Chalkbeat

IPS changes homework, discipline policies in bid for equity

2024-05-15T17:36:43+00:00

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When eighth grader Kelsey Aguilar is called from class to de-escalate a conflict between her peers, she heads to the Guided Learning Center at Harshman Middle School with a calm demeanor.

That’s where she’ll get to the heart of an issue between friends or couples, unpacking insults on social media or rumors that could lead to a fight.

The mediation program that Aguilar participates in as a peer mediator is part of the school’s restorative justice approach to discipline. It’s less punitive, aims to stop fights before they start, and focuses on healing transgressions between students.

It’s a disciplinary approach that Indianapolis Public Schools hopes to embrace district-wide through the adoption of a series of policies that aim to promote equity and reduce barriers to learning that affect certain groups of students. The policies, which the school board has been approving in batches, include a shift in how teachers should approach assigning homework and how the district should identify students for its gifted program. The board approved the latest round of policy changes — including one highlighting restorative justice in student discipline — on Tuesday.

The policies could address some of the district’s disparities that are common in education.

For example, Black and multiracial students in the district have historically been disciplined at higher rates than their white peers, according to district data. Some of the district’s most popular schools with specialized academic programming are disproportionately white.

And while the latest ILEARN state test scores show white students appear to have recovered from pandemic learning loss, Black and Hispanic students have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels of proficiency.

At Harshman, officials say the mediation program has helped reduce the number of suspensions both for Black students and for students overall.

And Kelsey believes it has definitely reduced the number of fights among her peers — even though some may see mediation by a classmate as a joke.

“I honestly think it’s a serious thing because we’re solving problems with other people,” she said. “I think that’s a great thing for us to do.”

Changes to dress code, homework assignments adopted

The policy changes were proposed by the Culturally Responsive and Equitable Education Committee, which the school board created last year. They reflect much of the district’s ongoing work around expanding academic opportunities to more students of color and those from diverse backgrounds.

The district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, for example, will bring Honors Algebra, Honors Geometry, Honors Biology, and Spanish I classes to all middle schools. The plan will also expand Montessori, STEM, high-ability, dual language, performing arts, and International Baccalaureate academic models to more schools throughout the district.

Many of the committee’s proposed changes codify the district’s current equity efforts under Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, said school board member Nicole Carey, who led the creation of the committee. But the policy shifts will hold any future leaders of the district accountable to this equity mindset, she said.

Here are equity-focused policies that the board approved in April:

The district’s revised homework policy acknowledges that students come from “diverse backgrounds with different resources and support systems.” The policy says that, “Homework assignments must be equitable and considerate of these varied home environments.” In addition, the policy states that the assignments should also consider students’ academic needs and out-of-school responsibilities.
The district’s revised policy on its gifted and talented program commits the district to using culturally responsive, unbiased assessments to identify students eligible for its academically gifted program. That program is currently housed at the K-8 Sidener Academy but will expand to two separate elementary and middle schools in 2024-25. It also directs the district to actively inform families from diverse backgrounds about the gifted program. (Enrollment data from 2023-24 shows Sidener Academy is whiter and has fewer students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals than the district as a whole.)
The district’s new universal dress code provides less-rigid guidelines that aim to reduce disciplinary actions that keep students out of classrooms.

Below are some equity-focused policy changes the board approved Tuesday:

The revised policy on the use of seclusion and restraint requires all administrators, special education teachers, and school-based crisis teams to undergo training in de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution strategies. All incidents involving seclusion or restraint of a student must be documented and provided to the student’s guardian in a timely manner, and an annual report of these incidents will be presented to the board.
Another revised policy directs administration to develop clear, written criteria for the approval of student groups. It also encourages groups that represent diverse demographics and interests.

In March, the equity committee proposed a more comprehensive restorative justice policy that would require training for all staff members. But it’s unclear if that will come before the board.

Restorative justice at Harshman could be inspiration for others

Meanwhile, the new discipline policy says restorative justice approaches should be used as alternatives to traditional discipline “when appropriate.” It also says educators should collaborate with families on approaches to discipline.

At Harshman Middle School, officials say their mediation program has reduced the number of incidents of aggression or physical fighting between current eighth graders from the first semester of last year to the first semester of this year.

Sometimes, peer mediators such as Kelsey are called to oversee a mediation session with staff present. Other times, staff mediate. There are even sessions to resolve conflicts between staff and students.

Even the school’s hallways advertise restorative justice.

“Problem: Unresolved conflict,” reads one sign. “Solution: Peer mediation. Let’s talk about it!”

The school received support from the Peace Learning Center, funded through a grant, to provide mediation training for students and staff. Students are selected as mediators after an interview process.

School staff say the program has created a mindset shift in students, who will alert staff members of potential rising tensions between students or request mediation on their own.

“They don’t want to fight each other, they don’t want to argue, they don’t want to miss class, they don’t want to be suspended,” said Rockeyah Lord, a dean at the school.

Because the program aims to resolve issues before they devolve into fights, Lord said, suspensions overall have decreased.

Kelsey said she got involved in the program because she used to be involved in a lot of drama herself — but at times wanted a way to get out of it.

“I knew that other people do want to get out of it too sometimes,” she said. “So it’s better to talk about it than to keep going with it.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS adopts new, looser universal dress code in post-pandemic shift

2024-05-01T11:00:00+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools students will have a less-rigid dress code next school year under a new policy designed to reduce disciplinary actions that keep students out of classrooms.

The universal dress code, adopted by the school board last week, states that students in all grade levels must wear closed-toed shoes, pants, shorts, skirts, or dresses that are free of tears and are at least fingertip-length, and a top with sleeves that covers the midriff. Like the current dress code, it includes some restrictions on inappropriate clothing.

The new three-page policy is far less restrictive than the 10-page code last revised in 2018 that dictated acceptable clothing colors and styles in separate rules for elementary and secondary students.

The new code eliminates the old policy’s requirement that elementary students wear collared or turtleneck shirts in solid colors that are tucked into khaki, black, or navy blue pants, skirts, or shorts at all times. In addition, next year’s code will no longer require secondary students to wear solid-colored collared or turtleneck shirts tucked into solid-color pants, shorts, or skirts that aren’t jeans.

The move to change the dress code follows a post-pandemic shift away from dress code enforcement. It also aligns with the board’s recent efforts to adopt policies that promote equity across all student subgroups. The policy states that dress code enforcement should not create disparities or reinforce marginalization of any group, and emphasizes that students should not face unnecessary barriers to classroom attendance due to the code.

“It looks like us prioritizing learning as opposed to what a student is wearing,” Chief Learning Officer Lela Simmons told the school board in February. “Unless there is something that is extremely distracting or potentially unsafe, then we’re not going to prevent a student from learning because of what they’re wearing.”

Since returning to in-person learning, some schools were still enforcing the district’s old dress code while others were more lenient, Simmons told the school board in February. But some schools have also gotten into unnecessary disputes with students over clothing violations that detract from learning, she said.

“I think overall most leaders would prefer not to lean into that because we do want kids to be learning,” Simmons said.

What are the new IPS dress code’s restrictions?

The new dress code still has some restrictions. Students may not wear clothing, jewelry, or personal items that:

are pornographic, contain threats, or promote illegal or violent conduct.
demonstrate an association with a hate group or use hate speech.
intentionally show private parts.
cover the student’s face to the extent that the student cannot be identified (except clothing or headgear worn for a religious or medical purpose).
demonstrate gang association.

The policy allows head coverings worn in observance of a student’s religion. However, bonnets, durags, hats inside the building, and wave caps are not permitted.

Hoodies are allowed provided that staff are able to see the student’s face, Simmons said in February.

Students will not face out-of-school suspension for dress code violations, the new policy states.

For a first offense, a parent or guardian is contacted and the student is directed to cover, change, or remove non-complying clothes.
For a second offense, a parent or guardian is called and the student is once again told to cover, change, or remove non-complying clothes.
For a third offense, a parent or guardian and the student are required to attend a “restorative conference.”

