Big Shoulders president and CEO Josh Hale called it the largest single investment in preK-12 Catholic education in history.

Wednesday’s announcement at the White family-owned Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake drew an A-list of GOP leaders including Gov. Eric Holcomb, Speaker of the House Todd Huston, and Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.

Diocese of Gary Bishop Robert J. McClory praised the gift from the White Foundation and announced the establishment of a $50 million endowment from the diocese’s foundation aimed at boosting teacher and staff salaries.

“Today is a joy-filled day…” said McClory. “Lives will be changed and transformed. The Investment reflects an enormous vote of confidence in Catholic education.”

Beth White, chairman of White Lodging and wife of the late Bruce White and daughter-in-law of Dean and Barbara White, called Wednesday’s announcement just a beginning.

“The true success will be the academic progress everyone makes who walks through the Big Shoulders’ door. We believe in the promise that each of you hold.”

She said the White family and her own downstate Illinois family know the impact of an education.

“My late husband, Bruce, and I share the belief that education is an equalizer that is paramount to making the world a better place. With Big Shoulders, we have been working together to make a meaningful impact in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.”

The diocese has 20 schools, about 400 teachers, and about 6,000 students in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Starke counties. Diocese Superintendent Colleen Brewer said enrollment is up about 19% in the past three years.

The increase coincides with state lawmakers expanding a Choice Scholarship, or voucher program, making nearly every family in the state eligible for state funding to send their children to private schools.

The program has provided millions to Diocese of Gary schools including $3.7 million for Bishop Noll High School in Hammond and $2.4 million for Andrean High School in Merrillville last year.

Brewer said about 80% of students rely on vouchers in the program championed by Republicans who control both chambers in the statehouse.

“It’s difficult to think back over the last 7-1/2 half years of a moment I’ve been more proud of,” said Holcomb. “It took innovative minds, it took courage. Now you’re in the spotlight.”

Huston called the announcement “my favorite event ever” because of its future impact.

“This event changes generations, changes outcomes…We’ll see improving metrics but we’ll never fully appreciate the generational changes in these kids’ lives.”

Officials said there’s no specific plan in place yet to divvy up the $150 million in funding.

Hale said the plan will focus on serving students and communities with the greatest economic and educational need in Northwest Indiana.

Hale left the door open for the Diocese of Gary to reopen a school since they’ve all been closed for years. He said they would examine reopening a shuttered school in Gary.

The most likely one could be Holy Angels, across from the cathedral on 6th Avenue.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

For nearly 45 minutes, Stokes shared a detailed look into her goals and priorities during a reception Tuesday that drew Gary Community School Corp. staff members, residents, and parents.

On Monday, the state Distressed Unit Appeal Board, which has governed the district since 2017, will hold a 5 p.m. public hearing and a vote on the termination of Gary’s status as a distressed school district.

Gary’s appointed school board and Superintendent Stokes are expected to gain governing authority on July 1. The vote will bring an end to seven years of sometimes turbulent state control that reduced the workforce and shuttered schools, but also turned a hefty budget deficit into a surplus.

“It’s been bumpy, but we’re going to land the plane,” said Mike Raisor, the fourth emergency manager to run the district under MGT Consulting, the Florida-based firm hired by the state in 2017.

On Tuesday, though, Stokes offered insight into how the district will function under her leadership.

She arrives in Gary after her first superintendent’s position in the Hamilton Southeastern Schools ended abruptly last year after the election of a new conservative school board.

Before that role, she served as assistant superintendent from 2017 to 2021 in the School Town of Munster.

“I don’t believe just a few should be able to sit at the table… We need to hear from all of you,” Stokes told the crowd.

She outlined a K-12 academic vision of coordinated systemic learning at each grade level with no gaps.

At the top is literacy. “We have to make sure our children can read and yes, we’re putting supports in place at the high school. Our focus has to be on literacy first.”

Gary third graders rank at the bottom of the state in its reading assessment exam with just 47% percent passing last year compared to the state average of 82%.

Along with literacy, attendance is a big priority.

“Students have to be here. We need to make sure our kids show up,” she said.

One of the biggest complaints during the MGT era was a perceived snub of engaging with the community.

