Gary Schools Emergency Manager: 1 Of 2 High Schools To Close

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The emergency manager running the financially strapped Gary Community School Corp. says one of the district's two high schools likely will close at the end of the current academic year.

Emergency Manager Peggy Hinckley told the State Board of Finance that the district doesn't have the enrollment to justify more than one high school. She says high schools are the most expensive schools to operate.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports Hinckley told the board that that closing a high school likely will be unpopular in Gary, but it's "a necessary step" to reduce expenses.

The board Tuesday approved a $3.2 million no-interest loan to cover the Gary schools' operating costs through the end of 2017. It plans to use the $3.2 million to pay employee salaries and health insurance premiums.