The policy states that students should not be removed from class for a dress code violation unless the clothing creates a “substantial disruption to the educational environment,” poses a hazard, or is part of a student behavior rule violation such as harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

The district is also working on a dress code for staff, according to a spokesperson.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

School 87 parents share prior worries about building’s culture in wake of ‘fight club’ lawsuit

2024-04-26T01:48:25+00:00

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Parents of George Washington Carver Montessori School 87 students demanded more accountability from school board members on Thursday, after sharing that the school’s administration had dismissed concerns about safety and staff morale for months.

Board members for Indianapolis Public Schools on Thursday also agreed to create a special task force that will review each school’s emotional health and culture.

The concerns follow a lawsuit alleging that a teacher encouraged and allowed other students to abuse a 7-year-old student with a disability. The lawsuit references a video of one student attacking another until he begins to cry, with a voice — identified in the lawsuit as that of School 87 teacher Julious Johnican — encouraging the fight. That video has sparked widespread community anger.

The lawsuit refers to the situation as “fight club” discipline. It also alleges that the school’s administration, a substitute teacher, and a behavioral specialist failed to report the abuse that the child repeatedly suffered dating back to August.

Parents at the school board meeting called for mental health services for the students in Johnican’s class who witnessed the alleged abuse. They also brought up multiple instances in which they said concerns over their child’s safety were dismissed, highlighting a problematic culture at School 87.

Kiya Isom, whose daughter was in Johnican’s class, said she reported constant bullying of her daughter to the principal, vice principal, and staff, yet never got any follow-up. Last year, she said, her daughter was pushed on the playground and had to have surgery.

“I’m very upset and I’m disgusted because my job as a parent is to protect my child,” said Isom, who eventually pulled her daughter from the school after another incident. “And I did not do that sending her to School 87.”

Kristen Phair, president of the school’s parent-teacher association, said she saw firsthand Principal Mary Kapcoe’s lack of respect for staff.

“This fall, after HR complaints from parents regarding staff attrition, she pulled me into our office and told me parent negativity was harming our school,” Phair said. “She made it clear that parents’ complaints were irritating and not something she took seriously.”

Over 1,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Kapcoe’s removal.

“As a former public school educator myself who was once a first-year teacher like Johnican, I do not believe this would have happened if we would have had competent school leadership properly supporting, supervising and training our teachers and staff members,” parent Kelly Mosesso told board members.

IPS said in a statement that DCS was notified immediately when it became aware of the behavior alleged in the lawsuit, and that it takes reports of potential abuse and neglect seriously. Kapcoe did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

But as community outrage spread over the past week, the district announced the creation of a student safety task force, a review of policies, clarification on how staff should communicate incidents at school, and an external review of the culture of School 87.

The principal and vice principal will not be on campus during this review, which will feature input from families, the district told families in emails this week.

IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson also sent a direct apology to School 87 parents in an email before the meeting on Thursday.

“You should not have heard about the appalling incident in Mr. Johnican’s classroom from the news — you should have heard it from IPS,” she said in the email. “This apology is long overdue for all of you, but especially for those of you whose children were in Mr. Johnican’s class last fall.”

Johnson outlined other steps that IPS is taking, including a year-long focus group that will help the school transition from K-8 to K-5 and create a positive school climate.

The special task force approved by the board Thursday will be led by independent community leaders and mental health professionals, board member Hope Hampton told parents after their comments.

“The idea is simply to find out the temperature in every building so we don’t find it out another way,” she said, standing to face the parents directly. “And to set a course for how to address what we find.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS board president announces safety task force following School 87 lawsuit over ‘fight club’

2024-04-24T02:12:24+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Schools board president said the district will create a task force focused on student safety, following the widespread circulation of a video that is part of a lawsuit alleging that a teacher encouraged attacks on a 7-year-old student with a disability.

Board President Angelia Moore said in a statement at Tuesday’s board meeting that the board was shocked and upset by what the video showed. The statement did not reference the lawsuit.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a video released Wednesday that the district would also have an external partner review its policies and procedures.

“We will further clarify our guidance for all staff, teachers, and administrators regarding follow-up communication of incidents in schools, which is a place where we fell short in this instance and have regrettably caused some families to question their trust in us,” she said.

The lawsuit claims that first-year IPS teacher Julious Johnican orchestrated a “fight club” style of discipline at George Washington Carver Montessori School 87, in which he encouraged and recorded physical abuse that the student — identified as “O.D.” — suffered at the hands of other students.

The complaint references a video that the family’s attorneys say was taken by Johnican and that they believe shows an incident in September.

The video shows one student hitting O.D. repeatedly until he begins to cry, according to the complaint.

“That’s right,” says a teacher, which the lawsuit identifies as Johnican, in the video. “You get him.”

Johnican, who resigned from his position in early November and no longer works in IPS, could not be reached for comment.

Johnican told the Department of Child Services, which the lawsuit states investigated the claims of neglect after O.D.’s mother discovered the video, that O.D. and another student had had issues all year. He said he spoke with administration on what to do with classroom behaviors and management and was told to “utilize all of the resources available,” according to the DCS report.

IPS said in a statement that DCS was notified immediately when it became aware of the behavior alleged in the complaint, and that it takes reports of potential abuse and neglect seriously.

News of the lawsuit sparked an outcry among IPS parents as the video circulated last week.

“This behavior was alarming and hard for anyone to watch, but we know it’s especially close to home for parents and caregivers of IPS students — which includes four of us on this board,” Moore said on Tuesday. “Every Indianapolis family should be able to send their children to school with full confidence that caring adults are looking out for their well being.”

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that it’s investigating an incident at School 87 at the request of the prosecutor’s office.

School 87 parents told Chalkbeat that they did not know about the allegations until media outlets reported it. Some also say that longstanding concerns brought to the school’s administration over teacher turnover, staff morale, behavior, and communication issues have gone unaddressed.

An online petition launched last week demands new leadership at the school.

Moore thanked the community for their input and said it has driven “crucial” conversations on next steps for the district.

“You have been heard, your voices are valued, and ensuring our children’s safety is all of our most important jobs as adults,” Moore said.

On Sunday, the district also informed parents that the principal and vice principal will not be at school while the district gathers information about school climate. Executive Director of Schools Adrienne Kuchik is serving as the school’s leader in the meantime.

The district is also reviewing protocols on how principals communicate with families, Moore said, and is bringing on an “external partner” to interview families at School 87.

“Our promise is to report back to you on this work in 30 days and continue to share ways in which you can get involved,” Moore said.

This story has been updated to include comments from Superintendent Aleesia Johnson.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS plans to transfer school building to charter network in unique facilities deal

2024-04-24T00:39:07+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools hopes to renew its agreements with three KIPP Indy charter schools that are part of the district’s network of autonomous Innovation schools, although officials have identified some academic areas needing improvement.

Additionally, in a unique collaboration between charters and IPS, the school board will vote Thursday on a plan to transfer ownership of the Julian Coleman School 110 building to KIPP Indy. IPS would also provide $10 million for a building expansion at the site, with the remainder of the cost to be covered by KIPP Indy.

The report by IPS officials recommends renewing its Innovation Network agreements with Unite Elementary, KIPP College Prep Middle School, and KIPP Legacy High School. Their renewals, which the full board will vote on Thursday, would last for five years. The schools’ state exam results and other academic indicators were mixed when compared with similar schools and IPS as a whole, the report found.

The transfer of the School 110 building, where Unite Elementary and College Prep are located, represents a striking collaboration between IPS and local charters. That’s because school facilities have frequently been the subject of disputes between the two parties. In recent years, IPS enrollment has dipped and the district has closed several schools, while charters in general have sought new space as their enrollment has grown.

KIPP Indy officials say the building addition will provide space for a school that has long offered a stable educational option in a community where multiple schools have closed. Right now, the building is operating at 140% of capacity.

The two schools in the building serve around 1,100 students combined.

Both IPS and KIPP Indy officials say the agreement represents a strong collaborative partnership.

“IPS is going to leverage unique sources that they have access to to invest, and we’re going to work hard on our end to identify resources as well,” KIPP Indy Executive Director Andy Seibert told Chalkbeat, referring to the agreement for the School 110 building. “And together we’ll do it.”