Stokes said she’s going to initiate a seven-month program for parents to learn about the inner workings of the school district and how it must align with state and federal laws.

She said sessions could cover topics like food service, transportation, and board governance. “When you learn how we operate, you become ambassadors,” Stokes said.

DeJuan Eskew, dean of students at the Glen Park Academy, said he was impressed with Stokes’ vision.

“I like her focus on early literacy,” he said. “It seems like she’s full of ideas. She’s strong-willed, but open to suggestions.”

Tomeka Pope, a Project Lead the Way K-5 teacher at Williams Elementary, also liked Stokes’ emphasis on literacy.

“I’m excited and very hopeful we do the right thing,” she said.

“I’m glad we have local control back,” said Marcus Steele, who has three family members in the district. “She seems like she’ll be someone who is there for the kids,” he said of Stokes.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Stokes, who also served as assistant superintendent at the School Town of Munster, takes office July 1 when Gary is expected to be released from state control.

Gary became the first district in the state to fall under state control because of large budget deficits that nearly derailed its existence.

After the board vote, Stokes was swarmed by Gary residents eager to meet her and ask questions.

Her former boss at Munster, Jeff Hendrix, looked on with a measure of pride at the educator he hired in Marion and Munster.

“She’s always been focused on children,” said Hendrix who hired Stokes as an assistant principal and then a principal when he led the Marion Community Schools.

Hendrix, who was Munster superintendent from 2014 to 2022, hired Stokes in 2017 as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. In 2018, she received the Indiana Governor’s Award.

At Munster, Hendrix said Stokes assisted with strategic planning and diversity training and established herself in a strong role in leading curriculum and instructional practices.

Hendrix recommended her for the top job in Hamilton Southeastern in Fishers, another affluent Indiana community like Munster, and she became its superintendent in 2021.

It proved to be a rocky experience after new, more conservative school board members took office.

She left abruptly in 2023 before her contract had expired.

Stokes, who holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership, said she’s not afraid of the challenge Gary offers from keeping its finances in the black to uplifting academic performance.

“I’m a big advocate of reading,” she said when asked about the district’s third grade reading scores that rank at the bottom of the state. Stokes described third grade as the critical period for students to master reading as they move into more advanced content in fourth grade.

Stokes also plans to focus on Gary’s truancy problem, another key linchpin to turn academics around.

Stokes arrives in a community struggling with high poverty and poor academic performance that represents a stark contrast to Fishers with its median household income at about $126,000 in 2022 compared to Gary’s $36,874.

The residents who spoke to the school board before its vote still voiced distrust in the system that left them in state control since 2017.

“She’s walking into something that’s really, really hard,” said Jackie Lee. “I pray for her.”

Michaela Spangenberg, of the Gary Education Coalition, complained about the selection process saying the community didn’t feel included.

“There is a real movement to destroy education in this country and this community has been under attack for many years. We need to really band together and protect these kids,” she said.

Nikki Byrd, a frequent critic of the conditions at the West Side Leadership Academy, called for transparency from Stokes’ administration.

“I pray and hope that this was the right decision. I’m not sure. I’m nervous because we haven’t had anything positive for our children in the last seven years,” she said.

Bruce Curry, of Gary’s NAACP, encouraged faith.

“When it comes down to a decision, everybody in this room has to have some trust in the board. Gary has to be positive now. That stuff in the past, you got to let it go.”

The school board took months to evaluate 38 applicants from 14 states and whittled its process to three finalists before settling on Stokes and awarding her a three-year contract. She will earn $215,000 a year and can receive up to $15,000 in incentives for boosting finances, academics and enrollment.

“We went through a very exhaustive process to select a superintendent and in that process, we felt you had the skills, and experience to do a very good job,” said Danita Johnson-Woods, the board member who headed the search team.

“We didn’t get this way overnight. We don’t expect miracles, but what we do expect are incremental gains by working together as a team.”

Board chairman Michael Suggs said the board wants inclusion as it assumes governing powers in July.

“I feel we are fortunate to have selected a leader that I feel I wish my children had a chance to learn under. I appreciate your feedback, but I won’t tolerate disrespect. This is a serious job for serious people.”

