FACILITIES MAINTENANCE PART 3—Critical Meeting Dates & Opportunities for Input

GCS SPENDING & PRIORITIES AUDIT

Facilities Maintenance PART 3—Critical Meeting Dates & Opportunities for Input

Decisions regarding your taxpayer dollars are made in the school board room. Your physical presence is the most powerful tool to let GCS school leadership know that the community is paying attention. The Board relies on a quiet, empty room to pass these budgets—let's make sure they see that Goshen is watching.

• Monday, September 14 @ 6:00 PM (GCS Administration, 613 E. Purl St.): Regular School Board Meeting. This is our primary opportunity to show up after the recent HVAC elementary and high school closures.

• Monday, September 28 @ 6:00 PM: This was the date originally pre-published on the GCS public calendar for the Budget Hearing. Instead, GCS quietly accelerated the hearing by 35 days (five weeks). Do they not want the public to show up knowledgeably and speak on the budget?

• Monday, October 12 @ 6:00 PM: The final GCS Board meeting where the Board votes to adopt the 2027 Budget. Let's change that budget to reflect OUR priorities.

YOUR ROLE AT THE MEETINGS:

• You can just sit: You do not have to speak to have an impact. Just coming and sitting in a seat lets the Board know that Goshen is watching and holding them accountable.

• Sign up to speak: If you are inspired, you can sign up on the sheet on the back table before the meeting starts at 6:00 PM to speak for three minutes during public comment.

• The Pro-Tip: Sign your name at the bottom of the sheet before the meeting starts. You can always pass when your turn comes, but signing up ensures your voice is preserved if you choose to use it

A NOTE ON WHO CAN ATTEND AND SPEAK: 

• Rumor: Have you heard a rumor that you can't attend a Goshen school board meeting if you don’t live in Goshen?

• The Law: Under Indiana’s Open Door Law, school board meetings are open public meetings. Anyone—whether you are a resident, a local taxpayer, or an employee working inside the district—is legally welcome to walk through that door, sit in a seat, and participate in public comment. 

• The State Your Address Factor: You may be asked to state your address, but don't let that intimidate you if you live outside of Goshen. You are a regional and national taxpayer, and as such, your money supports GCS and your input is valid.

• Misinformation: If anyone tells you otherwise, they are deeply misinformed or deliberately misleading you.

Special Note to GCS Employees: As an employee and regional taxpayer whose state and federal tax dollars flow into public education, your stakeholder voice is as vital as any Goshen resident to the future of this district.  Not to mention extra status as a stakeholder directly affected by the District’s 2027 budget decisions.

GOSHEN IS WATCHING: THE BUDGET 2027 PROJECT

• Directory Page: Follow our Facebook directory page here: Goshen is Watching: The Budget 2027 Project FB Page to track the countdown series.

• Public Document Folder: For a deeper dive, access full supporting documents in our public Google Drive folder: Goshen is Watching: The Budget 2027 Public Folder.

• Data Sources: Derived directly from GCS official board minutes, public meeting recordings, Indiana Gateway reports, and APRA budget data.

The opinions in this blog do not necessarily represent school district positions, strategies, opinions, or policies. The same goes for replies made here.