Question:
Where can I find the GCSC 2021 budget?
Answer:
Budget Materials can be found on the GCSC website under Administration-Business Services or also at: https://www.garycsc.k12.in.us/business-services/
Question:
In the 2019 actual expenditures what is the unspecific vendor paid approximately $1,000,000?
Answer:
This specific transaction is recording a transfer of funds on the books through a journal entry between accounts not related to a specific vendor. This is a typical accounting transaction during the year made in the payroll clearing account to record journal entries.
Question:
Why were plumbing expenses so high in 2019?
Answer:
Plumbing expense in 2019 included significant emergency work at the Roosevelt building when the pipes burst during the Polar Vortex.
Question:
Why were payments made to Diane Schweitzer in 2019 and why was she paid twice?
Answer:
Diane Schweitzer was a contractor to GCSC to augment the Buildings and Ground department by managing property bids and sales, identifying unused items for auction if applicable, and identifying energy savings projects and initiatives. The expense for her services was funded through energy cost savings and sales of unused assets.
She was not paid twice. Accounting personnel sometimes entered payments as Diane Schweitzer and other times as Sweitzer Diane.
Question:
Why did MGT enter into leases for GCSC for $34 million in 2019?
Answer:
GCSC or MGT did not enter into leases in 2019 or any time since August 2017. The “leases” reported on the IDOE Annual Financial Report are part of the long term debt number that has been regularly reported for many years. Below are the two “leases”, which can be found on Gateway at https://gateway.ifionline.org/report_builder/:
These long term debt bonds are structured on lease payments made based on an amortization schedule provided in the bond documents. This specific type of debt was structured for lease payments.
Debt Name: Ad Valorem Property Tax First Mortgage Refunding Bonds, Series 2012
Debt Status: Outstanding
Type of Indebtedness: Lease
Base CUSIP Number:
Debt Name: Ad Valorem Property Tax First Mortgage Refunding Bonds Series 2020B
Debt Status: Outstanding
Type of Indebtedness: Lease
Base CUSIP Number: 366754
Question:
Why does a vendor from Gary paid in 2019 list a home address for receipt of payments?
Answer:
GCSC does not manage any vendors billing or bookkeeping processes. The address used for correspondence by a vendor is that vendors preference and is not determined by GCSC.
What is the average spend rate per pupil for the Gary Public Schools?
The total amount spent per student for the fiscal year 2019 was $11,099.43. The full details are available on the Indiana Department of Education website.
I was wondering how to go about purchasing a school or finding out how much it would be, and could it be turned into a residential? (specifically the old Franklin school)
The former Benjamin Franklin school was sold to the City of Gary in 2019.
Will the members be mostly political people? So how will the committee members be selected?
The referendum oversight committee will be a cross-section of the Gary community. We hope the committee includes local officials, parents, students, parents and caregivers, business owners, and retirees.
Community members who are interested in serving on the committee will have the opportunity to provide information about themselves, their interest in serving, their connection to GCSC, and what they may bring to the committee, the district, and the community. Information on how to provide this information will be shared after the election.
When should we be getting the p ebt?
Why isn’t any of the Gary Community school Copt schools on the list to receive PEBT this round?
The district received funds from the first wave distributed for food assistance. The funds that recently were sent out were for districts that did not receive funding the first time around. If we get notifications of additional funds, we will notify our families.
Hello. How do we apply to be on the oversight group for how the referendum money is spent?
The information will be posted on our website over the next few weeks. Probably not until the Referendum is passed but if you please send your interest to info@garycsc.k12.in.us we will be able to send you that information once its available
All of the surrounding areas (lake station, Merrillville, portage) are opening schools back up. Why is Gary still delayed?? Working parents are already having a hard time
We apologize for the delay. The health and safety of our students, teachers and staff is our top priority and factored into every decision. Our district is the only one in the region that has a local health commissioner. We have to follow the guidance of our city health commissioner while the surrounding districts only have to follow the guidance of the county. As soon as our local health commissioner gives us the ok (which is based solely off of Gary’s COVID numbers) we will have a plan to safely bring back out students.
Why must our community and students accept old reconstructed buildings that have inadequate everything. The new plan is substandard and the board should be ashamed of themselves. I have a grandchild in one of the newer buildings but the majority built before I was born, need to be torn down.
We understand your concerns. We are doing our best to make changes where we can. New facilities cost millions of dollars and we are still working on lowering our deficit and debt to be able to end state control. Work in underway to invest $25 million in our buildings to provide better learning and working environments. Many of the vacant buildings have been sold and we are doing working to sell the rest that are not in use.
When and if the SAT/ACT test will occur?
The testing calendar is available on our website under the Students & Parents tab. Please contact your school advisor for registration and confirmation of dates/times
Testing Calendar 2020-2021
What do I need to pick up food?
Food Pick up on Mondays and Wednesdays are available to all students in Gary under the age of 18. We just ask that you wear a mask and practice social distancing
Do the parents have to come up to the school to pick up the students’ progress reports?
Please reach out to your scholar’s school for that information. Most of the grades should be available to you online on a consistent basis outside of progress report time. But each school operates differently
Can you tell me more about this school?
This is the Gary Community School district page so we cover 10 schools in Gary. Please visit our website for details on a specific school. garyschools.org