School City of East Chicago, Indiana, elections
| School City of East Chicago |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 5 |
| Students: 3,074 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 7 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
School City of East Chicago is a school district in Indiana (Lake County). During the 2024 school year, 3,074 students attended one of the district's seven schools.
This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.
Elections
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School City of East Chicago school board At-large
General election
General election for School City of East Chicago school board At-large
Jesse Gomez, Donna Ivey, Maria Mercedez Mena-Taylor, and Kelly Williams ran in the general election for School City of East Chicago school board At-large on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Jesse Gomez (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Donna Ivey (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Maria Mercedez Mena-Taylor (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Kelly Williams (Nonpartisan) | ||
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
School City of East Chicago school board District 1
General election
General election for School City of East Chicago school board District 1
Lonzyo Holcomb and Joel Rodriguez ran in the general election for School City of East Chicago school board District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| Lonzyo Holcomb (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Joel Rodriguez (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
School City of East Chicago school board District 2
General election
General election for School City of East Chicago school board District 2
Wanda Vilma Cavazos, Pattie Jo Gibson-King, and Anton Williams ran in the general election for School City of East Chicago school board District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| Wanda Vilma Cavazos (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Pattie Jo Gibson-King (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Anton Williams (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
School City of East Chicago school board District 3
General election
General election for School City of East Chicago school board District 3
Linda Celestin, Leonor V. Cheek, Latara Harris, and Diane Smith ran in the general election for School City of East Chicago school board District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| Linda Celestin (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Leonor V. Cheek (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Latara Harris (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Diane Smith (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election rules
Election dates and frequency
School board general elections in Indiana are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.
See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts with elected board members. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: June 15, 2026
- General election date: November 3, 2026
Election system
Elected school board members in Indiana are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries. As of 2022, 10 districts had appointed board members and six districts had school boards with some elected members and some appointed members. The other districts had boards with elected members.
See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1
Party labels on the ballot
A school board candidate nomination petition must contain one of the following: (a) the candidate's political party affiliation, (b) identification as an independent candidate, (c) a statement that the candidate elects not to disclose party affiliation, (d) or that the candidate is not affiliated with a part and doesn't want to be identified as independent. This statement regarding party affiliation must be included on the ballot along with the candidate's name. To validly claim affiliation with a major political party, a candidate must either (a) have voted in the two most recent party primaries for the identified political party or (b) have the affiliation certified by the party's county chairman. Senate Bill 287 enacted in 2025 changed Indiana school board elections from nonpartisan without party labels to partisan with party labels. SB 287 allows challenges to a candidate's claimed party affiliation.
See law: Senate Bill 275 (2025)
Winning an election
The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.
See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1
Term length and staggering
School board members are elected to four-year terms at regular elections.
See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30
As close to half of a district's school board members as possible are elected every two years. Since school boards in Indiana have 3, 5, 7, or 9 members, this means that in one cycle a simple majority of seats are up for election, while in the following cycle one less than a simple majority of seats are up for election. At a district's first school board election, the simple majority of elected board members that receive the most votes are elected to four-year terms, while the remaining elected board members are elected to two-year terms. Thereafter, all school board members are elected to four-year terms.
