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Gary Community Schools awarded $800,000 NextGen planning grant to support transformation
Summary
The district received an $800,000 NextGen School Improvement planning grant from the Indiana Department of Education; the funds will support a planning year of reforms with potential multi‑million follow-on funding in later years.
Gary Community School Corporation has been awarded an $800,000 NextGen School Improvement Grant from the Indiana Department of Education, the district announced during the meeting.
District officials described the award as a planning-year grant for the 2025–26 school year. The funds will support districtwide planning for personalized learning, flexible schedules, tutoring and differentiated instruction, leadership development, training in the science of reading, visits to high-performing schools, and family- and community-engagement strategies. The district said the planning year will be led by an Education Transformation Team (ETT) made up of IDOE representatives, district leaders and community stakeholders.
Dr. Brandon Craig, director of curriculum and assessment, said the award was competitive: only four districts received the grant statewide and Gary’s original request of $300,000 was increased to $800,000 following the application and interview process. "For our planning year, Gary Community School District will receive $800,000 to strategically plan initiatives to increase academic achievement and transform our district wide," Craig said.
District officials said the planning year (phase 1) will determine the scope of phase 2; if planning objectives are met, the district could receive between $3 million and $8 million in implementation funding in years two through four. Officials said a district-approved partner (identified in the presentation as SkyDown) participated in the application process and that the grant included an in-depth review and interview by IDOE.
Why it matters: The grant is explicitly intended to support systemic change targeted at academic outcomes. The planning activities named — curriculum work, leadership development, and family engagement — are aimed at improving instruction and districtwide practices before large-scale implementation.
Next steps: The district will convene the ETT and solicit community participation through planning sessions and focus groups; officials said more information on how to participate will be provided soon.
