A bill that would have kept the Gary Community School Corporation under state control does not appear to be moving forward. Indiana House Bill 1187 was pulled from the Ways and Means Committee's agenda Thursday by committee chairman and bill author Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville).
The measure would have banned Gary teachers from collective bargaining and stipulated that all of the Gary School Board members would be appointed by the Indiana Secretary of Education. The proposal drew backlash from Gary officials.
In a statement Thursday, Mayor Jerome Prince thanked House leaders for declining to advance the bill, saying the decision will let the community make more significant progress. Prince argues that the emergency management company hired by the state to oversee the school corporation hasn't done its job, and the district's performance has actually gotten worse. He also says the emergency manager continues to ignore local officials' recommendations.