Stokes is expected to make remarks and greet the public at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Gary Area Career Center, 1800 E. 35th Ave.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. 

When voters rejected property tax school referendums last November in three Lake County districts, it created a wave of recent layoffs, school closings and a reduction in busing leading to e-learning days.

Last week, the Lake Station School Board trimmed school bus transportation to three days a week, leaving students at home in front of their laptops for the other two days.

referendum

School officials said the district needed $466,000 of its $1.3 million in referendum money, first approved by voters in 2017, to sustain its transportation.

In November, voters failed to renew that referendum by 14 votes.

The school board is expected to hold another referendum vote in the November general election.

In Indiana, the shelf life of a referendum is eight years. If a school district wants to keep the funding going, it must ask voters to extend the referendum.

The state’s GOP lawmakers, who hold majorities in both chambers, recently tweaked the wording voters see on their ballots.

School officials said the new language confused voters who thought they were facing a vote on new taxes. In reality, a “yes” vote meant the referendum revenue would continue in districts where voters already approved a referendum, like Lake Station and Hammond.

Hammond school board

It would mean a tax increase in a district that’s never sought or won a referendum.

Urban school districts and cities in Lake County have nearly all held referendum votes. Those cities have more layers of government but are losing population and their industrial tax base. The result is a shrinking pie to split.

School districts are also dependent on enrollment and when it declines, so does state funding. They’re left with strained property taxes near or at the tax cap.

“The reason the referendum is necessary is because of circuit breakers on taxes,” said Lake Station school board member Kevin Music last week.

Music said the tax caps cost the school district nearly $1.6 million. “That’s why we had the referendum and that’s why we want to continue it,” he said.

Under a 2006 state law backed by then-GOP governor Mitch Daniels, school districts must ask voters for more revenue if they want to exceed the 2% tax cap, a measure lawmakers felt would offer homeowners more property tax stability.

Referendum-approved tax increases, or extensions, are not subject to the tax caps. School districts can seek voter referendums for operating expenses and for construction projects.

In November, the School City of Hammond placed both of those referendum questions on the ballot and voters soundly rejected each one by more than 70%.

The result led Superintendent Scott Miller to predict a “doomsday” scenario.

The state Distressed Unit Appeal Board stepped in after the failed votes, telling Hammond it couldn’t operate with budget deficits and to establish a corrective action plan, which is code for massive cuts.

In April, the school board voted to close Wallace, Morton and Kenwood elementary schools, despite backlash from teachers and parents. The move saved $5.6 million.

Miller said after the referendum defeat, it could mean the layoffs of 200 to 250 employees.

“They’re real people,” Miller said at a May 21 school board meeting. “They’re real souls, and they’re serving our kids. We’re taking 200 people and their 30 to 40 hours worth of output a week out of our school community.”

As the meeting descended into acrimonious vitriol, board member Carlotta Blake-King called Miller “a criminal” for his handling of the district’s finances.

“You don’t get to call me a criminal,” Miller shot back.

“This is a bloodbath and the citizens of Hammond have been subjected to it for no reason of their own,” said Blake-King.

Educators believe waging ballot box campaigns for more tax money is an untenable funding strategy for the state’s traditional public schools. School votes can also divide communities whose residents often wage social media squabbles with each other.

Lake Station’s move to cut busing unleashed a barrage of criticism on social media, but Superintendent Thomas Cripliver said he’s only received one call from a parent.

“Referendums are not the way we need to fund our schools,” said Indiana Federation of Teachers president GlenEva Dunham earlier this year. She also heads the Gary Teachers Union.

Last year, lawmakers made the revenue pot districts receive from winning referendums even smaller by requiring them to share the funding with charter schools in their district.

Miller said it would have meant $833,521 from its referendum revenue would go to charters in the city each year.

For Whiting, last year marked its first bid for a referendum. Superintendent Cynthia Scroggins said the district’s operations fund was hit hard by tax cap losses and decreasing enrollment.

School officials were stunned by the referendum’s defeat last year, saying it would have provided about $1 million annually over the eight-year span to aid operations.

