Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Tuesday, February 21, 2017.
Public schools struggling with finances, closures in Gary
A serious financial crisis has hit the the public school system in Gary, Indiana. The district has had to close six buildings in the last two years and it’s a challenge to meet payroll every month and pay vendors, including health insurance and buses, according to WBEZ. On top of that, the school board approved closing Jefferson Elementary School and two other facilities at the end of the school year. “I truly believe if we can really make a turn around and show higher test scores and better behavior from the kids, they might have to reconsider closing Jefferson,” the principal of Jefferson Elementary School Michael Buckner told WBEZ. “I’m hoping and praying for that to happen.” [WBEZ]