KIPP hopes for more classrooms, common areas

The School 110 building, which was rated in poor condition based on an analysis of district facilities, is already set to receive roughly $18.5 million in capital improvements funded through the referendum that voters passed last year.

That funding will cover deferred maintenance needs such as electrical and mechanical updates, roof repairs, gym improvements, and new flooring.

But Seibert hopes the proposed building expansion will add about 10 classrooms and more common spaces like a “cafenasium” — a combined gym and cafeteria. He anticipates construction to begin in the spring of 2025.

Plans and details of the building addition — including its total size, layout, and number of stories — have not yet been finalized. KIPP Indy would need to meet several obligations — including operating at at least 50% capacity and remaining in good standing with its authorizer — in order to be eligible to retain building ownership.

Math, English, and literacy results are mixed

The IPS staff report on the three schools’ academic performance found some areas where they outperform their peers, but other areas where they fell behind.

At Unite Elementary, the percentage of students reaching proficiency in both the math and English section of the state’s 2022-23 ILEARN exam was just above the average proficiency rates of schools with similar demographics, the report said. Proficiency for Unite’s Black and Hispanic students, in particular, was higher than similarly situated schools.

Yet the school’s IREAD proficiency rates fell below the average of comparative schools for both the 2022-23 and 2021-22 school years.

ILEARN proficiency rates at College Prep are also lower than the comparison school average, including for Black students.

Suspensions at both Unite Elementary and College Prep are also higher than the district and comparison school averages.

Seibert acknowledged a need for improvement, but said he hopes the network’s track record in student growth will lead to increases in proficiency.

Legacy High School, too, has a graduation rate higher than the IPS and statewide average.

Brian Dickey, the district’s executive director of portfolio strategy, pointed to the elementary and middle school’s increasing enrollment as a positive.

“The overall sustainability from an enrollment standpoint I think is just a testament to the work that the leadership, the board, has put in to building that trust within the community,” he told the IPS school board Tuesday.

KIPP Indy’s Innovation agreement with IPS is the first to come before the board since lawmakers changed how much the district can charge Innovation schools for goods and services.

It also comes as the district prepares to lose an estimated $4 million in property tax revenues to charter schools under another state law passed last legislative session.

KIPP Indy’s renewal agreements say IPS will provide transportation for Unite and College Prep students who live in Zones 2 and 3 of the district’s new enrollment zones. IPS will also provide districtwide transportation for Legacy High School.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Parents worry about student safety in IPS after classroom ‘fight club’ video emerges

2024-04-19T14:45:48+00:00

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Parents are demanding more transparency from Indianapolis Public Schools following news of a lawsuit alleging that a former teacher at George Washington Carver Montessori School 87 encouraged “acts of violence” against a 7-year-old student with a disability.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Marion Superior Court by Corrie Horan on behalf of her minor son identified as “O.D.,” claims that first-year IPS teacher Julious Johnican orchestrated a “fight club” style of discipline in which he encouraged and recorded physical abuse that O.D. suffered at the hands of other students.

Sparking parent concern is a video included in news reports in which one student is on top of and hitting O.D., who eventually begins crying as the other student says “don’t mess with me” repeatedly. (The story was first reported by Fox 59.) Attorneys for Horan believe the video is of an incident recorded in September.

“That’s right,” says a teacher, who is identified in the lawsuit as Johnican, in the video. “You get him.”

Attorneys for the student framed the lawsuit as an attempt to eradicate abuse in Indiana’s schools, and emphasized the importance of teacher training and oversight. Some School 87 parents, meanwhile, say it adds to longstanding concerns they’ve had about teacher turnover, behavioral problems, and communication — and that they are planning to withdraw their students from the school next year.

Johnican, who resigned from his position in early November and no longer works in IPS, could not be reached for comment.

IPS said in a Thursday statement that it does not tolerate the type of behavior alleged in the complaint and takes complaints of potential neglect and abuse seriously. The district did not respond to questions from Chalkbeat about concerns raised by parents about issues like teacher turnover and transparency.

“When IPS learned of the teacher’s conduct, the Department of Child Services (DCS) was immediately notified, and the teacher was removed from the classroom and suspended,” the district said. “The teacher had no further contact with students.”

But the lawsuit claims that the school’s vice principal, a substitute teacher who witnessed the attacks against the child, and a school behavioral specialist in whom O.D. confided all failed to report the abuse that O.D. began recounting as early as the first month of school.

Parents at School 87 say they were not made aware of the allegations against the teacher when he resigned in November and found out through the news on Wednesday.

“My trust in the school was betrayed,” said Samantha Engdahl, whose daughter was in Johnican’s class at the beginning of the year. She said the school did not send out notice of Johnican’s departure until Nov. 21, weeks after his resignation.

“You think that your kid is going to school and that that’s a safe place,” Engdahl added.

Lawsuit claims repeated concerns about abuse were dismissed

O.D. came home reporting abuse as early as the first few weeks of school, according to the lawsuit. O.D’.s mother also reported concerns of her child being attacked and bullied in the classroom to Johnican beginning in August.

“His teacher, Johnican, dismissed these accounts when he was repeatedly contacted by the parent as behavioral issues and indicated that O.D. was lying and/or mentally ill,” the complaint states.

Johnican inadvertently showed O.D.’s parents a video of one attack during a parent-teacher conference that took place around Nov. 1, when he was trying to show them a video of the classroom environment, according to the lawsuit. O.D.’s mother reported the video to the school secretary, and the Department of Child Services later opened an investigation, per the complaint.

During the DCS investigation, O.D. reported two other instances in October — one in which Johnican held him down while a first grade student hit him in the face, and another in which he said Johnican held his shoulders while another student punched him in the stomach and kicked him in the legs.

“The environment created by IPS manifested in escalating symptoms of anxiety and depression, deeply affecting this disabled seven year old’s educational journey,” the complaint states.

The district said in its statement that it was unaware of any fights sanctioned or encouraged in this way until the parent emailed the principal at 6:58 p.m. on Oct. 30. Upon reviewing the email the next morning, Principal Mary Kapcoe contacted DCS and IPS human resources, the district said. Johnican was removed from the building that day.

Personnel records show Johnican resigned Nov. 2, the day the district said it interviewed him as part of its investigation.

“The employee resigned during that meeting before IPS could initiate termination proceedings, which the district was prepared to do based on the information received from the internal investigation,” the district said.

On Thursday, IMPD said there is an open investigation of a teacher at School 87 allowing students to fight and filming it.

IPS stresses commitment to student safety

In emails sent to School 87 parents on Wednesday evening, both Superintendent Aleesia Johnson and Kapcoe stressed that student safety is a top priority.

“I share your outrage at this video, and assure you that IPS schools maintain an unwavering commitment to keeping our students safe,” Johnson said in the email.

In her email to parents, Kapcoe said administrators took immediate action when they first learned about the incident on Oct. 31.

“Student safety is a top priority at George Washington Carver School 87 and at all Indianapolis Public Schools. We expect all IPS employees to ensure the well-being of all students,” Kapcoe said in her email to parents. “Our teachers remain committed to ensuring all our kids feel loved and cared for at school. Our hearts go out to the families involved.”

But the messages have not been enough to quell concerns from parents, some of whom plan to speak about the issue at the IPS school board meeting next week.

Some parents say they’ve brought other concerns to administration in previous months over behavior and teacher turnover at the school that have not been addressed.

On Thursday, School 87 parent Megan Kriebel was trying to decide where to send her two younger children next school year. (Her children were not in Johnican’s classroom.)

“I know so many families that have met (with staff over concerns) about their kid’s classroom and they were kind of gaslit. My heart just breaks for that family,” Kriebel said.

Laurie Pierce said she had just made the decision to pull her kids from School 87 right before news broke of the incident.

Pierce said she also met with the principal last school year to express concerns about teacher turnover, as well as the lack of staff attention and behavioral issues she saw while volunteering at the school one morning. Those concerns were also not addressed, she said.

Like other parents, Pierce was concerned about the lack of communication.