She said it would have translated to $10 more a month for taxpayers.

To make up the revenue loss, she said Whiting opened its enrollment to non-resident students in hopes of attracting more students.

To safeguard school counseling services from cuts, the district secured a two-year grant from the city’s redevelopment commission.

The district is launching a “pay-to-play” transportation fee for athletes and students in other extra-curricular activities to defer transportation costs. Parents will also be levied a bus fee for field trips.

Whiting is also cutting some outside vendor contracts to save money.

Summer school has been eliminated for middle school and for most elementary school students.

Bus purchasing has been delayed and extra-curricular and athletic offerings have been decreased.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Despite the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, international arrivals have been steadily increasing, officials said.

“This milestone demonstrates the continued appeal of our airport to a host of air travelers, including those coming from overseas markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe,” said airport executive director Dan Vicari.

“This recent arrival is further proof of the substantial role GCIA plays in Chicago’s air transportation system, which is one of the busiest aviation networks globally.”

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility opened in 2018. So far this year, it’s welcomed 63 flights, up slightly from 2023 when there were 58 arrivals during the same time span.

Officials said the airport’s proximity to Chicago, about 25 miles and a 30-minute drive, has been a key driver in attracting international air travelers who don’t need to stop elsewhere to clear customs.

Officials from the airport’s two first-class fixed-based operators,  B. Coleman Aviation and the Gary Jet Center, have made substantial capital improvements in recent years. The companies host arrivals, and fuel and service planes.

The Gary Jet Center opened a $5 million LEED-certified hangar and a $3 million terminal and B. Coleman Aviation opened a $9 million terminal and a $5 million hangar. Both operators anticipate future expansions.

“The on-site facility is a tremendous asset to our business-oriented clients, who frequently determine their aviation choices based on time and convenience to their final destination,” said John Girzadas, president of B. Coleman Aviation.

Gary Jet Center president Lynn Eplawy said the customs facility has opened up more markets.

“Having a customs facility provides us with a substantial advantage in an always competitive sector, allowing Gary Jet Center to offer their customers enhanced travel options as they make their plans,” said Eplawy.

She said the customs facility played a role in its decision to expand operations.

Officials credited past investments and planning for the customs facility’s success.

In 2015 the airport extended its main runway to nearly 9,000 feet, and it is now the second longest runway in the region after O’Hare International Airport.

The airport launched cargo service in 2020 with a contract with the United Parcel Service. The airport’s freight volume is ranked third in Indiana, officials said. The runway length enables it to service larger planes, like the UPS Airbus A300 jets.

The Federal Aviation Administration approved the airport’s master plan in 2022 that guides its growth for the next several decades.

Griffith/Merrillville Airport

Last year, the airport authority purchased the Griffith-Merrillville Airport for $1.8 million to relieve its Gary airport of smaller plane traffic.

The FAA has provided millions of dollars to the airport with the goal of establishing cargo and commercial operations on the expanded runway.

Yet commercial passenger operations remain in a holding pattern since Allegiant Airlines halted service in 2015.

Last year, the airport authority hired a Chicago firm to continue pitching the airport to airlines.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, calls for pre-K to grade 6 and special education teachers to be trained in the science of reading to renew their state license.

Indiana reading exam results last year showed nearly one in five students is unable to read by the end of third grade. The results raised alarm bells among lawmakers who also called for students to repeat third grade if they fail the state’s reading proficiency test.

Teachers expressed concern over the 80-hour length of the new online class they’ll have to take during their summer break or during the school year and the mandatory high-stakes PRAXIS exam at the end of the course.

About 150 teachers voiced their concerns at a May 8 State Board of Education meeting in Indianapolis.

On May 17, Secretary of Education Katie Jenner told teachers some adjustments have been made to provide more flexibility for educators to complete the course and to exempt teachers who don’t teach reading.

“I’m grateful for the collective effort to balance the urgent need to overcome Indiana’s literacy crisis with our shared desire to increase flexibility for educators,” Jenner said in the letter to teachers.

Jenner said one change allows teachers to choose an asynchronous course option, freeing them up to fit studies into their schedules.

