RPCV Barbara Leek in race for seat on Gary Indiana School Board
Two in race for seat on city School Board
April 25, 2004
Editor’s note: The Post-
Tribune will publish recaps of the other Gary School Board races in the week ahead.
By Carole Carlson
Post-Tribune staff writer
GARY — School Board voters in the 1st District have a choice between a one-term incumbent and a challenger who works for the Calumet Township Trustee’s Office as a jobs program director.
Barbara Leek, appointed to the at-large position on the School Board four years ago by Mayor Scott King, is running for the 1st District seat. She’s challenged by Alex Wheeler Jr.
Leek said she’s seeking a second term to continue redesigning the district, academically and physically.
“It’s imperative for us not only to take corrective action but to do some re-constructing,” she said.
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Leek said she has 28 years experience as a teacher and social worker in Gary schools. She said she is a long-term advocate for children, and one problem with the school system is “we simply don’t reach them after elementary school.”
Leek was one of two board members who voted against the firing of former superintendent Mary Guinn last year. She said at the time that changing leadership wasn’t a wise move.
While she opposed relocating the Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Leek voted with the majority of board members to close eight schools, including Horace Mann High School. She said the board needs to be good stewards of public money and by closing schools, the district could save $10 million over a three-year period.
On the topic of discipline, Leek said in-school suspensions have not been successful.
“We need alternative schools within the schools for students who are disruptive,” she said
