It’s official: Yvonne Stokes will be the next leader of the Gary Community School Corporation.
The new superintendent was announced at a special board meeting on Friday, where her contract was also approved.
After being named, Stokes introduced herself to those in attendance. Facing the crowd, she stressed her commitment to bettering students’ educational outcomes by collaborating with the community.
“As the leader, I need all of you. I really do,” Stokes said. “I can’t do this job by myself — it takes you, it takes me, it takes all of us.”
The announcement signals a new chapter is on the horizon for Gary public schools, especially as the exit date for the district’s state takeover inches closer. On July 1, emergency management of GCSC will end, and Stokes, along with an appointed school board, will gain control.
A series of managers have helmed the district over the past seven years, but many community members did not feel truly represented by them. About 91% of the students in the district are Black, yet each manager has been white. Some of these managers also did not reside in the city full time.
Stokes will become one of just a handful of other Black superintendents in the state. At the meeting, she said to Capital B Gary that she will be relocating to the area, but isn’t sure of the exact city.
Prior to becoming GCSC’s superintendent, Stokes was the superintendent for Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Fishers — notably, she was the district’s first Black leader — from 2021 to 2023. She resigned nine months before her contract ended, following much criticism from conservative board members and community members who disliked Stokes championing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
A few attendees at Friday’s meeting questioned if Stokes was the right person to lead GCSC. Stokes addressed any speculation by saying, “I know that you don’t know me, but I believe the one thing that you’ll find out about me is I am all about children.”
“I am not the answer to everything,” Stokes continued. “But what I can tell you is that in any district I’ve been in, that district has always been better because I work with the community, I work with teachers, I work with students, and give them a voice, so we can do what’s best for them.”
Before HSE, Stokes was an assistant superintendent for the School Town of Munster and an academic improvement officer at Indianapolis Public Schools. She was also one of three finalists for a superintendent opening in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year.
Stokes has a master’s in special education and K-12 education administration, and a doctorate in educational leadership. In addition to her degrees, she has licensure in exceptional needs and a certificate in urban education and leadership.
Her contract with GCSC spans three years and will see her getting paid $215,000 a year, making her the second-highest-paid superintendent out of 12 districts in Lake and Porter counties, according to a Capital B Gary analysis.
With Stokes named, a monthslong superintendent search process now has a pin in it. Michael Suggs, the district’s board chair, said the process took longer than he expected, but he’s thankful for its end result.
Many community members took issue with the superintendent search process, commenting on a perceived lack of transparency before officials announced Stokes at Friday’s meeting. But others expressed hope in the district’s new leader.
“This is one of the greatest days in the history of Gary, Indiana,” said Gary resident Bruce Curry. “It’s getting ready to be a change and a positive change.”
A reception honoring Stokes, during which she will give a presentation to the community, will be held at 6 p.m. on June 11 at the Gary Area Career Center.
This story has been updated.