Gary public schools start year no longer under state control after 7 years of oversight

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- It's a brand new day for the Gary, Ind. public school district, which had been under the control of the state for the past seven years.

West Side Leadership Academy is the city's only remaining non-charter public high school. While high school freshmen are getting acquainted with their new building, behind the scenes there is a lot of foundational work still being done at the Gary Community Schools Corporation.

"We're coming off seven years of takeover by the state and a firm that was operating. So we are literally building the plane while we are flying it," said Dr. Yvonne Stokes, superintendent.

Back in 2017, the sate took control of Gary's public schools which, at the time, were over $20 million in debt. Today the district's finances are in a much better place, but their biggest challenge remains: how to stop students from leaving the district.

According to the Indiana Department of Education's latest numbers, only 35.4% of Gary's students are enrolled in the district, with the rest split between private and charter schools.

"We want everyone in Gary to know that while parents have a choice as to where to send their children, where they believe they can best be supported. We would like them to know that we believe that that is Gary Community Schools," Dr. Stokes said.

For parents like Tameka Needham, whose twin boys started high school Wednesday, the choice to keep them within the district came down to location. But she said overall there have been other net positives.

"The principal from West Side came and spoke at the graduation ceremony at Gary Middle School. So that was a good introduction for the students to get to know him a little bit. And actually, I just like it," she said.

While the state has handed back control of the district to a local school board, that school board is appointed. A meeting of the board is scheduled for Wednesday night, where they will tackle basics like instituting policies and procedures that will govern the district moving forward.