After talking with teachers, Jenner said an educator who holds a pre-K to grade 6 license but teaches a content area that does not involve literacy instruction won’t be required to earn the early literacy endorsement.

If the educator changes course, however, and later teaches literacy content, they would be required to earn the endorsement.

She said all Indiana teachers were strongly encouraged to participate in science of reading training.

Jenner said the most common concerns from teachers involve the PRAXIS test.

The requirement still stands but Jenner said she’s committed to convening an educator advisory team “focused on exploring other potential ways to provide a consistent, quality measure that ensures we are best implementing science of reading practices.”

More than 30 states now require schools to teach the science of reading, a curriculum based on phonics and phonemic awareness so students learn to identify sounds that make up a word.

Teachers are eligible for a $1,200 stipend for the training and the state is covering the cost of the PRAXIS exam, but the test is creating anxiety.

“I think there’s a bit of a false narrative out there that schools are failing and teachers are part of the problem and this is a magic bullet to fix it,” said Deb Porter, a Northwest Indiana UniServ director for the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Porter didn’t think it amounted to solid education practice for the state to have just one vendor, Keys to Literacy, handling all the training.

“That’s a real break from the way we’ve done things in the past. It doesn’t seem to align with what we consider best practices. I find it hard to believe the only way we can teach good reading is this way… that’s pretty much the box they put it in,” Porter said.

Porter said the PRAXIS exam, which is also required for an Indiana teaching license, was historically set up to be difficult and it’s not unusual for teachers to need to take it more than once. Teachers usually have to pay for re-tests themselves and the exams cost $300.

“It doesn’t necessarily demonstrate mastery any more than completing the class. If you’ve completed the course work, that in and of itself should be enough to demonstrate mastery,” she said.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Board chairman Michael Suggs said the board is expected to vote on the contract at a 3 p.m. meeting on June 7 at the Gary Area Career Center. He didn’t know if the candidate planned to attend.

School board members didn’t address the comments, although their attorney said the board couldn’t discuss personnel issues.

Suggs said he wasn’t surprised at the outcry, but he was “disappointed.” He said the new superintendent’s name was withheld because the candidate wanted to remain confidential until the hiring was official.

“Personnel matters are confidential … you cannot disclose that kind of information,” said board attorney Michael Tolbert. “The board chose the road of confidentiality to protect the superintendent’s safety and to make sure the process is unhindered. The board has done nothing illegal by keeping the name of the superintendent confidential.”

Gary hasn’t had a superintendent or elected school board with governing authority since 2017 when large budget deficits and accumulated debt prompted the state to take control of it and install a private education emergency management team.

The district’s debt has been erased and it’s expected to be released from state control July 1. At that time, its appointed school board and new superintendent will gain governing authority as the state steps back.

Some speakers blurted out the name of a suspected candidate, even suggesting they had received contract buyouts from two previous posts. After the meeting, Suggs declined to confirm any candidate’s name, describing the speculation as “rumors” in the community.

“The real way you get buy-in from the community is to welcome the community in,” said Michaela Spangenberg. “You have shut the community out of this process, the rumors are the byproduct of what you’ve created. You are undercutting the community’s faith in the superintendent.”

Gary educator Roy Hamilton said he moved from Hammond to Gary because of its school system. “I ask whoever the superintendent is that we don’t tear that person down. Give that person a chance to succeed. We’ve gone through superintendents, and we’ve bought out contracts. It’s a waste of money.”

Christine Sass told the board the $215,000 proposed salary “seems out of whack,” when compared to other districts with similar enrollments.

She applauded the $5,000 bonuses for improvement in academics, finances, and enrollment but suggested the $215,000 salary should be reduced and the incentives raised.

Retired Gary teacher Carolyn McCrady said the new school leader should focus on career pathways, providing each student with a goal to foster their interest in school.

“Link students to resources and curriculum so they can grow,” she said.

Shelley Fisher said she hopes the new superintendent has a special focus on reading, as well as external and internal communication. She voiced support for the return of a citywide PTA.

“I hope we have a system in which parents can come to school and observe unobtrusively. We cannot have an administration that does not involve our parents… We want to be on the cutting edge and right now we’re not at the point.”