“She did not detail anything that she did for the children. That’s what is so hard,” she said about Kapcoe’s Wednesday email. “I feel like it’s all about policy and protocol and test scores and we’re never hearing about how we’re taking care of the children. What was done for this classroom immediately after this happened? Were those parents communicated with?”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Transportation changes are coming to Indianapolis Public Schools next year. Here’s what to expect.

2024-04-09T18:47:30+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools parents can’t just assume their child’s regular school bus will show up at the bus stop next year.

That’s because families in the school district will be required to opt in to transportation. IPS hopes this move will create more efficiency as it switches to four broad enrollment zones that allow families to choose from more schools with more specialized academic offerings. (See which zone you reside in here.)

The change to transportation policy and new district enrollment policies are some of the major changes taking effect for the 2024-25 school year, as the district continues to roll out its Rebuilding Stronger strategy.

While many districts have faced transportation staffing challenges in recent years, IPS reports that it is fully staffed with bus drivers this year. The district recently renewed its agreement with First Student, which provides student transportation, for another three years.

Still, district officials anticipate a short-term challenge in transportation next year, when they predict more students will take the bus. This is in part because the district will offer transportation to certain eligible families who live outside of their school’s zone for next year only in an effort to curb instability for students.

Here are some answers to questions about IPS and transportation next school year.

How do I opt-in for IPS transportation?

When families register for their IPS school for 2024-25, there will be a section to fill out an opt-in form. Parents can access this on their PowerSchool portal account.

Do Innovation school students need to opt-in for transportation?

Some schools in the district’s Innovation Network of autonomous schools use transportation services through IPS. Families at these Innovation schools will also need to fill out an opt-in form. Check here to see whether your Innovation school uses IPS transportation.

Does my IPS student have to walk to school?

Students who qualify as “walkers” will not be eligible for IPS transportation and so will not be assigned a bus stop. A student is a walker based on how far away they live from their school. The parameters for qualifying as a walker are:

K-5 students living 1 mile or less from school.
Students in grades 6-8 living 1.25 miles or less from school.
High school students living 1.5 miles or less from school.

Students who do not qualify as “walkers” but live in the same zone as the school they are attending will qualify for transportation.

Will my IPS student get transportation for before- or after-school care?

Students in grades K-8 will receive transportation to before- or after-school care sites only if they live in the same zone as the school. The site must also be in the same zone as the school, and the bus stop must be at the same location in the morning and the evening.

Is my IPS student eligible for transportation through IndyGo?

The district is still reviewing eligibility parameters for students who would take the public bus IndyGo system to school for 2024-25. The district should have more details on who qualifies in late April.

Currently, high school students who walk no more than 0.7 miles from their home to the IndyGo bus stop to school are eligible to ride IndyGo — as long as there are no transfers and the bus ride is no more than 30 minutes. There are about 500 IndyGo riders this school year in the district’s four traditional high schools, which have roughly 5,500 students this year, according to state enrollment records.

But IPS Chief Operations Officer Wililam Murphy said the district wants to explore widening those requirements so more students can qualify.

Will I get transportation if I transfer to an IPS school mid-year?

Families transferring to an IPS school in the middle of the school year can still receive transportation if they qualify.

However, the district cautions that it could take four to eight weeks to receive a bus assignment.

“The closer we are to the start of the year, the harder it will be to route you quickly,” Murphy said, adding that early October and January tend to be “bottleneck periods” when more families enter the district. In those periods, it may take longer for a bus placement, he said.

Can I get IPS transportation outside of my school’s zone?

Families that live outside the zone of their school may still qualify for transportation only for the 2024-25 school year if they meet one of two circumstances.

Students who live outside of the zone of the school they currently attend may receive transportation for 2024-25 if they plan to attend the same school next year. They must already receive transportation to their school, where they must stay enrolled for the remainder of this year. They also must remain at their current address.

Students who plan to attend the middle school that their current school automatically feeds to under the Rebuilding Stronger enrollment patterns — even if they live outside of the zone for that middle school — can also receive transportation for 2024-25.

For example, a seventh grade student at Butler Lab School 60 living in Zone 2 can receive the one-year reprieve for transportation to Northwest Middle School, the Zone 1 feeder school for School 60.

These exceptions are to ensure students can stay with their classmates and experience as few transitions as possible.

“The north star is: how can we avoid forcing to have a child to have two changes in the course of two years — a move to a different middle school, and then a move to a high school?” Murphy said.

Beyond 2024-25, however, families eligible for these exceptions will not receive transportation.

Where do I get more information?

The district says the quickest way for families to get the most accurate transportation information is by contacting your child’s school directly. Families can also contact their child’s school for help enrolling in transportation. The district also has a frequently asked questions page on its website.

Families can also call the IPS Service Center at 317-226-4000 or submit a transportation inquiry on the district’s Let’s Talk web page.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

With no school, Indianapolis students gather to watch total solar eclipse

2024-04-08T22:27:54+00:00

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Raki Dem rolled up to the Crispus Attucks High School parking lot with her friends before traveling to watch the school’s baseball game Monday evening.

Before balls and strikes, though, came glasses, which Dem — a senior — and her classmates pulled on to safely watch the total solar eclipse.

“Look at it!” junior DaRhonda Woods shouted at the group just two minutes before the moon completely blocked the sun. “Look! You got to.”

Crispus Attucks High School students, Nyla Marshall, DaRhonda Woods, and Aunesty Williams, view the total solar eclipse in the parking lot of Crispus Attucks Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday April 8, 2024. The solar eclipse event at The Crispus Attucks Museum gives a free lesson to students at Indiana Public Schools (IPS) in history and astronomy while honoring Crispus Attucks legacy.

The eclipse emptied out many schools in the Indianapolis area on Monday — in fact, all 11 of the Marion County school districts were either closed or had a virtual learning day. But students across Indianapolis still found ways to enjoy the event.

Across the parking lot from Dem and her friends, junior Jabreel Abdullah watched the eclipse with his younger brother and sister, eighth grader Maijeur and fifth grader Eryss. They were among the roughly two dozen attendees who celebrated the eclipse with a program at the Crispus Attucks Museum that paid homage to African tradition and heritage.

Eryss Abdullah,10, left, and Maijeur Abdullah, 14, poses for portraits wearing solar eclipse viewing glasses at the Crispus Attucks Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday April 8, 2024. The solar eclipse event at The Crispus Attucks Museum gives a free lesson to students at Indiana Public Schools (IPS) in history and astronomy while honoring Crispus Attucks legacy.

During the museum program, Yoruba priest Anthony Artis cleansed the atmosphere hours before the eclipse with a gourd covered in beads, known as a “shekere.” He encouraged attendees to call out names of ancestors in a type of invocation.

As the moon crept closer to the sun, 10-year-old Eryss slipped out of the museum and slid on her glasses. She and her brothers, who are home-schooled, waited for the moon to blot out the sun at precisely 3:07 p.m.

As downtown was covered in darkness, Dem and her classmates pulled out their phones, shouting in excitement.

Crispus Attucks High School students view the eclipse before totality outside of the high school in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday April 8, 2024. The solar eclipse event at The Crispus Attucks Museum gives a free lesson to students at Indiana Public Schools (IPS) in history and astronomy while honoring Crispus Attucks legacy.

“Oh that’s tight!” one exclaimed as fireworks rang off in the distance.

As totality ended and the parking lot grew brighter, Artis reflected on the importance of remembering ancestors who experienced similar eclipse events in many years past. What happened today was just a continuation of what happened many years ago, he said.

Total solar eclipse in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday April 8, 2024.

“It’s a new beginning. The putting out of the old, the old sun has been put out, figuratively speaking. And then the new sun comes up,” he said. “And so what are you going to do with that newfound energy?”

For Dem and her friends, that new energy was spent packing up from the Crispus Attucks High School parking lot to cheer on their friends at the baseball game.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana is expanding college access, but are students actually prepared to earn a degree?

2024-03-25T11:00:00+00:00

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As a teenager, Mike Utley’s college prep often came via Google and Reddit.

He had few people he felt he could turn to for advice, so he searched for answers online. He also reviewed pamphlets and went on college visits — but even the tours, he said, felt like going to the zoo and looking at an exhibit through glass.

