Looking towards future and potential changes at first SBCSC meeting of year 

The first order of business was nominating and electing board of trustee officers for the 2026/27 school year. In a close vote, Dr. Stuart Greene, representing district five, was elected president. He was nominated by member Marcus Ellison and received four votes for yes, while members Mark Costello, William Sniadecki, and Jeanette McCullough abstained from the vote.

McCullough, the former board president, was also nominated for president, but she didn’t have the votes with Ellison, Costello, Greene, and Carlos Leyva abstaining from the vote, Sniadecki voting yes, and Kate Lee voting no.

After the president was elected, the board went through the rest of the positions and elected district four Leyva as vice-president, district one Lee as both secretary for the board and as the legislative liaison for the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA), and current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ahnaf Tahmid as treasurer.

They took on those roles immediately, and even though it wasn’t on the agenda, recently proposed Senate Bill No. 248 was a hot topic for residents, with many coming to the meeting wearing shirts that said, ‘say no to bill 248’. Several explained they want the elected board members to stay in their seats, rather than members being appointed by the Indiana Secretary of Education.

The bill was introduced last week and authored by Sen. Linda Rogers, Sen. Jeff Raatz, Sen. Ryan Mishler, and Sen. Stacey Donato. If passed, it would end SBCSC board elections and take effect on July 1, at which point members of the board would be appointed by the Indiana Secretary of Education following a nomination process, something residents said benefits private interest over public governance.

“This bill is part of a broader effort to remove public oversight from public education. South Bend is finally turning a corner, under new leadership for the first time in years, doing an independent investigation to reveal wrongdoing… South Bend had an appointed board until 1987 when the public overwhelmingly voted for an elected board. That choice is grounded in American values, local voice, local accountability, and control over public assets,” said South Bend Resident Sue Kesim.

Superintendent Mansour Eid said they have been in contact with Sen. Rogers. He said she’s been impacted by the corporation’s story of ongoing growth.

“I can report Sen. Rogers was very open minded. She listened attentively and was impacted by our story. Since speaking with her on Saturday, continued work and communication has been occurring, almost nonstop, including several contacts earlier today. We expect changes to be forthcoming and will keep you updated, but at a minimum, at least we have been able to be heard,” said Superintendent Eid.

The board also renewed Superintendent Eid’s contract for the 2026/27 school year, which is about a 14 percent raise from the year before, which had an annual base contract amount of $186,000.

His contract is now at an annual base amount of $212,321.00 for the 2026/27 school year. The total approximate monetary value of all benefits annually is $84,177.65 and the total approximate monetary value of all compensation and benefits annually is $296,498.65, which breaks down as the following:

• Annual Car Allowance: $9,000.00
• 401(a): $2,123.21
• VEBA: $2,123.21
• FICA, Medicare, Social Security Taxes/Benefits: $16,931.06
• Reimbursement for Employee Medical Insurance Premium: $2,582.88
• Employer Share of Medical: $6,983.34
• Employer Share of Dental: $808.20
• Employer Share of Vision: $241.92
• Employer Share of Life: $881.88
• Employer Share of LTD: $450.96
• TRF: $42,050.99

Many community members expressed they were all for Superintendent Eid’s contract getting renewed, saying he is the right leader with the potential shift from Senate Bill No. 248 on the horizon.

“You have focused your attention on the classroom and the education of our students; that’s democracy in action. Now, a heinous, pernicious bill has been introduced into the Indiana government in Indiana that would take away democracy,” said South Bend community member Mike McManus.

The Senate Education and Career Development Committee will hold a public testimony session for Senate Bill No. 248 on Jan. 14 at 1:00 p.m. in Indianapolis. A team from SBCSC plans to make the trip to speak before the committee.

“We’re going to meet with some of these senators and tell our story and address any concerns they might have… they might have questions, not everybody knows what’s going on inside South Bend schools, so let’s tell them what’s going on,” said Leyva.

Click the ‘See Also’ to learn more about Senate Bill No. 248, and click here to register for public testimony before the Senate Education and Career Development Committee. The form can only be completed and submitted on the day the committee is scheduled to meet.