options — including a plan that would stand up a single new West Vigo High School — could limit sporting and extracurricular opportunities and may not best serve Black students.
Board presenters acknowledged the comment and pointed to steps intended to widen participation: they had scheduled evening meetings and said the school board and community outreach teams had been working for more than 24 months on facility planning. Presenters asked for community help with outreach and said the district had used property‑tax calculators and a political action committee during prior referendums.
Other speakers, including a commenter who identified himself as Kyle Kershaw, pressed the board on whether the plan was designed to avoid a referendum and asked whether a county‑wide or better‑framed referendum could be built that voters would accept. Presenters and board members said that while they were trying to identify what could be done within existing levies, any plan that exceeded the illustrative borrowing capacity would require either county or private contributions or would trigger higher levies and possibly a referendum.
The board did not adopt any specific changes to committee makeup during the meeting, but presenters said they would continue outreach, share more detail at upcoming school‑board and oversight meetings, and offer school tours and additional summaries to help the public understand trade‑offs.
"My first concern comes at the formation of this committee with no African American representation," Malone said, adding that the committee’s options — including a plan that would stand up a single new West Vigo High School — could limit sporting and extracurricular opportunities and may not best serve Black students.
Board presenters acknowledged the comment and pointed to steps intended to widen participation: they had scheduled evening meetings and said the school board and community outreach teams had been working for more than 24 months on facility planning. Presenters asked for community help with outreach and said the district had used property‑tax calculators and a political action committee during prior referendums.
Other speakers, including a commenter who identified himself as Kyle Kershaw, pressed the board on whether the plan was designed to avoid a referendum and asked whether a county‑wide or better‑framed referendum could be built that voters would accept. Presenters and board members said that while they were trying to identify what could be done within existing levies, any plan that exceeded the illustrative borrowing capacity would require either county or private contributions or would trigger higher levies and possibly a referendum.
The board did not adopt any specific changes to committee makeup during the meeting, but presenters said they would continue outreach, share more detail at upcoming school‑board and oversight meetings, and offer school tours and additional summaries to help the public understand trade‑offs.
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