“The concept of what this thing was was so foreign to me, that every part of college life was an adjustment,” said Utley, who graduated from Indianapolis’ Shortridge High School in 2018 and was a first-generation college student. “Every single part.”

Once he enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington, several factors made life challenging. His mother was battling cancer. He switched majors multiple times within the Kelley School of Business without finding a subject he was passionate about studying. And looking back, he said, he didn’t have a good understanding of his own mental health.

He dropped out in 2021, during the second semester of his junior year. In fact, of the Indianapolis Public Schools students like Utley who graduated in 2018 and enrolled in a public, in-state four-year college within a year of graduation, just 23.6% graduated on time, according to data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Fewer than 6 in 10 made it to their second year at any public state institution.

Mike Utley withdrew from Indiana University Bloomington in his junior year in 2021, facing a variety of challenges and the passing of his mother. As a first-generation college student, he faced a number of hurdles trying to navigate higher education. "The concept of what this thing was was so foreign to me, that every part of college life was an adjustment," he said. "Like every single part."

In Indianapolis and across the state, education officials and legislators have enacted several initiatives designed to expand college access and increase college enrollment. Students frequently hear about the benefits of higher education. But the experiences of people like Utley raise a key question: Are students actually prepared enough to finish it, even if their academic records suggest they are?

The recent expansion of college-access programs might make the answer to that question more important.

Indiana students in seventh and eighth grade who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are now automatically enrolled in the state’s 21st Century Scholars program, which offers college tuition for qualifying students (Utley participated in this program). Every high school student in Indiana must now fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

And this year, IU Indianapolis will admit its first round of IPS students through an automatic admissions program for students with a GPA of at least 3.0.

Research suggests that college completion in Indiana and elsewhere is often hardest for students of color, students from low-income families, and those who are the first in their family to attend college. Researchers and experts say students withdraw from college for several reasons, and students of color in particular can struggle to feel at home on many campuses.

Low college completion rates are rooted in societal inequities that affect students beginning in prekindergarten and pose major challenges to K-12 schools, said Bryan Cook, director of higher education policy for the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute.

“There are inequities that are not getting addressed in K-12 among different populations of students by race and income, and those inequities perpetuate themselves in higher education,” Cook said, “even if students are able to be successful in high school to the point where they can get admitted into a four-year college.”

Both IPS — which says different data paints a better picture for its graduates — and higher education institutions say they’re working on the issue in various ways.

Officials in the college prep space must focus on systemic issues like homelessness, a lack of transportation, and food insecurity that can affect students’ emotional and social readiness for college, said Joe Zachery Jr., the director of the College Prep Institute at the Center for Leadership Development in Indianapolis.

“Yes, you were exposed to good education,” he said. “But you’re not really focused on that because you’re having a difficult time just surviving on a daily basis.”

Leaving high school unprepared for college

Utley, who is Black, said his family didn’t have a lot growing up. He and his siblings moved between shelters and other transitional housing with their mother.

But he still did well in IPS. He attended Sidener Academy, the district’s school for high-ability students. He did International Baccalaureate classes at Shortridge High School, where he said college enrollment was heavily stressed. He said he had a high school GPA of about 3.8.

Academically, he said, his high school experience prepared him for college. But in other ways, it did not.

He wishes someone had helped him understand college majors and careers, or how to take an effective gap year and explore career options. In general, he said, he needed someone to demystify adulthood.

“My high school was real big on, ‘This is a college prep school,’ so I understand why … they were so adamant on college enrollment, and that’s it,” he said. “But that’s not it.”

IPS officials say college completion rates for graduates have improved since 2018, based on National Student Clearinghouse data that includes private, public, and out-of-state colleges. But they have also boosted efforts at college preparation since Utley’s graduation in 2018.

These include the 2018 launch of Future Centers at each of the district’s four traditional high schools, and the creation of a Postsecondary Readiness team around the same time.

The goal of these centers, officials say, is to prepare students for college, employment, or enlistment in the military. Next school year, the district hopes to boost staffing at these centers by adding a college and career counselor and a college specialist.

But students from challenging circumstances like many in IPS, where nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals due to their low-income backgrounds, need not just academic but also social support, said Carey Dahncke, executive director of the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis.

Dahncke’s center runs the Urban College Acceleration Network, which helps high schools in IPS and other districts become Early College High Schools accredited through the center. These schools not only offer dual credit options for future academic success, but also help students with early planning so they understand how higher education works and college coursework, Dahncke said.

“The theory with early college is if you understand the gaps, the problems that exist, you can put interventions in place to get a different outcome,” Dahncke said.

‘I wanted to make money because I was poor’

Enamored by the prestige and reputation of IU’s business school, he chose to enroll there — even though he naturally gravitated toward art.

“I wanted to make money because I was poor, and I’m going to the business school — that’s where they make all the money,” he said. “That was the mentality.”

The pressure of being a first-generation student and attending a prestigious program also piled on.

“You owe it to your community, you owe it to your parents, you owe it to your siblings, you owe it to the next generation to be successful,” he said. “Every decision I made until I was a sophomore was in relation to that pressure.”

Utley’s home life made college even harder: He frequently returned to Indianapolis to see his mother, who was battling cancer, and at times that led him to miss classes. Then his mother passed away in 2020. All these factors culminated in his withdrawal from IU.

At IU Bloomington, Black students complete college on time at the same campus at a lower rate than white or Asian students. The trend is similar at other public university campuses where many IPS students go, including Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Ball State. (IUPUI will split into IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis later this year.)

Among students who, like Utley, entered IU Bloomington in 2018, only 51.5% of Black students finished a degree from the university on time, compared to 71.1% of white students, according to data from the higher education commission.

And Indiana’s completion rates for students from low-income backgrounds, even those who receive financial aid through the 21st Century Scholars program, are also lower than for their wealthier peers.

“Higher education does treat students like adults,” said Vasti Torres, the university’s interim vice provost. “But we also understand that we have to explain how the system works.”

IU Bloomington offers programs for students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. That includes a program called Groups that brings low-income students together in the summer before their freshman year, and a pre-college summer business program for students of color.

As part of a long-term strategic plan, the university will also start having advisers work with students who have not yet declared a major, Torres said. And beginning this year, Torres will teach a first-year seminar that reviews how students can engage with the campus community.

Higher education officials also hope programs such as the new dual admissions program between Ivy Tech and IU Indianapolis will boost college completion by allowing students to first attend community college before transitioning to a four-year institution. But historically, Indiana’s outcomes for that general approach haven’t necessarily been encouraging.

IU Indianapolis, which admitted 121 IPS students this year through its automatic admissions initiative, has also made its summer Bridge program mandatory for all incoming freshmen. The program, which used to be voluntary, runs one week prior to the start of the semester and helps students acclimate to the college environment. It’s also trying to make its advising more proactive.

Helping students help themselves

When Zachery talks to college admissions offices, he frequently hears them stress the importance of having students ready to advocate and act for themselves.

That’s what programs at the College Prep Institute try to do, from teaching them financial literacy to the importance of showing up on time to class. The center’s low-cost programming primarily serves students of color, Zachery said.

There’s no single person or organization Utley blames for his withdrawal from college. He knows where he needed help, and he knows which things he would’ve done differently. Today, he’s considering going to Ivy Tech to get an associate’s degree.

Utley, who is now 24, frequently calls his brother DeWayne, a freshman at IU Bloomington. He tells him: Just go to class. Learn what you want to learn about for four years. Know that the pressure is not all real.

“Your only allegiance, really, in college is to yourself,” he said. “I don’t want him to feel like he has to pursue a thing to make his older siblings happy.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS adopts $456 million budget for next year as district focuses on literacy, revamped academics

2024-03-21T23:35:25+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Schools board approved an operating budget for next school year that will prioritize staff pay raises, literacy programming, support for English language learners, and the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization plan.

The projected $456 million spending plan adopted by the IPS board Thursday is $10 million more than projected spending for this school year. The figure excludes any debt that the district pays annually for capital expenses.

The board approved the budget for the 2024-25 school year by a unanimous vote.

