SBCSC votes to terminate MOU with non-profit providing after-school program

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) board voted 4-3 to terminate its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EnrichYou, Inc.

The non-profit reached the MOU with the corporation in May of 2024, after EnrichYou, Inc. applied for and obtained a $1.4 million grant to provide out-of-school services over the span of four years to up to 120 students across the middle and high schools, set to start June 30th of this year.

The action item on the agenda caused some confusion for members of the public ahead of the meeting, like community member Mike McManus.

“There’s just a letter in here, I couldn’t find what the MOU was, so I’m not sure what it is that’s being rescinded,” said McManus.

As they arrived at the action item, board member Marcus Ellison made a motion to table the decision, but that vote failed 4-3.

“Mr. Agostino kind of filled us in on some of the consequences… in terms of the litigation aspect if we go forward with completely terminating the original MOU,” said Ellison.

After the vote to table the decision failed, Peter Agostino, the board’s attorney, stepped in to provide some clarification about the original MOU and explain what Ellison was referencing.

“The MOU does allow for termination… that is something that can happen… the offer that was made was that EnrichYou would pick up the cost of providing the service, the staffing, for up to 20 kids at each high school and up to 15 kids at each middle school in a total of 120 for three high schools and four middle schools… the issue is if we don’t do the amendment to the MOU… whether they choose to proceed to want to implement the program anyway where the school has to give access because they give it to others… whether there would be litigation or not I can’t tell you… I don’t think the goal is litigation I think the goal is to provide services to after school,” said Agostino.

The discussion then circled back to the board ahead of the vote, with board member Bill Sniadecki making his vote clear.

“State or Federal government gives them millions of dollars instead of the school corporation?...My votes going to be yes. We need to terminate that, we need to get back to the business of teaching kids, so when we’re going to hold the after-school programs, we’re going to make sure it’s done properly... not just on paper, and that’s my goal… I want everybody involved in it, but you don’t have to agree on everything, but this is for kids,” said Sniadecki.

Sniadecki was among the four board members to vote for the termination, including Costello, Leyva, and McCullough, while Greene, Ellison, and Lee’s votes were to keep the program.