What plans do you have for the transition for running GCSC without MGT’s presence? Once the new superintendent is named, we will work with that person and MGT leadership to create a transition plan and ensure that the 2024-25 school year is successful.

How many WS Graduates for this school year? 187 students graduated from WSLA on June 2^nd, 2024

How many times in a 7 year period have the West Side bathrooms been remodeled? The West Side bathrooms have not yet been remodeled, but it is planned for Summer 2024.

How many times in a 7 year period has the West Side roof been repaired? The roof as West Side Leadership Academy was repaired once, in Summer 2023.

How many times has the West Side HVAC system been replaced? The West Side Leadership Academy chiller was replaced during the 2023-24 school year. One boiler was repaired in 2024, and both boilers were tuned. This year we also added new cold water piping in about half of the building. These are necessary repairs that happen over the lifespan of any HVAC system.

Why is LED lighting being promoted and what is the alternative? LED Lighting is being promoted because it is vastly more efficient than fluorescent or incandescent bulbs.  The district stands to save almost half a million dollars per year in utility costs.  Additionally, LED bulbs are much more durable with lifespans that sometimes extend up to ten to twenty years.  This will also save dollars in our maintenance supply budgets. The alternative is to remain using mainly fluorescent lighting while continue to incur higher than necessary utility and supply costs.

When will the West Side’s (2) pools be ready for swimming? When will the fieldhouse be financed?  The new School Board and Superintendent will determine next steps for all West Side facilities after they take control on July 1, 2024.

How do you suspend elementary students? We try to avoid suspension for all students, but especially elementary schools, when at all possible. We strive to provide proactive and reactive social-emotional and behavioral supports before we consider suspension. Typically, we only suspend younger students when we believe that they are a danger to themselves or others.

Who is suppling lunches for our students?

SodexoMagic is the food service provider for the Gary Community School Corporation.

Do our students have a full-time therapist?

GCSC does not employ full-time therapists. Each school is assigned a full-time behavior specialist who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

What happened to the (2) grants received by IDOE to provide after school and summer programming?

GCSC students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of after-school programs throughout the year, funded by the 21^st Century Community Learning Center grant as well as the R.E.A.C.H (Re-Imagining Enrichment, Academics, and Community Health) grant.

Can you provide clarification on the million-dollar deficit and rainy-day fund?

The district is projected to end each school year through SY28-29 with a net operating surplus; we do not project any deficits until SY29-30. A deficit of approximately $1m is projected for SY29-30 if the referendum does not pass, schools are not consolidated, and enrollment does not increase. Steps taken in a combination of those 3 areas (referendum, consolidation, enrollment) have the potential to keep the district operating at a surplus into the future.

Was a 2023 Yearbook issued for West Side Leadership Academy?

Yes. Yearbooks are available for sale to graduating seniors every year.

Could you please share more information on the Building Corporation?

The Building Corporation exists solely to borrow money on behalf of the district, per Article 13 of the state constitution. GCSC makes lease payments to the Building Corporation, who is officially responsible for the debt. The Building Corporation is purely a legal entity and is not a decision-making body; as such, it does not hold public meetings.

What is the status of the Roosevelt Artwork and accountability?

All items removed from Roosevelt High School are being safely stored by the district.

What is the status of the Building Corporation?

The Building Corporation exists solely to borrow money on behalf of the district, per Article 13 of the state constitution. GCSC makes lease payments to the Building Corporation, who is officially responsible for the debt. The Building Corporation is purely a legal entity and is not a decision-making body; as such, it does not hold public meetings.

What happened to the Fiscal Management Board?

SB 327 from 2023, which set of the timeline for returning GCSC to local control, eliminated both the fiscal management board and the advisory board, as the newly appointed school board now serves that advisory capacity.

Can you provide an update on attendance and literacy.

Average Daily Attendance for each building is shared at monthly School Board Meetings. You can find an update on schools middle-of-year i-Ready scores in the February meeting materials.

Where are the rest of GCSC district administration and other administrators that should be at this meeting?

Attendance at School Board meetings is encouraged for all district leaders, and cabinet members are asked to attend when there is an item on the agenda relevant to their department.

How was the graduation of the last class published?

