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School City of East Chicago outlines plan to downsize Carrie Gosch Early Learning Center and reassign students
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Summary
Board presentation laid out reassignment of 148 Carrie Gosch students across four elementary schools, staff placement steps, moving logistics and facility renovations; trustees pressed for clarity on compensation, certification and union approvals for paraprofessionals.
The School City of East Chicago board heard details Thursday about the planned downsizing of the Carrie Gosch Early Learning Center and a timeline to reassign its students and staff.
Dr. Bornay told trustees the district projects 148 students will be reallocated for the coming school year: 25 to Harrison Elementary, 23 to Lincoln, 31 to McKinley and 69 to Washington. The projections are based on the district’s March kindergarten and pre‑K roundup; students currently in pre‑K‑4 will advance to kindergarten, staff said.
The district will brand the transition as the “Little Cardinals Academy” and use the Frog Street curriculum for pre‑K instruction. A three‑teacher committee from Carrie Gosch selected Frog Street because it embeds the Conscious Discipline social‑emotional learning program already in use there; teachers will receive a full‑day curriculum training in August and be invited to summer curriculum mapping, officials said.
Staff described several operational changes: the applied‑skills preschool program now at Carrie Gosch will move to Washington Elementary along with the preschool coordinator and the psychologist who conducts preschool evaluations. Three applied‑skills classrooms currently housed at Lincoln will also relocate to Washington to provide en‑suite toileting and private diapering areas, district staff said. Applied‑skills enrollment was cited at roughly 32 students, with classroom sizes near 12 and annual fluctuation expected.
The district plans to redistribute Carrie Gosch’s library books among the four receiving elementary libraries and to maintain some community partner offices at the original site where appropriate. Board members were told the district intends playground renovations at four sites and bathroom upgrades where needed to accommodate pre‑K students.
Staff said they have met with all Carrie Gosch employees to offer tentative placements and invited employees to list first, second and third placement preferences. Two free certification opportunities were described to help current childcare staff (CDAs) obtain paraprofessional credentials: an adult education program in Portage (NEO) that includes transportation two evenings weekly, and a second district program set to begin in June pending board approval of a job description.
Trustees pressed on compensation and parity. Several asked whether experience or prior pay would be considered if CDAs transition to the paraprofessional pay scale. Staff answered that CDAs had previously been paid at teacher rates in some cases but typically do not meet the 60 credit‑hour threshold required for automatic paraprofessional certification; otherwise they must complete the para‑pro training and pass the exam. Any adjustment to pay to recognize prior experience would require a memorandum of understanding with the union and board approval.
On logistics, the district will partner with College Hunks Moving Company to provide one to two movers per classroom for packing and transport; the district will supply boxes and labels and share a detailed moving memo with principals on April 29. May 13 is slated as a preliminary packing day (a district professional development day for Carrie Gosch staff), College Hunks will support packing May 26–29, and the district plans to begin classroom moves the week of June 1. Staff also noted May 22 as the end of instruction and listed Aug. 24, 2026 as the first day pre‑K students will report, about two weeks later than the district’s K–12 start date.
Transportation changes were flagged: the pre‑K day for affected students will run roughly 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., district staff said, and students living within walking distance will not be eligible for bus service except for applied‑skills students. To create uniform meal experiences where cafeterias vary among buildings, the district will serve pre‑K lunches in classrooms using meal carts unless a building’s cafeteria is available.
The presentation concluded with staff encouraging families and staff to consult the Carrie Gosch downsizing page on the district website for ongoing updates and copies of the presentation. The board did not take a vote during the work session; several trustees requested follow‑up information about pay adjustments for CDAs, the proposed paraprofessional training job description, and the final placement letters to affected employees.
