Gary Common Council to sponsor resolution opposing House Bill 1136 that would convert city schools to charters

The Gary Common Council directed a council member to draft a resolution opposing House Bill 1136, which speakers at the meeting said would require the conversion of Gary’s remaining traditional public schools into charter schools.

Councilwoman Barnes Caldwell urged residents to contact state lawmakers and called on the council to fight the proposal. “If you are against the schools in Gary… please call downstate immediately and voice your concern,” Councilwoman Barnes Caldwell said during the Jan. 7 meeting.

Why it matters: Council members said the bill would effectively end the Gary Community School Corporation’s current structure by forcing conversion of the district’s remaining traditional schools into charter schools. Councilman Washington moved that the council sponsor a resolution opposing House Bill 1136 and, after discussion, agreed to lead the drafting of language with the council attorney so the resolution can be placed on the next council agenda.

Details and participants: Councilwoman Barnes Caldwell listed the schools she said would be affected: Beveridge, McCullough, Banneker, Marquette, Westside Leadership Academy, Glen Park Academy, Williams, Bailey, Gary Middle School and the Gary Area Career Center. Councilman Washington told colleagues the district had recently come off probation and called the bill “unacceptable,” saying it would deny the district an opportunity to continue improvements.

Council procedure and next steps: The council did not record a formal vote on the resolution draft at the Jan. 7 meeting. President Atkins asked Councilman Washington to “take the lead on that effort and working with Attorney Williams to structure the language,” and Washington agreed. The council instructed staff to place the drafted resolution on the next meeting agenda for consideration.

Contact information provided at the meeting: Councilwoman Barnes Caldwell gave contact details for several state lawmakers and encouraged residents to reach out; she read email addresses and phone numbers on the record and invited residents to contact the council office for assistance. Those strings were recorded verbatim by the speaker during public remarks and are included in the meeting record.

Context and limits: Council members framed the action as a local expression of opposition to pending state legislation; no binding change to school governance was made by the council itself at the meeting. The resolution, if drafted and adopted at a future meeting, would be a formal statement of the council’s position to state lawmakers, not an alteration of school board authority.

Ending: Council members said they would circulate the draft resolution in advance of the next meeting and bring it back for formal consideration and a recorded vote.