The Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) corporation is the Fort Wayne, Indiana area public school district, and is the largest in Indiana. The second largest is the Indianapolis Public Schools. It operates five high schools, ten middle schools, one intermediate school (1-8 grades) and over thirty elementary schools, serving 30,992 students (nearly 3% of Indiana's K-12 population) in 2012-2013. FWCS's current superintendent is Dr. Wendy Robinson. FWCS is divided into several departments, including Technology, Transportation, Academic Services, Continuing Education, Nutrition Services, and Public Affairs.
School Board
The FWCS Board of School Trustees serves as the district's governing and fiscal body, and its meetings are open to the public in the Grile Administrative Center in downtown Fort Wayne and broadcast on local cable channels, Comcast 54 and FiOS/Frontier 24. The School Board approves the FWCS tax rate and any borrowing that will be paid off by property taxes. Current FWCS board members include Steve Corona, Anne Duff, Julie Hollingsworth, Glenna Jehl, Jordan Lebamoff, Maria Norman and Tom Smith.
Property Tax Remonstrace
On April 23, 2007, the School Board voted to fight a remonstrance by property tax payers in the FWCS district opposing a $500 million Facilities Improvement Plan. The organization Code Blue Schools led the remonstrance. Remonstrance petitions were submitted to the Allen County Auditor on July 1, 2007. Those against the $500 million bond issue submitted over 33,000 signatures, in contrast with the 11,000 signatures collected in favor of the bond issue.
Closing Elmhurst High School
On March 22, 2010, a vote was taken by the FWCS School Board to accept a recommendation of the FWCS administration regarding ways to reduce the 2010 district budget by $15 million. The administration's report included the step of closing Elmhurst High School. The budget moves were required because current economic conditions reduced federal and state funds available to the school district. The closing of Elmhurst has been a highly debated topic over the past several years, and the Board, by a unanimous vote of 7-0, agreed to accept the administration's recommendation. With that action, the 2009/10 school year was the final year of operations for the school. Returning students were reallocated to other high schools in the FWCS system.
School Directory
As well as offering public education during the day, FWCS offers continuing education classes and events that meet in its buildings in the evenings and on weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
High schools
Middle schools
Intermediate school
- Towles Intermediate School (Grades 1-8)[3]
Elementary schools
Other Facilities
- Anthis Career Center
- L.C. Ward Education Center[4]
Resources
- Fort Wayne Community Schools Homepage
- Indiana Department of Education corporation snapshot
References
