By Christin Nance Lazerus, Post-Tribune staff writer
GARY -- The Gary School Board voted Tuesday to terminate the contracts of all of its coaches and building athletic directors at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
Many of the coaches may be retained, but some positions will be eliminated with the closure of the middle schools and Wirt High School.
School Board President Nellie Moore said the move was not a commentary on any coach's performance. The contracts are automatically renewed after a certain point, so the board waived an administrative rule to make time to consider which positions will be retained.
"It's a restructuring move and we will reduce some staff," Moore said.
The measure passed unanimously, but board member Jesse Morris stressed the need to have football coaches in place by this summer.
"We need coaches on site when the season starts," Morris said.
Last fall, the board voted to pass a sweeping consolidation plan that closed 12 schools. West Side, Lew Wallace and Roosevelt will serve students in grades 7 through 12.
Wirt High School will become the new home for Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts, also serving grades 7-12. Interim superintendent Myrtle Campbell has not made the final decision on what school Wirt students will attend next year.
All four high school buildings are being renovated for the arrival of the middle school students this fall. The projects are estimated at $10 million and the plan is to complete them this summer.
The board released a bid for wall repairs and other work at West Side High School, and they approved the scope of work for the Roosevelt High School roof replacement, and the renovations at West Side and Wirt/Emerson.