breaking news
Like many school districts East Allen County Schools is battling tough times.
State funding is down while debt is up. But Superintendent Karyle Green says she got a plan to turn things around.
"We listened to the community say we want to maintain a community” says Green.
Green is recommending a major district overhaul, an overhaul that includes closing six elementary schools.
"Change has to be done and it's going to be scary regardless” says Melissa Brown, an EACS parent.
Another parent says "I know they have to revamp. Obviously they got to do something to save money and I think it should have been done before now.
Green says that the district has so many configurations of schools that they just can't seem to get consistency.
Green's plan would reduce the options. Students would go to a 7-through-12th grade school, an intermediate school and an early childhood academy or a K-through-12 school on a campus.
Right now the district has some schools that are overcrowded and others that are under capacity.
"We built schools where students were and today students are not there and now schools are sitting at half capacity” says Green.
In addition to the six closures, many other schools will be reconstructed and Paul Harding High will get a major revamp.
"We know kids are strong and kids are flexible and often times it's the adults that we difficulty” says Green.
"The Meadowbrook community was kind of blind-sided and not well represented or given alot of information. Although they are in the New Haven community they are the only neighborhood that is going to be shipped over to the Paul Harding’s plan” says EACS parent Darla Kaiser.
The school board will vote on the plan in two weeks. If they approve it it's full steam ahead; if not, it's back to the drawing board.
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