District overview
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Discovery Charter School is a free public K-8 school in Porter, near Chesterton, in Porter County, Indiana. It is run by a nonprofit, Duneland Charter School, Inc. Its Board of Directors is not elected. The board picks its own new members after public interviews. Ball State University authorizes the school, and in 2026 the school asked Ball State to renew its charter. The board meets once a month, usually on a Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., and streams meetings on YouTube. The state pays the school per student, so enrollment drives its budget.
Kevin Zeck started January 5, 2026 after a period with an interim director. His contract runs through June 30, 2027.
The board interviewed and approved two new members in 2026. One member resigned effective October 1, 2026.
The renewal report went to Ball State on September 29, 2026. A renewed charter would last 10 to 15 years.
In FY2023, $4.05 million of $5.79 million in revenue was state education support, which is based on enrollment.
The minutes are short and record few vote counts. Much personnel and safety discussion happens in closed executive sessions, which Indiana law allows.
About half reflects last year's one-time bond payoff costs.
Up from about 86 the year before.
The school replaced its 7.25% Indiana Finance Authority bond (originally $7.23 million) with a variable-rate bank loan.
First Merchants Bank loan
An agreement with the Town of Porter police puts Sergeant Tawni Komisarcik at the school as its first SRO.
Not stated; the board also approved applying for a Homeland Security school safety grant
The board asked Ball State University to renew the charter. Ball State will review the school on site and hold a community night.
Not applicable
The plan has four pillars: student achievement, the whole student, facilities, and leadership, culture and connections. The superintendent's 2026-27 goals follow it.
Operating budget
There is no public election for the Discovery Charter School board. The board recruits applicants, interviews them in open special meetings and appoints new directors itself. It did this for Marc Oestreich and Allison Michna in 2026. Applicants must live in Indiana and be 18 or older, and school employees and their families cannot serve.
Official source · verified Oct 27, 2026
Board of Directors agendas, minutes, executive session notices and YouTube meeting recordings (auto-captions) posted on discoverycharter.org/agendas-and-minutes, from October 14, 2025 through October 14, 2026, plus the posted phone policy, technology use policy and FY2023 audit.
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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