Penn Twp. Board of School Trustees Applicants

Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustee Mr. Matthew Chaffee, representing Penn Township Seat #1 has notified the St. Joseph County Office Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Board Attorney Jon Rogers of his resignation from the P-H-M Board of School Trustees effective October 8, 2025.

Mr. Chaffee was elected to serve on the PHM School Board in November of 2022.

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, the remaining school board members must appoint an individual to fill the board vacancy within 30 days by a majority vote. The appointee must live within the boundaries of the school corporation and Penn Township and shall serve the balance of the term of the seat being vacated. The individual appointed must possess the qualifications provided for a regularly elected or appointed governing body member filling the office. 

P-H-M bylaw po0142 lists the qualifications for P-H-M School Trustee appointees as follows:

• The appointee must be a resident of Penn Township and must also reside within Penn Township boundaries for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of the appointment;
• must be at least 18 years of age per Indiana Code 20-26-4-9;
• and must also be a registered voter.

Below are all the applicants that submitted letters of intent and resumes by the Monday, Oct. 20, 4:30 p.m. deadline. All applicants listed were verified and met the qualifications listed above. 

The remaining members of the P-H-M Board of School Trustees met in Executive Session on Monday, October 20 to review all the applicants and decided all five applicants will be called for the Board interview process.

• John “Todd” Douthit
• Brandon M. Kastner
• William “Matt” Ludwig
• Jennifer L. Smoker
• Ryan C. Woodruff

The rest of the timeline is listed below:

• Tuesday, October 21, 2025 – Applicants are contacted (via phone and/or email) to schedule an interview date/time.

• Tuesday, October 28, 2025 – The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in public to interview the final applicants. 

• Monday, November 3, 2025 – The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in public to vote to fill the vacant Penn Township Board position.  

• Friday, November 7, 2025 – The Board Attorney will administer the Oath of Office of the newest P-H-M School Trustee at the Attorney’s offices.  
• Monday, November 10, 2025 – The Board of School Trustees holds the regularly scheduled Board Meeting. The newest P-H-M School Trustee will participate in this meeting. A public Oath of Office will take place at the beginning of the meeting.

All meetings will take place at the Educational Services Center (55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka). While the meetings are being conducted in public and the public is welcome to attend and observe, public comment will not be part of the Special Board Meeting format.

If you have any questions on Indiana Code or how this process works, please visit the Indiana General Assembly website or the website for Indiana’s Public Access Counselor.