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GARY, Ind. (AP) — The heat is back on at a school in northwestern Indiana where classes have been repeatedly canceled because of classrooms being too cold, officials say.
The Roosevelt College and Career Center in Gary re-opened on Monday, two days earlier than expected, after contractors worked over the weekend to make repairs on the school's aging heating system. Roosevelt Superintendent Sabrena Davis said room temperatures Monday ranged around 70 degrees in classrooms.
Students and teachers at the school operated since 2012 by EdisonLearning Inc., which runs the school under a contract with the state, had held a protest outside the building last week after classes were again canceled because of heating problems.
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said the reason for the heating problem is aging buildings, saying City Hall had recent problems with its boiler.
"You can't just go to Menards to get parts. You can't even go to the local heating and cooling businesses to get these parts. These are very old boiler systems. I think initially there was some patchwork done at Roosevelt, but now it's being fixed permanently. But you still can't guarantee that it won't go out again tomorrow because the building is so old," she said.
The school has 670 students in seventh through 12th grades. Student council president Cary Martin, who led the protests, said Monday he's glad changes were made. A band student, he said he's still focused on mold that he said was in the band room. That area has been closed to students for more than a year.
The district is facing financial hardship as it copes with reduced enrollment, shrinking state funding, and aging school buildings. A state-appointed financial specialist is trying to trim costs, with an eye on reducing labor.
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