Official graduation rates for public school corporations are published by IDOE, typically in December. You can find official 2023 graduation rates for GCSC and West Side Leadership Academy here.

Where are the board comments? What is the purpose of the board?

Until July 1, 2024, the School Board’s only official duty is to select a Superintendent. They are also using this year to learn about the history and current state of the school district and serve in an advisory capacity. The Emergency Manager works collaboratively with the School Board to set the agenda for each meeting, and Board members have an opportunity to comment on any of the information shared at the end of each meeting.

Where does the board stand on middle school closings?

Consolidation of schools will be re-evaluated once a superintendent is chosen and trends in enrollment become more clear in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.

How did the board members receive their current position on the board? Who recommended them?

Three school board members (Chariman Suggs, Atty Irving, and Dr. Woods) were selected by IDOE, one (Mr. Johnson) was selected by the Mayor, and one (Dr. Allen-McCloud) was chosen by the Gary Common Council.

What is the board’s opinion on MGT?

The School Board is working collaboratively with MGT to understand the history and current state of the school district in preparation to take over leadership of the district next year.

Who owns Emerson HS?

The Gary Housing Authority owns the Ralph Waldo Emerson High School property.

How did we allow MGT to sell district property?

MGT was assigned as the Emergency Manager of the Gary Community School Corporation by the State of Indiana, which includes the authority to sell district property. Any proceeds from those sales went to the school district’s operations fund.

Who does the district Atty work for?

Tolbert & Tolbert is retained by the Gary Community School Corporation.

How many teachers were given a 7,000.00 bonus and what were the requirements?
We were pleased to be able to offer a $7,000 stipend for all teachers in the district this year in lieu of a raise. There are no stipulations tied to these stipends; we consider them part of a competitive total
compensation package that allows us to attract high-quality teachers to our district.

Were they given to all certified and non-certified teachers?
All of our teachers hold the appropriate licenses for their positions. Some teachers hold Emergency Permits while they work toward full licensure. All teachers in the district received the same stipend, as
they are on the same contract.

Will teachers still be receiving the first 1,000.00 on top of the referendum dollars as promised by former
manager?
Teachers were promised the first 1,000,000.00 from the referendum. they received the first 1,000,000.00 when they received a raise of 5.3% to their base in the 2020-21 school year. Since that time, the 1,000,000.00 has been exceeded with the 2021-22 and 2022-23 increases of 3% and 2.5% respectively.

What is the total number of teachers employed?
Our total number is 333. We have 288 licensed classroom teachers and 45 who serve as behavior support coordinators, college & career, artists, nurses and social workers.

What funding source of the 7,000?
Stipends will be paid out of ESSER III. The majority of the stipends will be paid out of ESSER III with the education fund covering stipends that do not qualify for ESSER funding. be paid out of ESSER III

Please expound on the possibility of another referendum.
In order for GCSC to continue offering an excellent education to our students and
families, we highly recommend that the community pass another referendum in
2028. The successful passage of the referendum in 2020 resulted in vast improvements across the district from facility upgrades to the expansion of extra-curricular offerings. In order to build on this monumental progress, the passage of an additional referendum is recommended in 2028. Should it be placed on the ballot, the administration would be sure to ask for feedback from community stakeholders on how the dollars would be best used to improve the educational offerings for our scholars.

What is the official state-mandated class size per teacher?
The state of Indiana does not mandate a maximum class size.

How many students are issued certificates of attendance versus how many met their core 40 requirements?
For the 2022-23 school year, we issued 198 diplomas and 8 certificates of completion.

What is the status of the West Side swimming pool.
$1.5 million was set aside in the initial 1065 plan to renovate the WSLA pool. In Spring
2022, Whiteco Pool Solutions was contracted for $45,000 to create Renovation Drawings and Specifications. Drawings were only created for the gutter line, return line, and main drain specifications. It was estimated that full drawings will cost approximately
$200,000. An RFP was never released due to incomplete drawings, but internal
estimates suggest that the renovation will cost at least $5 million. In addition, a pool
would put significant strain on the plumbing systems at WSLA, and the costs for ongoing maintenance would be significant. As we make our final plans for the remaining money from ESSER III and the 1065 School Improvement Fund, pool renovations will remain in consideration.