This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. Thousands of Indiana students advanced through elementary school without demonstrating critical reading skills, new data from the Indiana Department of Education shows, as state lawmakers consider requiring more students who struggle with reading to repeat third grade. It’s the state’s policy […]
Education
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Breaking Down Gary Schools’ Budget for Next Year
The Gary Community School Corporation recently adopted its budget for 2024, totaling around $74 million — a slight increase from 2023’s $71.5 million budget. Next year’s budget was approved in October by the Distressed Unit Appeals Board and Mike Raisor, the district’s emergency manager, and now awaits finalization from the state. Financial struggles were the […]
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Future of Public Middle Schools Still Hangs in the Balance
Jackie Lee strolled up to a small podium, adjusted her mic, then made quick work of the three minutes she’d been given to speak: “Good evening, I’m here to oppose them closing the middle schools,” she said. Tuesday marked the first meeting with a traditional public comment section since a controversial plan to close Gary’s […]
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Gary High Schoolers Give Back With Thanksgiving Food Drive
On a row of tables draped in yellow, red, and orange tablecloths, bags of canned and boxed food awaited distribution. Students, donning gloves and shirts identifying their affiliation with Gary Area Career Center’s early childhood education or culinary arts program, stood behind the tables. It was the center’s first Thanksgiving food drive, and they were […]
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Q&A: The Role of Race in the Gary School Takeover
Gary public schools have been under state control for six years, drawing criticism and raising questions from both the community and civic officials. With an appointed school board poised to take the wheel next year, the current state of affairs warrants a deeper examination of how a predominantly Black community functions under the control of […]
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Was It Worth It? Evaluating the Impact of Indiana’s Takeover of Gary Schools.
The atmosphere inside the Gary Area Career Center was thick with anticipation that evening. Nearly 100 residents, parents, and educators filled the room on Oct. 24, eyes fixed on Emergency Manager Mike Raisor of MGT Consulting, the contractor Indiana chose to run Gary’s public school system when the state took it over in 2017. The […]
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Officials Want to Close Gary’s Middle Schools. Here’s How You Can Weigh In.
Gary residents have a critical opportunity to weigh in on the future of the city’s last public middle schools at a school board meeting on Nov. 14, where the contentious proposal to close them will be open for discussion. The possible closure of Bailly STEM Academy and Gary Middle School for the Visual and Performing […]