Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees Mrs. Jaye Galloway, representing Penn Township Seat #1, and Mr. Jamie Woods, representing Penn Township Seat #2, have both notified the St. Joseph County Office Clerk of the Circuit Court, P-H-M Board of School Trustees President Mr. Christopher Riley, and Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker of their resignations from the P-H-M Board of School Trustees effective Friday, November 5th, 2021. 

 

Mr. Jamie Woods has been appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to the St. Joseph County Superior Court and Mrs. Jaye Galloway will now devote all of  her time as the Director of Media Operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish Media.

 

Mr. Woods has served on the P-H-M Board for 17 years and Mrs. Galloway for 13. Mr. Woods was elected to the Board in November 2004. He served as Board President for two terms during 2011 and 2012. The Board appointed Mrs. Galloway in March 2009 when Mr. Jim Burger resigned. Mrs. Galloway ran for reelection in 2010 for the 2011-2014 term and was reelected for two more terms. Mrs. Galloway served as Vice President for 2012 and 2014; in between, she served as President for a one year term in 2013. We thank Mr. Woods and Mrs. Galloway for their years of service and dedication to P-H-M. 

 

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, school board members terms last four years. Mr. Woods term was set to expire at the end of 2024 and Mrs. Galloway’s term was set to expire at the end of 2022. Both were representing Penn Township.

 

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, the remaining school board members must appoint an individual, in this case two, to fill the board vacancies within 30 days by a majority vote. The appointees 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 individuals appointed must possess the qualifications provided for a regularly elected or appointed governing body member filling the office. 

 

P-H-M bylaws po0142 lists the qualifications for P-H-M School Trustee appointees are the following:

• The appointees must be a resident of Penn Township and must also reside within P-H-M boundaries for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date the appointment;
• must be at least 21 years of age per Indiana Code 20-26-4-9;
• and must also be registered voters.

 

Residency of Penn Township and the Corporation can be verified by clicking here to view the St. Joseph County township boundaries map. Applicants can check their voter registration status online at https://indianavoters.in.gov/ and print the page that shows their registration status.

 

Indiana Code 20-23-4-30 does not dictate the process by which the School Board fills vacancies, just that the vacated seats be filled within 30 days. It is at the Board’s discretion to choose the process by which they fill the vacant seats.

 

The timeline and the process is as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 8, 2021 at the conclusion of the Board Meeting this information was posted to P-H-M’s website outlining the process to be considered a Board appointee to one of the two Penn Township vacated seats:

  • Interested appointee applicants must provide the following:

    • ​A letter of interest addressed to the P-H-M Board of School Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker

      • Full home address, personal phone number, and email address must be provided as part of the letter.

    • ​Recent resume

    • Copy of proof of age (copy of Passport, Indiana issued ID or Driver’s License)

    • Copy of proof of voter registration in St. Joseph County (applicants can check their voter registration status online at  https://indianavoters.in.gov/https://indianavoters.in.gov/ and print the page that shows their registration status)

    • Copies of two proofs of Penn Township residency for at least two years prior (proofs of residency must be tied to the home location, such as property tax statement, dated mortgage closing documents, apartment lease, current utility bill). Click this link to view the St. Joseph County township boundaries map to help determine Penn Township and Corporation residency eligibility. 

    • Other supporting documents, such as reference letters, are optional

    • When applicants submit their application materials, they will be provided with an Applicant Information Packet. It can also be accessed by clicking here.

*Please note a preliminary background check will be conducted on all applicants followed by a more comprehensive one once the finalists are chosen.

 

• Wednesday, November 17
  • ​4:30 p.m. - Deadline to have all materials listed above submitted to the Educational Services Center (55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN  46545) either in hard copy form or emailed to Administrative Assistant to the Board Rachelle Bradbury at RBradbury@phm.k12.in.us.
    • All eligible appointee applicants should note that letters of interest and resumes will be placed on P-H-M website’s after the submission deadline. Letters of recommendation and items that disclose personal information (such as voter registration, driver’s license, proof of residency) will not be posted or disclosed.
  • 6:00 p.m. - The Board of School Trustees meet in an Executive Session to review and discuss the applicant pool and make the final selection of at least three appointee candidates.

 

• Thursday, November 18
  • 9:00 a.m. - Letters of intent and resumes of all applicants will be placed on P-H-M’s website.

 

• Thursday, November 18 - Finalists are contacted (via phone and/or email) to schedule an interview date/time.

   

• Monday, November 29, 6:00 p.m. - The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to interview the final appointee candidates. 

   

• Tuesday, November 30, 6:00 p.m. - The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to interview the final appointee candidates. 
   

• Wednesday, December 1, 8:00 a.m. - The Board of School Trustees holds a Special Board Meeting in the public to vote to fill the two vacant Penn Township Board positions. 
   

• Monday, December 13, 7:00 p.m. - The Board of School Trustees holds the regularly scheduled Board Meeting. The administration of the Oath of Office of the newest P-H-M School Trustees will take place at the beginning of this meeting.
   

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

 

Per Indiana Code 20-23-4-30, school board members terms last four years. Mr. Woods term was set to expire at the end of 2024 and Mrs. Galloway’s term was set to expire at the end of 2022. Both were representing Penn Township. The newly appointed trustees will complete these terms through December of the respective years. The appointees may choose to run for election for the ensuing four-year term with elections taking place in November 2022 for Seat 1 and November 2024 for Seat 2.

 

The P-H-M Board of School Trustees is a governing body of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. School Trustees are elected by members of Penn, Harris and Madison Townships unless otherwise appointed as outlined by Indiana Code. School Boards conduct the business operations of the school district in view of the public. 

 

We know there will be public interest in this process. We ask that all members of the public familiarize themselves with Indiana Code 20-23-4-30. In the case of Board vacancies when a board member leaves prior to the expiration of their term, there is not a public election process. The Board chooses and names the appointees to fill these vacancies. Indiana Code charges the Board to be thorough in their process, act swiftly, and to conduct the interview process in a format that the public can view. 

 

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.