The long-anticipated hiring of a new superintendent to guide the Gary Community School Corp. is expected to be announced early next month.
Board member Danita Johnson-Woods, who chairs the search committee, said during Tuesday’s meeting the finalists wanted to remain anonymous.
According to state law, the contract must be publicized and a public hearing must be held. While the terms of the contract are public record, the candidate’s name may be withheld until the board votes in a public meeting on the hiring, officials have said.
Johnson-Woods said the search drew 38 candidates and the list was whittled down to three.
She said confidential meetings were held with some community stakeholders to gauge their views and to further examine the candidates.
Some residents voiced distrust in the process Tuesday, saying it was shrouded in secrecy without much input from the community.
“This has taken a long time and now we’re right up against the deadline,” said Michaela Spangenberg. “The input at the beginning was not very rigorous…”
Nikki Byrd said there has been little engagement. “We don’t know anything that’s going on with our children. We need somebody who can hit the ground running,” she said.
Some speakers said the new superintendent should be from Gary, but not everyone held that view.
“It matters not one bit where the superintendent comes from, as long as they’re qualified,” said Linda Collins.
In 2017, the school district’s distressed financial status triggered a state takeover and elimination of its elected school board and superintendent. Instead, the state appointed a private education management firm to run the district with an emergency manager at the helm.
Its primary focus was to reduce the district’s deficits.
Gary is the lone district in Indiana governed by the state in financial and academic matters.
MGT Consulting, a Florida company, has turned around the district financially and manager Mike Raisor said it should end the year with a 16.4% net operating surplus.
He has warned, however, that voters would need to approve the continuation of a $72.1 million property tax referendum by 2028 to keep finances solvent.
If voters support the referendum’s renewal, the funding would have to be shared with seven charter schools in the city, under a new state law. Raisor said earlier that would leave the district with about 40% of the $72.1 million.
Also, Raisor said after the meeting that two middle school principals — Maline Morris of Bailly STEM Academy and Antoinette Dixon, of Gary Middle School — will assume duties in the central office next year.
Morris will be director of teacher development and Dixon will be director of at-risk populations.
Bailly Assistant Principal Janelle Williams was named coordinator of curriculum and instruction.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