Nikki Byrd said the district needs services to help children. She asked if the new superintendent would live in Gary. “Our children are being totally dismissed like they don’t mean anything at all.”

As emergency manager MGT Consulting exits, Robert Coleman said there should be a forensic audit done on finances.

“The reason why the community is so upset is we have been kept in the dark for over five years. That’s why our community is in such an uproar. Whoever the superintendent is, I pray they come in strong and you all work together as a team…”

His wife, attorney Tracy Coleman, who once represented the school board, held up a large photograph of the West Side Leadership Center and said the district could boost its enrollment by repairing its dormant swimming pool and adding a fieldhouse.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Steel City received $2.45 million, the largest amount in the state.

“We are thrilled and honored that Steel City Academy has been selected as one of the 530 schools across the country to receive a $2.45 million grant as part of the Clean School Bus program,” said Steel City executive director Katie Kirley.

“This grant will enable us to introduce brand new electric buses to our fleet, significantly reducing our carbon footprint and reinforcing our commitment to combating climate change and protecting the environment.”

Grant recipients can choose electric buses, which don’t produce tailpipe emissions, or propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, which produce lower tailpipe emissions than older diesel models.

Nationwide, nearly about 92% of the 3,400 clean school buses purchased will be electric, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Kirley said Steel City has forged a partnership with Incandescent Transportation, based in Highland. “Their support and expertise have been invaluable, and we are incredibly grateful for their collaboration,” she said.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said Tuesday in a release: “With today’s latest round of funding, we are transforming the nation’s school bus fleet to better protect our most precious cargo—our kids—saving school districts money, improving air quality, and bolstering American manufacturing all at the same time.”

Created with $5 billion over five years from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA hopes to transform school fleets with “zero emission and low-emission” buses.

Diesel exhaust exposure can lead to many negative health and environmental effects, especially in communities of color like Gary, according to the EPA, which said they can cause asthma and respiratory illnesses.

Exposure to diesel exhaust can also “worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly,” the agency said.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

The fallout from losing the $1.3 million referendum extension began Tuesday as the school board voted to layoff 37 employees, including all of the district’s paraprofessionals who work in classrooms to support teachers. The layoffs save the district $635,160.

In addition to the busing changes, it also cut 18 extra-curricular jobs typically held by teachers. They range from the elementary science bowl sponsor to French, Spanish, and art sponsors. Edison High department chairs were eliminated along with the yearbook job. Those cuts save $49,405.

“I count 28 programs or clubs that have been cut because of the referendum failed,” said board president Greg Tenorio.

An undisclosed number of teachers face layoffs at a meeting in the coming weeks, said Superintendent Tom Cripliver.

English teacher and yearbook sponsor Elvides Pagan told the board there likely won’t be an Edison High yearbook next year for the first time since 1941 when the first one was printed.

Mayor Bill Carroll watched the somber meeting, which found school board member David Wright holding back tears in his final comments.

“Without a strong school district, you don’t have a strong city,” said Carroll after the meeting.

Carroll, who supported the referendum last November, said residents are already working to register voters as they promote another referendum vote, likely in November.

“This really stinks,” said board president Greg Tenorio. “I think e-learning will put their education back. Hopefully, it will be just until November if the referendum does pass.”

For now, though, the outlook is dim.

“I have three kids who go to Edison here, and they take the bus every morning,” said board member Kevin Music who explained with help from friends and relatives, his kids would be overseen during the two days each week of remote learning. “But I can’t fathom how much more difficult this will be for other families.”

Officials explained the district depended on part of its $1.3 million in referendum funding to shore up its bus transportation fund, which they said receives about $150,000 in state funding.

Tenorio said bus transportation costs the district about $800,000 annually.

“Our operating budget is normally $3.2 million… the referendum plugged that hole,” he said. “The naysayers who say we could keep it need to think about those numbers. Without the referendum, there’s no way of doing it,” he said.

State law requires school districts to operate in the black and not run up deficits, said Cripliver. He said the district is not under a corrective action plan imposed by the state, like the School City of Hammond, because it isn’t running any deficits.