Here are four main takeaways from the budget:

Budget priorities include teacher pay, literacy

Raises outlined in new teacher and support staff contracts approved this school year are one of the district’s funding priorities. Teachers received an average 3% increase in pay in the two-year contract approved in 2023, plus stipends for hard-to-fill positions such as special education and English as a New Language teachers. Support staff received an average increase of 7.4%, boosting starting pay from $11.01 per hour to $16.01.

The district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan is also a top priority. The plan will expand specialized academic programming like STEM, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia learning models into schools throughout the district. It also requires training for staff in these academic models.

It has also required financial incentives for staff and marketing for families to entice both parties to stay in the district, as the plan calls for the break up of K-8 schools that will send students and staff to new locations next year.

Other budget priorities include funding early literacy efforts as lawmakers have required districts to adopt curriculum based on the science of reading. Starting next year, third-grade students who do not pass the state’s IREAD test must also be held back in accordance with a new law.

The district this year launched training for staff on UFLI, a new reading skills curriculum, and LETRS, which also trains staff on the science of reading.

IPS also hopes to reorganize its English as a New Language program, a plan that calls for $2,000 stipends for teachers who lead these efforts in their school buildings.

Millions in property taxes will go to charter schools

The district will lose out on a projected $4 million in property taxes to charter schools in fiscal year 2025.

That’s due to a statute lawmakers passed last year dealing with charters and taxes. The 2023 law requires school districts in Marion County and three other counties to share increases in property tax revenues proportionally with charter schools in the county that enroll students living in the district.

And under a new law passed this year, IPS is limited in how much it may charge autonomous schools in its Innovation Network, the majority of which are charter schools. The district can’t charge more than the charter school receives in property tax revenues.

Chief Financial Officer Weston Young said in a statement that the district is still evaluating what the law passed this year will mean for IPS.

Enrollment and per-pupil funding projected to increase

IPS predicts a slight increase in the number of students in its non-charter schools, from 21,128 this school year to 21,420 next school year. Innovation charters are estimated to grow from 10,285 to 10,335 students.

Enrollment figures are critical for school districts, which receive funding based on student enrollment.

Per-pupil funding from the state includes a baseline amount plus more funding, known as “complexity” funding, for students from low-income backgrounds or those in foster care. Per-pupil funding for IPS stood at $8,060 this school year and is projected to be $8,170 next year, an increase of roughly 1.4%.

But IPS has seen a smaller proportion of its state support come from complexity funding in recent years, as the state has increased base funding for all districts.

The result, according to the district’s analysis, is that IPS has seen a smaller increase in per-pupil amounts from the state than its surrounding suburban districts.

IPS predicts financial crunch in a few years

Officials anticipate ending the fiscal year in June with $120 million in cash on hand.

The district still predicts a deficit in the cash balance for its education and operations fund around 2027, after federal COVID relief funds expire in September 2024 and money from a tax increase approved by voters in 2018 expires in 2026.

Officials have stressed that the district must make important decisions to alleviate the predicted deficit. The Rebuilding Stronger plan closed six schools operating under capacity and moved students into other schools in order to operate more efficiently.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

How this school social worker helps students inside and outside of the classroom

2024-03-21T21:04:10+00:00

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The more caring and loving adults in a child’s life, the better.

That’s the approach Michele Whaley carries into her job as a school social worker at Eleanor Skillen School 34 in Indianapolis.

“At school, I can provide someone that will nonjudgmentally listen and provide support, skills, and perspective which they can then take into other aspects of life,” she said.

And while her role can impact a student’s life in many ways, it’s also impacted her own life. Whaley has been a school social worker for 15 years and was named Indiana School Social Worker of the Year in July by the Indiana School Social Work Association.

“At this point, it is an integral part to who I am,” she said of being a school social worker. “It has made me a better parent to my 10-year-old son and, quite frankly, taught me how to parent. It has allowed me to see the impact a caring, safe, and positive role model can have on the life of a child, which drives me to continue this work despite how difficult it can be.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What led you to become a school social worker?

I have to give most of that credit to Jane Zobel, who was the first school social worker I ever met. I took a job working as a contract employee at an IPS school prior to receiving my Master of Social Work. While in that job, I got to spend time seeing the work Jane got to do with students, families, and the community.

She was just so caring and loving towards students, staff, families, and the community. She provided a safe space for students to feel cared for and just did so much for the school community. It allowed me to see how much difference someone can make in a school environment where you see and work with all students.

It inspired me to return to finish my master’s degree, and the rest is really history.

Michele Whaley (center) poses for a photo on the day she was named school social worker of the year. On the left is principal Krista Douglass and Erica Robinson, IPS executive director of schools, is on the right.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My days can vary so much depending on the needs of the students and the school as a whole. My work spans the spectrum from whole group instruction on character education and development (social/emotional learning) to individual services such as counseling and crisis support. On any given day, I might be teaching in a classroom, intervening with behavior, supporting a student that is grieving, providing a family with food resources, helping plan school events, or conducting conflict resolution. Also, I’m also a part of various leadership teams and community engagement opportunities. One of the best parts of the job is the variety.

School social work has a strong basis in advocacy, justice, and respecting the voice of those you work alongside. For me, it is important to advocate for and enhance the voices of students and families to make sure they have all of the academic and non-academic support needed.

Conflict resolution and kindness are keys to anti-bullying because when children approach situations with kindness and how to resolve problems in a respectful manner, it reduces bullying behaviors.

What do you think is misunderstood about your role and wish more people knew?

I believe one of the common misunderstandings from a community perspective is that all social workers are linked to the Department of Child Services. Another is that people don’t realize that school social workers are dual-licensed professionals in the state of Indiana. I hold an Indiana Department of Education License and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or LCSW, through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Due to this, I am a trained mental health professional that is able to support students and families in many ways because many other mental health professionals in schools can only work with their clients rather than the larger school population.

What would you do more of if time were no object?

Honestly, if time were not an object I would do more 1:1 student work, especially with older students. The work that can be done with children as they start to enter adolescence is amazing. It’s universally a difficult time because that’s when we start to navigate the world without as much help from our parents and guardians.

It is the beginning of us starting to figure out where we want to fit in the world and who we fit alongside and as the social dynamic becomes more complex … it’s a lot.

So it’s fulfilling to help students understand more about how their mental health, feelings, and coping skills function and can improve. I would also do more work with bringing community resources and partners into the school if time weren’t a barrier.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

I think the number one piece that’s impactful to me is make time for yourself. The social work career is very geared towards assisting others and it can take an emotional toll. School social workers interact with emotionally deep and difficult topics on a daily basis so knowing how to separate or at least compartmentalize that is so important. Another important thing is remembering you might never know the difference you are making in someone’s life just by being there for them.

You spend your days trying to help others. How do you wind down after a stressful day?

Over the years, I’ve worked hard to practice what I preach and understand the coping skills that work for me. After an emotionally difficult day, I usually need to vent to someone that cares about me, and I need to engage in physical activity such as a walk or exercise of some sort. I maintain a pretty solid boundary with work and do not bring work home, so that helps as well.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

IPS writing centers help students find their voice but need new funding to pay tutors

2024-03-20T15:21:58+00:00

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This article was originally published by Mirror Indy, and is republished through our partnership with Free Press Indiana.

Corey Bass sits curled over a desk in the back of the room as a writing specialist guides him and a handful of other teenagers through a series of exercises.

Spend three minutes making a list of hobbies you enjoyed as a child. Take eight minutes to write a letter to your younger self. Think about what things bring you comfort at the end of a long day. List them in two minutes.

A few jot down ideas. Others look at their phones, headphones in ear, scrolling through social media. When it’s time to share, Corey answers just above a whisper.

“For the comfort thing,” he says, “I put that I like to read and write.”

The sophomore is one of a small group of students in Crispus Attucks High School’s creative writing club run out of the school’s new Vonnegut Youth Writing Center. The center, along with new programs at Arsenal Tech and George Washington high schools, largely replicates a long-standing writing center at Shortridge High School.

Together, the four writing centers partner with the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library to offer in-school tutoring, classroom support and creative writing opportunities with the help of four staff and 12 paid interns. Their team plays a key role in working with students like Bass to find their voice in writing, prepare for life after high school and even, for some students, better understand a language different from what’s used at home.

