A bill calling for a five-member appointed Gary School Board cleared the House on Monday and is one step closer to law as it heads to a Senate conference committee.
That committee will resolve differences in the bill as it worked its way through both chambers. If both sides find agreement, it moves to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk for final action.
The House-approved bill scaled back the board from seven to five members with at least three from Gary. The mayor and city council each have one selection and the secretary of education has three appointments. One must be from Gary, one from Lake County and the final one could be from anywhere.
The House approved the measure by a 94-4 vote. Two local representatives, Vernon Smith, D-Gary, and Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, opposed it. Smith said he voted against it because Gary residents wanted an elected board.
With at least three members from Gary, citizens could regain some local control over the district that fell under state control when its elected board didn’t resolve its deficit finances.
The new board could be in place by July 1 and serve its first year in an advisory capacity to the district’s emergency manager. It could regain full governing authority by July 2024, if the state Distressed Unit Appeal Board determines it’s no longer financially distressed.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
