The Indiana Area School District will hold a public hearing tonight to discuss the future of Horace Mann elementary school.
Tonight’s special hearing will focus on the various options for the building, and that includes alternate uses or the outright closure of the building at the end of the 2024-25 school year. This is part of the effort to reconfigure the elementary grades, with Pre-K to third grade students being split between Ben Franklin and East Pike, with the newly renovated Eisenhower elementary school housing fourth and fifth grades. Reasons for the reconfiguration include educational equity and savings of half-a-million dollars each year, and the most effective use of staff and a reduction in travel times for some staff.
The hearing will be held tonight at 6:00 at the Indiana Senior High School auditorium and will include a brief presentation on the current status of the building, actions and situations that have led to this point and the possibilities for Horace Mann’s future. After that, community members will be able to voice their concerns and opinions for the project.
The meeting will also be streamed live through the district website.