As Indianapolis Public Schools begins offering more classes for college credit, the writing centers are seen as a way to support teachers and students amid a collective push for more academically challenging coursework.

But with a major source of funding going away at the end of the year, leaders are looking for ways to continue paying the tutors who work with the students every day.

Cristal Covarrubias, left, works with Antonia DelCastillo, lead intern for the Vonnegut Youth Writing Center, on a history paper at a meeting of the writing club at Crispus Attucks High School.

Expanding the writing center model

IPS first introduced writing centers across the district six years ago to help students prepare for college or career opportunities.

However, many of the programs went away after a few years, Writing Center Coordinator Chris Speckman said, when grant funding ended. Only Shortridge held onto its center, he said, because administrators saw value in continued support for the school’s writing-heavy International Baccalaureate program.

IB is a challenging, college-focused academic program offered to IPS high schoolers only at Shortridge. Eighteen percent of Shortridge students received an A, B, or C on their rigorous IB extended essays in 2018.

Five years later, as the writing center continued, that number was up to 64%.

With federal pandemic relief funds available, Speckman pushed last school year to expand the writing centers across all IPS high schools. Its timing just happened to align with the district’s rollout of greater dual credit opportunities, allowing students at Arsenal Tech, Crispus Attucks, and George Washington to take classes like English composition and career exploration for college credit in partnership with IUPUI and Ivy Tech Community College.

“If we’re going to steer kids toward these classes, we want to see everybody succeed,” Speckman said, “and we’re not just leaving it to them to fend for themselves.”

At IPS’ largest high school, Arsenal Tech, the writing center, with its vast open floor plan and expansive mezzanine, frequently hosts class visits. An AP physics teacher, for example, might book the center so writing specialist Carrie Gaffney can work with students on scientific essays. Gaffney also organizes monthly meetings of 60 or so early college freshmen and sophomores to share advice for navigating their advanced classes. The center is looking to add math tutoring soon.

“In my experience, every kid that comes in here wants to do better,” Gaffney said. “They want to be taught, and they want to be successful.”

At George Washington, the district’s smallest center, writing specialist Erin Brock frequently visits classrooms. She joins teachers’ professional development meetings and has been working with them as they introduce more writing-heavy lessons this year.

Her George Washington center shares a door with the school’s Future Center, which helps students find and apply for scholarships, prepare for job interviews and learn about life after high school. That means Brock frequently assists students with scholarship essays and other writing needed for students on track to college.

The writing centers best help students reach their goals, specialists say, when working together with the rest of the school. Brock said at George Washington, it took time to explain the center’s purpose and build trust with teachers and students.

“It went from barely being able to get a student or two in the room,” Brock said, “To now I have too many kids in the room and people coming in at all times.”

Brooklyn Raines, a writing specialist, gives instructions to writing club members at Crispus Attucks High School.

A support for classroom learning

The writing centers can serve as a key resource for teachers who may not have the time or ability to work with students individually on a regular basis. Specialists see students of all different writing abilities and multiple interns tutor in other languages, extending support to students who speak Spanish, French and Yoruba.

Speckman said the writing centers can also support classroom teachers who are early in their career, are not English instructors or generally are not confident in their ability to teach writing.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is to also be that lifeboat,” Speckman said. “We have these lessons in place, we have these ideas, we have these scaffolds. Let us make your life easier so you don’t feel overwhelmed.”

The centers also provide a quiet space for students to study in a low-pressure environment where specialists treat students as peers. Because many of the Vonnegut interns are college students themselves, they can help answer questions and share their own examples of what to expect in college.

Aside from serving an academic need, writing specialists say they’re also there to help students develop their interests in creative writing, including short fiction and poetry. Crispus Attucks and Shortridge have creative writing clubs, and Arsenal Tech and George Washington are hoping to start their own soon.

“We’ve got a lot of creative writers so it’s just about giving them more opportunities,” Brock said, “just something to get our students more engaged in writing as a whole and getting their creativity out.”

Planning for the future

The centers at Arsenal Tech, Crispus Attucks and George Washington have almost completed their first years, and students are just now entering the busy spring testing season. If Shortridge’s long-standing program is an example for how well others could do, Speckman said he expects to see growth in other high schools, too.

The centers have collectively seen 2,281 students between last August and January, accounting for about 41% of all IPS high schoolers, putting the centers well on their goal to see half of the high school student population by the end of the year.

However, with federal pandemic grants soon coming to an end, Speckman said he’s looking to other areas for funding. IPS has committed support through another federal grant to sustain the district’s four writing specialists for at least the next school year, but the centers will look to other sources to pay for its interns. Speckman said the centers also are always searching for volunteers.

“That’s going to be the big thing,” Speckman said. “If we’re outgrowing some of our spaces because they’re so busy, can we find the right capacity in all of these spaces to make sure that we can do everything in the building that is a need? Because, I think you can always do more.”

That’s a welcome idea to Robertha Chalestra, a “frequent flyer” in George Washington’s writing center. The junior, whose first language is Haitian Creole, visits regularly for help with English, history and math — but mostly to hang out and see “Miss Erin.”

“Last year, I was struggling,” Chalestra said. “I had like one teacher that was always helping, but he had class and other kids to help, too, so … having Miss Erin here and the tutors is a really great thing.”

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

Bill clarifies exemption to law requiring districts to give closed buildings to charters for $1

2024-02-01T18:27:23+00:00

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Update: The Indiana legislative session ended on March 8, 2024. Here are the education bills that did and didn’t pass.

New legislation moving through the Indiana Statehouse could put an end to the legal battles over the controversial state law that requires school districts to make unused school buildings available to charter schools for the lease or sale price of $1.

Senate Bill 270 clarifies language added in the last legislative session that led to two different interpretations of the law by Indianapolis Public Schools and the state.

The tweak to the law last year granted school districts an exemption from the requirement if they share funding from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety costs with an “applicable charter school.”

IPS has claimed that it is exempt since it shared proceeds from a 2018 operating referendum with charter schools in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools. The state, however, has argued that the law was meant to exempt districts that share funding proportionally from ballot measures passed and adopted from May 10, 2023 onward.

The claim has boiled over into a legal battle with Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office that is now in the state appeals court awaiting a decision. But if passed, the bill could put an end to future legal battles over the exemption while bringing other small wins for charter schools.

The bill would also require all school districts in the state to share voter-approved tax increases for safety and operating expenses passed and adopted after May 10, 2024 — expanding a requirement that currently applies to districts in four counties, including Marion County.

And in another update to last year’s new legislation, the bill clearly forces school districts with declining enrollment to close school buildings that are underutilized. The definition of “underutilized,” however, changes from a building with an average occupancy of 60% over the current and past two school years to 50%.

Republican Sen. Linda Rogers, the author of the bill, did not return a request for comment. Rogers’ district includes South Bend, where a charter school has also expressed interest in occupying a recently closed high school. The school district there has also faced complaints alleging the district did not comply with the $1 law.

The bill has garnered opposition from the Indiana Urban Schools Association, the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, and the Indiana School Boards Association, which are concerned that sharing referendum funds with charter schools will require districts to ask taxpayers for even more money. The groups also remain concerned about the $1 law.

“A community asset paid for by taxpayers should not be required to be sold for $1 but at market value,” said David Marcotte, executive director of the urban schools group who also spoke on behalf of the superintendents association in a hearing last week. “We remain opposed to selling or leasing the school building for $1. However, if this bill moves forward, we do support the dollar law exemption if referendum funds are shared with charter schools.”

Bill clarifies $1 law dispute

Senate Bill 270 also clarifies when a district would be exempt from the $1 law. Districts could only claim an exemption if they share revenue from a ballot question for operating or safety expenses in a resolution approved after May 10, 2023.

Those funds must be distributed through a state-determined formula with charters that serve any student who lives within the boundary of the district that elected to participate in the referendum.

It’s unclear what impact the law would have on the ongoing lawsuit IPS has with the attorney general, which appealed a lower court’s ruling that found the district was exempt from the law. It’s also unclear whether the bill would void a lease agreement the school board approved in December with a local nonprofit for the former Francis Bellamy School 102.