See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30
Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
In Indiana, school board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two. Districts can also elect certain member positions at large but from certain sub-districts, meaning the candidates must be residents of a particular area. State law provides six different options for school board election plans to school districts formed after March 12, 1965. Districts formed before that date operate under the plan with which they were established. The six options provided for in statute provide varying levels of flexibility for a district's specific plan. They are as follows. (1) At-large voting without residence restriction; under this option, all members are elected at large by all voters and can reside anywhere in the district. (2) At-large voting with residence restriction for at least some members; under this option, the district must have two or more residence areas (sub-districts) with some combination of one or more board members residing in each district and the option of an at large member without residence restriction. All registered voters still vote for all members whether or not they need to reside within a specific sub-district. (3) At-large voting with residence restriction for three members; under this option, a district's plan must have three residence areas (sub-districts) roughly equal in population. If the board has three members, one must reside in each sub-district. If the board has five members, two members may not reside in any one sub-district. If the board has seven members, at least two members must reside in each sub-district. All registered voters still vote for all members. (4) Combination of at-large and from sub-district with less than a majority at-large; under this option, a district's plan can divide the district into at least two electoral sub-districts and determine how many members are elected only by the voters within those subdistricts provided each sub-district has an equal number of members. This option requires that "not less than one less than a majority" of members are elected at large (i.e., for a three-member board, at least one must be at large; for a five-member board, at least two must be at large; and for a seven-member board, at least three must be at large.) (5) Combination of at-large and from sub-district with a majority of members at-large; this option is similar to option four but a majority of members must be elected at large and sub-districts do not have to have equal numbers of members. (6) Election entirely by sub-district; under this option, a district plan must establish sub-districts from which all board members are elected. There are no at-large members. It allows for unequal numbers of members from the districts.
See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-27
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The deadline for school board candidates to file petitions of nomination and registration is 30 days after the first day to register to vote following the May primary election, which means the filing deadline is 44 days after the primary election. This means the school board candidate filing deadline is in mid-June of even-numbered years.
See law: Indiana Code Section 3-8-2.5-4
School board candidates in Indiana cannot file petitions of nomination for the November general election until the first day one can register to vote following the May primary election. This date is 14 days after the primary election. This means the 30-day filing window for school board candidates opens in mid-May of even-numbered years.
See law: Indiana Code Section 3-8-2.5-4
The terms of school board members officially begin on the date set in the school districts organization plan. State law prohibits a school district organization plan from setting a term start date more than fourteen months after the election. However, if a different date is not provided in the plan, then the default start date of the terms of newly elected board members is January 1 following their election.
See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30
About the district
School board
The School City of East Chicago consists of five members serving three-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Seat | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattie Jo Gibson-King | District 2 | ||
| Jesse Gomez | At-large | ||
| Joel Rodriguez | District 1 | ||
| Diane Smith | District 3 | ||
| Maria Mercedez Taylor | At-large |
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District map
Overlapping state house districts
The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $13,600,000 | $4,026 | 22% |
| Local: | $12,208,000 | $3,614 | 20% |
