Clay Township community members still pushing split from South Bend Schools

 

CLAY TOWNSHIP, Ind., ---Alum of Clay Township schools joined community members in another meeting Monday about talks of splitting from the South Bend Community School Corporation. 

This came just weeks after superintendent Todd Cummings previously said he intends for the Clay Schools to stay a part of South Bend Schools.

“This isn’t a Clay versus South Bend issue, we want it to be a win win for both places. We just think the time has come for Clay Township and it’s residents to move on,” Josh Gobel, a Clay High School Alumnus and organizer of the group.

Gobel was among other Clay High School alum who’ve called for an amicable split from the South Bend Community School Corporation.

The move came after the school district revealed several potential master plan options for its facilities, at least one would shut down Clay High school.

“Several of those options actually close Clay High School and we think that would be a detriment to the students, and the community of Clay Township,” said Gobel.

“This is really about doing what’s right for the kids, for the students and the South Bend Community School Corporation,” said Carl Baxmeyer who lives in Clay Township and is a parent of Clay High School Alum.

The community members at Monday’s meeting said they don’t believe the district can support four high schools, and they told ABC57 they presented a plan to the district to leave in March.

“This is opportunity to galvanize around this and say look, writers on the wall South Bend cannot support 20,000 students as it did before,” said Patrick Malloy another Clay High School Alumnus and Organizer.

The group said with community support, they hope the school corporation will revisit the topic.

“We’re hoping to garner enough interest so that maybe the folks at South Bend will sit down and have a conversation with us, that’s the goal,” Gobel.

South Bend schools said Clay High School will remain open next year.

The school corporation expects to release more details about the master plan sometime this week.

For more details on the master plan click here.