Students at West Side Leadership Academy staged a peaceful walkout Friday a day after the Gary Community School Corp. board voted not to renew Principal Carl Scott’s contract. The board declined to explain its decision, citing personnel policy. Scott could not immediately be reached for comment. The vote has sparked backlash from students, staff, and […]
Gary Community School Corporation
Posted inEducation
Gary Students Get a New Route to Tuition-Free College at IUN
As college applications start to roll in for students, the question of how to pay for it is something every parent and student worries about. But through a new Gary partnership, that’s a question some students may no longer have to worry about. The initiative, a partnership with Hard Rock Casino, the Urban League of […]
Posted inEducation, Local Government, Public Meetings
October 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
With the city’s proposed 2026 budget heading to a public hearing on Oct. 7 and a final adoption set for Oct. 21, residents will have a brief window to voice their priorities. This year’s process is under greater scrutiny as Gary faces tightening property tax revenues and less flexibility in American Rescue Plan Act-backed spending. […]
Posted inEducation, Politics & Policy
Gary Wins $800K Grant as Funding Changes Loom
At Thursday night’s Gary Community School Corporation board meeting, district leaders shared news that brought both celebration and concern, highlighting the complicated road ahead for the city’s public schools. Renita Craig, director of curriculum and assessment, announced that Gary schools have secured an $800,000 Next Generation School Improvement Grant from the Indiana Department of Education. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy
August 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
Gary’s Common Council dealt primarily with zoning issues during its meeting in July. As a result, two new auto dealerships have been greenlighted for Fifth Avenue on the city’s West Side. Starting today, the council will address short-term rentals in the Miller neighborhood as it issues a final vote today on the rezoning of a […]
Posted inEducation
Virtual Teachers Spark Community Outrage in Gary; Union Cites Unfair Labor Practices
Members of the Gary Teachers Union and concerned residents filled the union office for a standing-room-only meeting Thursday to discuss the Gary Community School Corporation’s decision to enlist virtual teachers amid a nationwide teacher shortage. On July 9, the Gary School Board voted to retain Proximity, a company based in Austin, Texas, to supply up […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services
June 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
After voting in April to go forward with a zoning change to the Beckman School property, the Gary Common Council last month overrode a pocket veto from Mayor Eddie Melton that would have blocked the change. The 6-3 vote cleared the way for an industrial business to move into the Midtown neighborhood site near 23rd […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy, State Government
From Schools to Taxes: How Recent Indiana Laws Impact Gary
What happens at the Statehouse certainly doesn’t stay there, and for cities like Gary, the ripple effects are impossible to ignore. As Indiana lawmakers wrapped up this year’s legislative session, several key bills, namely SB 1 and HB 1001, emerged that could reshape how Gary collects tax revenue and even communicate major decisions to residents. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy, Public Services
May 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
The Gary Common Council made one of its most controversial decisions of the year last month, as the body narrowly approved a zoning change for the former Beckman School from residential to planned unit development in a 5-4 vote. Last month, the council interviewed candidates for appointments to the Redevelopment Commission, Transportation Board, School Board, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Meetings
March 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
As the second half of Indiana’s legislative session picks up steam, the Gary Common Council is weighing the creation of a new legislative committee to track bills moving through the Statehouse that could soon become law and impact the city. The political landscape has shifted locally, too. Council member Marian Ivey has stepped into the […]