| State: | $35,553,000 | $10,525 | 58% |
| Total: | $61,361,000 | $18,165 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $55,701,000 | $16,489 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $53,743,000 | $15,909 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $29,173,000 | $8,636 | 52% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $6,069,000 | $1,796 | 11% |
| Administration: | $6,294,000 | $1,863 | 11% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $12,194,000 | $3,609 | 22% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $1,254,000 | $371 | |
| Construction: | $1,149,000 | $340 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $379,000 | $112 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $315,000 | $93 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 7 | PS | 5 | 9 | PS | <=10 | <=20 |
| 2018-2019 | 17 | PS | 11 | 22 | PS | 11-19 | <=20 |
| 2017-2018 | 27 | PS | 22 | 31 | PS | 21-39 | 20-29 |
| 2016-2017 | 27 | PS | 22 | 32 | PS | 30-39 | 20-29 |
| 2015-2016 | 26 | PS | 22 | 31 | 30-39 | 20-29 | |
| 2014-2015 | 40 | PS | 34 | 45 | PS | 30-39 | 40-49 |
| 2013-2014 | 63 | 57 | 71 | PS | 60-79 | 70-79 | |
| 2012-2013 | 61 | PS | 54 | 67 | PS | 70-79 | 70-79 |
| 2011-2012 | 55 | PS | 49 | 62 | PS | 40-59 | 40-59 |
| 2010-2011 | 53 | PS | 48 | 58 | PS | 40-59 | 60-69 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 15 | PS | 11 | 19 | PS | <=10 | <=20 |
| 2018-2019 | 22 | PS | 17 | 27 | PS | 20-29 | <=20 |
| 2017-2018 | 33 | PS | 27 | 38 | PS | 21-39 | 30-39 |
| 2016-2017 | 38 | PS | 33 | 42 | PS | 50-59 | 50-59 |
| 2015-2016 | 37 | PS | 30 | 43 | 40-49 | 30-39 | |
| 2014-2015 | 44 | PS | 40 | 49 | PS | 50-59 | 40-49 |
| 2013-2014 | 62 | 54 | 70 | PS | 40-59 | 60-79 | |
| 2012-2013 | 61 | PS | 55 | 67 | PS | 70-79 | 70-79 |
| 2011-2012 | 59 | PS | 50 | 67 | PS | 60-79 | 60-79 |
| 2010-2011 | 60 | PS | 53 | 65 | PS | 60-79 | 70-79 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 72 | 70-74 | 70-74 | PS | PS | ||
| 2018-2019 | 71 | 70-74 | 70-74 | PS | <50 | ||
| 2017-2018 | 69 | 60-64 | 70-74 | PS | PS | ||
| 2016-2017 | 59 | PS | 55-59 | 60-64 | PS | >=50 | >=50 |
| 2015-2016 | 72 | 65-69 | 75-79 | PS | |||
| 2014-2015 | 69 | 60-64 | 75-79 | PS | PS | ||
| 2013-2014 | 82 | 75-79 | 85-89 | ||||
| 2012-2013 | 81 | 75-79 | 80-84 | PS | PS | ||
| 2011-2012 | 70 | 60-64 | 75-79 | PS | PS | ||
| 2010-2011 | 67 | 60-64 | 70-74 | PS | >=50 |
Students
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 3,074 | -8.9 |
| 2022-2023 | 3,348 | -0.9 |
| 2021-2022 | 3,378 | -8.2 |
| 2020-2021 | 3,655 | -5.2 |
| 2019-2020 | 3,846 | -1.2 |
| 2018-2019 | 3,892 | -2.1 |
| 2017-2018 | 3,975 | -16.5 |
| 2016-2017 | 4,632 | -7.1 |
| 2015-2016 | 4,961 | -2.1 |
| 2014-2015 | 5,067 | 0.5 |
| 2013-2014 | 5,042 | -4.3 |
| 2012-2013 | 5,258 | -3.9 |
| 2011-2012 | 5,461 | -3.9 |
| 2010-2011 | 5,675 | 1.3 |
| 2009-2010 | 5,601 | -1.4 |
| 2008-2009 | 5,679 | -4.0 |
| 2007-2008 | 5,905 | -2.0 |
| 2006-2007 | 6,026 | 0.1 |
| 2005-2006 | 6,017 | -5.1 |
| 2004-2005 | 6,326 | -1.9 |
| 2003-2004 | 6,444 | 0.5 |
| 2002-2003 | 6,410 | 2.2 |
| 2001-2002 | 6,272 | 1.0 |
| 2000-2001 | 6,212 | -1.4 |
| 1999-2000 | 6,302 | 0.0 |
| RACE | School City of East Chicago (%) | Indiana K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| Black | 44.2 | 13.4 |
| Hispanic | 52.4 | 14.6 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.2 | 5.5 |
| White | 1.1 | 63.3 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, School City of East Chicago had 230.00 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.37.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 8.16 |
| Kindergarten: | 12.78 |
| Elementary: | 93.89 |
| Secondary: | 115.17 |
| Total: | 230.00 |
School City of East Chicago employed 5.00 district administrators and 9.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 5.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 20.40 |
| School Administrators: | 9.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 27.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 31.00 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 4.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 6.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 6.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 0.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 7.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 67.00 |
| Other Support Services: | 136.00 |
Schools
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
School board meetings
The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.
About school boards
Education legislation in Indiana
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | Indiana |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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