Lake Station school board votes to close Polk Elementary; 13 teachers lose jobs

The school board also voted to move sixth-grade students to Edison Junior High School in August.

Superintendent Tom Cripliver said Wednesday 13 teachers across the district lost their jobs because of the shuttering of Polk. The downsizing was based on seniority, he said. No support staff members were laid off, he said. Polk Principal Eduardo Zamarron will be assigned to another school, Cripliver said.

Cripliver, who said he attended Polk himself, said board members struggled with the decision, but voted unanimously to close the school on May 25. He said the district will save $450,000 by idling the school.

The move to close Polk came less than a month after Lake Station voters approved a seven-year $5.6 million referendum. During the referendum campaign, school officials said Polk could be closed regardless of the referendum outcome.

Some parents felt deceived, though, because they hoped if the referendum passed, the school would stay open.

"My feeling was no matter what they did, they'd close it," said Carlos Luna, a city councilman whose district includes Polk, located at 2460 Vermillion St.

"Polk is a very good school, my kids went there," said Luna. It's a shame, now you have an empty building."

Polk had been an A-rated school for several years, but dropped to a D grade last year, according to the Indiana Department of Education website.

Polk third grade teacher Fay Forsythe said she retired in April along with fourth grade teacher Kathy Norkus. She said they hoped their departures would save the jobs of younger teachers.

"We knew we were higher on the pay scale and it would be a saving to them and maybe they could keep the school open," she said. "A lot of parents felt lied to."

Cripliver said the General Assembly's budget sliced about 8 percent from the district over the next two years sealing Polk's fate. That ate up the gain from the referendum's passage, Cripliver said.

Much of the state funding is built upon enrollment. In Lake Station, enrollment has declined 12 percent since 2012. That meant a $738,568 loss of funding. The district has about 1,300 students. The district began accepted out-of-district students, but gained just 24.

The referendum passage will allow the district to keep extra-curricular programs at Edison High School and possibly add other offerings, Cripliver said.

Polk parents received a letter about the closing from Cripliver that was posted on its Facebook page. He said:

"I know and understand this news is disappointing. It is to all of us. I am sure if we all work together with a positive attitude and present a positive outlook to our children, we can all make this change as smooth as possible for them."