Hammond school board at its July 23rd meeting

What $30 million in cuts looks like for School City of Hammond

Contributed By: The 411 News

The School City of Hammond Corrective Action Plan showing how it will cut $30 million dollars out of its budget for the years 2024 and 2025 is not pretty.

That budget cut translates into fewer schools, personnel and programs for Lake County’s largest school district.

Schools open Monday, August 12 and parents of elementary school students are just learning bus service has been eliminated. Children who live within a 1.5 mile radius of their elementary school will have to walk, but it will be provided for students who live outside of the 1.5 mile radius.

Bus service is still provided for students with special needs, McKinney-Vento (homeless students), and foster care students.

Hammond school board member Carlotta Blake-King was unaware of the elimination of bus service for elementary students.

“I learned about it from parents. They were ready to bombard Tuesday’s board public work session, but the meeting was cancelled,” Blake-King said. “We voted in December to end student bus transportation in 2027, giving our families a 3-year notice.”

Ending bus service for elementary school students was abrupt. ‘Updates Regarding Mass Transit (Bussing) for 2024-25 School Year’ was posted on the district’s website on July 25th.

Donna Petraits, School Communications Consultant for the Hammond district said, “Parents were notified of their child's new school in May and the 1.5 mile walking zone has been policy as far back as anyone can remember.”

“SCH only provides busing for about 12% of its students because of the proximity of the neighborhood elementary schools,” Petraits added.

"How can they cancel the bus service for kids when they need it? School starts Monday,” said Charday Brown, whose three children attend O’Bannon Elementary. "Personally, I would say it is not effective or a good thing, because a lot of parents do not have transportation. They should never have cancelled it."

Elinana Martinez, also an O’Bannon parent said, "It changes the schedule for an entire household. I think it is unfair and it is not the safest place to be walking. Just any area is not safe and it is not safe for kids to walk a long distance.”

Students living outside the 1.5-mile walk zone will be notified, via US mail, that they are eligible for bus transportation services.

Bus service will continue for middle and high school students.

Cutting the budget meant closing 3 elementary schools – Kenwood, Morton, and Lew Wallace. Morton is the district’s new Early Learning Center.

The district will close its Administration Center on Williams Street.

At the district’s Administration Center, personnel reductions include the elimination of the Director of Federal Grants, Director of the Dual Language Immersion program, Public Relations Specialist, Test Coordinator, CCR Coordinator. Director of Elementary Education and Director of Secondary Education will be combined.

In the buildings level administration, 5 assistant principals will be reduced to deans, 3 assistant principals and 3 dean positions will be eliminated; each Athletic Director position and their compensation will be redefined.

Some details of the Corrective Action Plan are listed below:
• All paraprofessionals in English Learners (ELs) classrooms were eliminated.
• Five full-time Library Media Specialists were eliminated
• School counselors in high schools were reduced from 16 to 8. Middle school counselors were reduced from 6 to 4. The single elementary school counselor, from a Lilly grant, was eliminated.
• Nineteen teacher positions were eliminated – long-term substitutes and Emergency Permit positions. None of Hammond’s regular classroom teachers lost their jobs.
• Forty recess aides were cut; reduced to 2 each building.
• Five union tradespersons were cut.
• Forty-three school custodians were cut.
• Twenty-seven clerical positions at the school and district level were eliminated.
• Thirty-one support staff at the school level were eliminated.

The Adult Education Program, which helps people earn their GED, the equivalent of a high school diploma is being transitioned to Indiana’s Center for Workforce Innovations. CWI oversees WorkOne and provides the same services.

Hammond’s Corrective Action Plan was ordered by Indiana’s Distressed Unit Appeal Board upon its review of the school district’s finances.

For the next 5 years, until 2029, the school district’s finances will be monitored by the DUAB.

Hammond administrators will meet twice monthly with the DUAB Executive Director and/or DUAB staff. The district must maintain an 18-month rolling forecast of its cash flow, adjusted monthly.

It must maintain a 5-year rolling income and expense projection, adjusted annually; and present to DUAB annually after the financial close of the calendar year.

Story Posted:08/09/2024