GARY, Ind. – In Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson is apparently more important than President Theodore Roosevelt.

At least, that’s the takeaway from the school corporation’s move to rename a school after the town’s deceased native son.

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“The front-runner to be named after Jackson is Roosevelt, the aging high school that looms behind the humble, white ranch Jackson family home at 2300 Jackson St.,” the Sun Times reports.

Opened in 1921, it was named after President Theodore Roosevelt.

The newspaper reports, “Michael Jackson, the eighth child of Katherine and Joe Jackson, moved away from Gary as a youngster as the Jackson 5 gained fame in the 1960s. While he never attended Roosevelt, he performed on its auditorium stage in a local talent show with his older Jackson 5 brothers.”

Jackson received an “honorary diploma” from the school in 2003 when he visited the city.

The Sun Times notes the school district has been battling a $27.3 million budget deficit and recently closed 5 schools.

Ironically, the Gary school district doesn’t actually operate Roosevelt. It was taken over by the state due to poor academic performance.