A new middle school, performances and end-of-year finance updates:. Here's what Northwest Indiana Region schools tackled this week

Richared Requena, Education Reporter, (Munster)Times of Northwest Indiana

Saturday, December 20, 2025 6:37 PM

School boards in Northwest Indiana met in the last week before Winter Break to continue plans for a new middle school, make last minute finance tweaks and enjoy student performances.

Portage Township Schools, Date of meeting: Monday, Dec. 15

Key takeaways:

The Portage Township School Board of Trustees voted to approve over $57 million in construction bids for the creation of Aylesworth Middle School at its meeting on Monday.

Aylesworth Elementary is slated to close at the end of the school year, and promptly demolished to make way for the new middle school. The new school is anticipated to have 980 students enrolled for the 2028-2029 school year.

Willowcreek Middle School is anticipated to close at the end of the school year, and be demolished to make way for Ayleworth’s Middle’s main parking lot and football stadium. That round of construction bids is expected to take place two years from now.

At the board meeting, the Portage High School Choir, led by Jordan Dollins, sang holiday carols and Happy Birthday to Superintendent Amanda Alaniz.

Crown Point Community School Corp., Date of meeting: Monday, Dec. 15

Key takeaways:

The Crown Point Community School Board of Trustees on Monday confirmed that the school district had traded 53 acres of undeveloped land in unincorporated Lake County with a Northwest Indiana business man.

The school district unloaded its 3615 E. 129th Avenue property it acquired for $831,493 in 2007 for an 80-acre property at 12501 Iowa St. in Crown Point in November.

Crown Point Superintendent Todd Terrill said at the meeting that the 129th Avenue property was not the best suited for a school, given its proximity to U.S. Highway 231, what he called a “racetrack at times,” and the need for a larger parcel of land.

Gary Community School Corp., Date of meeting: Thursday, Dec. 18

Key takeaways:

The Gary Community School Board approved some final tweaks to its budget, as is customary for most Indiana schools, at its last board meeting of the year.

Chief Financial Officer Linda Zaborowski said that some unexpected events arose in the last fiscal year, including an EF-1 tornado that hit Gary in March, which badly damaged the roof at Frankie Woods McCullough Academy. As a result of the tornado, elementary students took classes at the Gary Area Career Center for a short stint.

Zabrowski also said a change in the Indiana Department of Education changed curriculum requirements for reading, which resulted in the district spending $650,000 to purchase the additional curriculum.

At the meeting, dance performers and choir members of the West Side Theatre Guild, performed an excerpt from the program “Lyrics.”

Valparaiso Community School Corp., Date of meeting: Thursday, Dec. 18

Key takeaways:

The Valparaiso Community School Board of Trustees also approved some final tweaks to its budget at its board meeting. Those include:

Transferring $655,000 each month from the Education Fund to the Operation Fund for the 2026 calendar year.

Transferring $345,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to the Pension Debt Service Fund. The funds are expected to return to the Rainy Day Fund after the district received the fall installment of its revenue from property taxes in 2026.

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