NEW HAVEN – The East Allen County Schools board tabled a vote on changing voting boundaries Tuesday, postponing a decision until the public had a chance to weigh in on the plan.

According to the agenda, the board had planned to vote on a new plan that would slightly adjust school board members' districts. But the board changed its course after one member of the public raised concerns that the move had not been brought up or discussed at the last board meeting.

The East Allen board re-evaluates voting districts every 10 years – after the latest census – to ensure that school board members represent a similar amount of people, Business Manager Kirby Stahly said.

Indiana law requires that districts be "of equal population, with the population of the largest exceeding the population of the smallest by not more than 15 percent."

Due to population shifts, East Allen no longer meets those criteria, Stahly said. Terry Jo Lightoot represents 19,764 people in the Leo and Grabill areas; Neil Reynolds represents 15,997 people in the Heritage and Woodlan area; Stephen Terry represents 13,797 people in the Harding area; and Alyssa Lewandowski represents 17,711 people in New Haven, he said.

Under the district's proposed plan, the boundaries would be changed so that each board member represents between 16,700 and 16,920.

The boundary lines for at-large members would not have to change, Stahly said, unless Adams Township ceased to be the largest township within the district.

Typically, the board does not vote on matters of public interest without discussing the vote and putting it on the agenda at a prior meeting.

New Haven resident Chris Baker, who has said he intends to run for Lewandowski's school board seat, told board members he thought the public deserved a chance to weigh in on the matter.

"The public probably ought to have the opportunity to talk about this," he said.

Baker was the first person to publicly bring up Lewandowski's extended absence from the board.

She missed at least five meetings in the fall, then returned for two board meetings this winter.

She was absent during Tuesday's meeting.

Lewandowski, who started a factory job this fall that requires late-shift work, said her employer originally led her to believe she could continue attending meetings but later changed its stance.

She said she is still trying to fix her situation so that she can again attend the meetings.

dhaynie@jg.net