In 2017, voters backed the district’s initial $1.3 million seven-year property tax referendum. Last year’s vote represented an extension of that referendum and wouldn’t increase property taxes. But its wording on the ballot confused voters into thinking their taxes would be increased, officials said.

“Keep in mind, the reason the referendum is necessary is because of circuit breakers on our taxes,” said Music. “At the end of the day, our tax cap loss was almost $1.6 million. That’s why we had the referendum and that’s why we wanted to continue it.

“For most people, it’s $15 a month. I don’t think we’re asking a whole lot to make a huge impact on our students,” said Music.

A year ago, when the school board voted to put the 2023 referendum on the ballot, board members Larry Biggs and Karen Curtis abstained from vote, saying they needed more information.

After the referendum failed, Tenorio angrily called for Curtis’s resignation in December, saying she campaigned against the referendum. Curtis denied the accusation.

On Tuesday, Curtis and Biggs voiced sorrow over Tuesday’s cutbacks.

“I quiver inside because this is damaging… we’re going to work real hard to get through this,” said Curtis.

After the meeting, Carroll called them out.

“They clearly put on a show,” he said.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Lake Station layoffs: two regular custodians, one substitute custodian, one nurse clerk, one elementary library clerk, two part-time bus mechanics, two elementary office clerks, seven summer work crew staff, 19 paraprofessionals, one assistant maintenance director and one administrator.

A group of six volunteers from Centier Bank and three core members of Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana labored on a home in Lake Station’s Riverwalk subdivision where about 14 Habitat homes are either completed or in the planning stages.

To mark Memorial Day, Friday’s “Honor Build” was sponsored by Centier Bank, which allowed its employees to take time away from their jobs to volunteer.

Centier Bank sent its Veteran Resource Team to participate in the build, reflecting their dedication to veterans and their families, said Habitat spokeswoman Wende Burbridge.

“Now that I’ve retired from the Navy, I find it a privilege to continue to serve,” said Al Avila, a senior investment adviser at the bank.

Avila, of Hammond, spent 24 years in the service. He was in the Navy Seabees, which provides construction support to the Navy, Marine Corps and other military operations, including constructing base facilities.

Avila and fellow Centier volunteer Gina Gervais, an employee manager in human resources, are part of the bank’s Associate Resource Group that’s devoted to supporting veterans and to community outreach.

Avila is comfortable around a construction site, but most of the volunteers didn’t have much experience.

Gervais said her husband is a carpenter and she’s learning some skills from him. “I do like hammering and nailing,” she said. “I’m not afraid of power tools.”

For Gerica Vega, of Portage, and Amanda Muha, of Schererville, it marked their first Habitat experience.

“I like it. It’s very rewarding,” said Vega, a regional retail administrative assistant at the bank.

“It’s wonderful that Centier gives us the time to give back to the community,” said Muha, who’s Centier’s instructional design manager.

Mike Hall, a Habitat staff member, is a core volunteer with experience in carpentry, plumbing and electrical jobs.

Hall, a Gary Wirt High School graduate, spent four years in the Navy and then four years in the Indiana National Guard.

Although the Lake Station home they worked on Friday wasn’t for a veteran, Hall said many veterans are in dire need of housing. He said there are about 1,400 veterans in Lake County in some kind of housing crisis.

He said he’ll mark the holiday with his family, which includes two sons, ages 19 and 9.

“No parades this year, we’ll just stay home,” he said.

Mike Furlan, of Schererville, has been a volunteer with Habitat since 2000. “I was in engineering, but a lot of this was new to me.”

Furlan said he likes the Habitat concept that requires homeowners to put in sweat equity on their homes and pay the mortgage. The future homeowner must put in 300 hours of labor.

Another regular volunteer, Keith Bruxvoort, of Highland, said he’s been helping out on weekends since he retired as chief financial officer for Strack and Van Til grocery, in 2005.

“I enjoy it, I grew up on a farm. It’s great to meet the families and see the end results.”

Dakita Jones, vice president and community relations manager for Centier, said in a release that “Habitat for Humanity isn’t just about building houses; it’s about enriching lives, restoring hope, and building a brighter future.”

To learn more about Habitat, visit www.habitatnwi.org

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.