Karen White received nearly $100,000 from South Bend schools without contracts, records show
- Logan Foster
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
By Logan Foster
Redress South Bend | January 15, 2026
South Bend Common Council member Karen L. White received nearly $100,000 in payments from the South Bend Community School Corporation over several years, but the school district says it has no contracts or written agreements documenting the services tied to those payments.
According to school district payment records, the payments were made to White and to an entity identified as Reaching Higher Grounds between 2018 and 2024, including multiple checks of $25,000.
No contracts found
In response to a public records request seeking contracts, receipts, and invoices associated with the payments, the South Bend Community School Corporation said it could not locate any contracts.
“A search of our records has been conducted, and no documents responsive to your request for a contract were found,” Pamela Paluszewski, a paralegal and legal coordinator for the school corporation, wrote in a determination letter dated Jan. 8, 2026.
Paluszewski stated that while a list of payments had been provided, the absence of contracts constituted a partial denial under Indiana’s public records law. The district did not identify what services, if any, were provided in exchange for the payments.
Breakdown of payments
According to payment records released by the district:
$1,020 paid to Karen White in July 2018
$25,000 paid to Karen White in April 2022
$25,000 paid to Karen White in April 2023
$25,000 paid to Karen White in September 2023 (later voided)
$25,000 paid to Reaching Higher Grounds in October 2023
$23,000 paid to Reaching Higher Grounds in May 2024
In total, the payments equal $99,020.
Months-long records request
The public records request, submitted in October 2025, sought all payments made to White from 2019 through 2025, including receipts, invoices, and contracts.
In follow-up correspondence spanning more than two months, Paluszewski acknowledged providing payment summaries but repeatedly delayed or declined to produce any contracts or written agreements. In January, she formally confirmed that none could be found.
Indiana law generally requires public agencies to retain records documenting the expenditure of public funds, including contracts or agreements establishing the terms under which payments are made.
No response from officials
White did not respond to a request for comment seeking clarification on the nature of the work performed or the basis for the payments.
The school corporation did not answer questions about why payments were issued without associated contracts, whether alternative documentation exists, or whether internal policies require written agreements for vendor or contractor payments.