However, the legislation does allow IPS to keep its lease agreement with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which will occupy the shuttered Floro Torrence School 83 and George Buck School 94 while it awaits renovations on its main campus.

IPS did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said there is always a possibility the legislation could impact the IPS case on appeal.

“We cannot accurately assess the impact of any legislation on the case until we can analyze its final form,” the spokesperson said. “However, it isn’t our intention to dismiss the appeal at this time.”

Bill requires districts to close underutilized buildings

The bill would also more clearly force districts with declining student populations to shutter underutilized school buildings, changing law that states districts “may” close such schools to “shall.” That could make more buildings available to charter schools for $1 throughout the state.

This provision still only applies to districts where enrollment has dropped by at least 10% within the past five years. The district must also have more than one school building serving the same grade level as the one subject to closure, and another building no more than 20 minutes away that can absorb students of the closing school.

Districts can still avoid closing a building if they demonstrate that it meets certain capacity criteria for other uses, such as alternative education programs, administrative offices, or storage.

Districts must also list the factual basis for why they are not making a closed school building available in a statement to the Department of Education. However, interested parties can submit a rebuttal to the department.

The bill passed out of the Senate appropriations committee on Thursday and heads to the Senate.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools plans new approach to teaching English learners

2024-03-08T12:00:00+00:00

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At Lew Wallace School 107, principal Arthur Hinton sees students come from all over the world.

The sounds of Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and Arabic can fill the halls of the K-6 school on the west side of Indianapolis, near the “international marketplace” neighborhood. In recent years, the school has attracted more students whose families hail from Haiti, speaking French or Creole.

Roughly 70% of the 509 students are classified as English language learners, a population that has only increased since Hinton arrived in 2020.

“Don’t blink again,” he joked. It might grow even more.

Lew Wallace is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse schools in the district. But its growing share of English language learners is emblematic of a trend that’s appearing across Indianapolis Public Schools.

More than a quarter of the district’s students are now classified as English language learners — over 6,700 as of late February, an increase of over 2,000 students since 2017-18. As in many other districts, staffing up for those levels has been a challenge. At the end of February, the district had eight vacancies for English as a New Language teachers, out of 110 positions total. Bilingual assistants can be even harder to come by: The district had 24 vacancies as of that date for its 76 positions.

Amid a larger push for equity in its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization, the district now plans to reimagine how it serves English language learners. Officials say instruction for these students should be more consistent across school buildings, and allow students to learn alongside their native English-speaking peers. Students learning English, they say, should not be restricted from classes such as music or art because they are pulled away for separate English language learner instruction.

The plan includes assigning each school at least one leading English as a New Language “teacher of record,” responsible for overseeing the school’s English language learner program. It also involves more incentives for staff — including a $2,000 stipend for lead teachers and reimbursement for some English as a New Language teachers who also train to become certified to teach English language arts.

The plan is one of the district’s budget priorities for the 2024-25 school year.

“It’s going to be hard, without a doubt,” said Arturo Rodriguez, the district’s director for English as a New Language. “We’re up to the challenge.”

IPS plan encourages more co-teaching, less separation

In a sixth grade classroom at Lew Wallace, Ana Gonzalez sits with a small group of six students, alternating between Spanish and English as she teaches the concept of claims, evidence, and reasoning in language arts.

Just a few feet away, the main classroom teacher is reviewing the same topics with the other students. At Gonzalez’s table, though, the focus is on the English learners.

“You guys in class have been working on claims — finding a claim and finding evidence,” Gonzalez tells her students. “Tener, como, un reclamo y evidencia.”

The school uses a form of co-teaching, where English language learners are in the same classroom as their native-speaking peers, and learning the same things at the same time.

Ana Gonzalez, who teaches English as a new language, sits with sixth-graders in a small group to review the classroom lesson for the day. Gonzalez switches between English and Spanish while teaching amid the larger class of native English speakers.

This is the type of model that the district hopes all schools will embrace.

Right now, instruction for English language learners varies from school to school. Only some IPS elementary schools offer co-teaching, while others don’t have enough staff. Sometimes teachers are used as interventionists — staff who pull students away from class to work directly with them on their specific needs — rather than as co-teachers.

At the middle and high school levels, some English language learners do not have access to electives, because their English as a new language instruction is held during those times.

The district’s plans would mean less separation, and more exposure to the mainstream classroom as students learn English.

The philosophy: Everyone is an English as a New Language teacher.

An English as a New Language teacher “is supposed to help support language development, not necessarily spending their whole day doing intervention,” Rodriguez said. “There are some places where more than 80% of the day, that’s all they’re doing.”

At each school, a lead teacher of record will be responsible for the battery of tests that English language learner students must take to ensure that they pass the language proficiency test known as WIDA ACCESS.

That will free up the school’s other English as a New Language teachers to teach more throughout the day, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is also hoping those lead teachers will monitor proficiency on state exams for English learners, which dropped after the pandemic, as it did for other student subgroups.

Last year, 47.9% of these students passed the third-grade IREAD exam, while 3.2% reached proficiency on both English and math sections on the ILEARN in grades 3-8, according to state data. (The figures do not include charter schools in the district’s autonomous Innovation Network.)

The district hopes to train English as a New Language teachers and main classroom teachers on the new changes.

Staffing poses a challenge

At Lew Wallace, Hinton acknowledges that he’s blessed to have five English as a New Language teachers. The school also has four bilingual assistants speaking Spanish and Arabic.

But at other schools in the district, filling those roles may be more challenging.

As of early March, the district anticipated the need to fill about one dozen English as a New Language teaching positions for the next school year.

Bilingual assistants, Rodriguez said, are particularly difficult to find amid stiff competition among districts. The district urgently needs candidates who speak Swahili, Kinyarwanda, French, and Haitian Creole, he said.

IPS hopes a few initiatives can help with the staffing needs.

The district is beginning to reach out to local universities to build a pipeline of bilingual assistants who can eventually transition into certified teaching positions, Rodriguez said.

The latest contract with the teacher’s union approved in November also offers base-pay increases for English as a New Language teachers and other in-demand positions.

And IPS also plans to offer English as a New Language teachers in middle and high school incentives to become dually certified to teach English language arts. That could reduce the number of staff needed to teach both topics.

The district would reimburse teachers for the cost of taking the Praxis certification exam for English language arts, which is over $100.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools newcomer program for English learners to merge with district schools

2024-03-01T03:00:04+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools will break up its newcomer program for English language learners who are new to the country.

The move to pull the newcomer program out of Northwest Middle School will help reduce transportation costs, make the best use of physical space, and help students engage more with their peers who are native English speakers, officials said in a presentation to the school board on Thursday. It also mirrors a district-wide push to more fully integrate English language learners with their English-speaking peers.

The newcomer program, which the district launched in 2016, currently serves 232 students in grades 7-10 who have been in the United States for one year or less and don’t attain a certain score on an English proficiency exam. But not all students who meet these criteria are enrolled in the newcomer program, officials noted. Many of them end up enrolling in other schools throughout the district.

The change will not require a school board vote.

The program is housed in Northwest Middle School, which currently serves grades 7-8 but will also expand to offer sixth grade next school year as part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization.

High school students in the program will transfer to George Washington High School, while middle school students will go to their chosen middle school. Those new schools will still offer staff for English language learners, officials said.

The move will allow high schoolers to take elective courses with students who are native English speakers, while still taking newcomer courses such as developmental reading. High school students can transition to their high school of choice after their first year in the newcomer program, which is typically a one-year program.

The earlier start time at George Washington High School will also help the many newcomer students who also work to provide for their family, said Arturo Rodriguez, the district’s English as a new language director.

Newcomer staff will be assigned to middle schools with English language learner needs, according to the district.

In other news, the district also plans to merge Simon Youth Academy —an alternative program for high school juniors and seniors currently housed in Circle Centre Mall — with its Graduation Academy, another alternative program serving students who are also parents on the Arsenal Technical High School campus.

The lease for Simon Youth Academy has expired, and the cost of a new lease in the mall is high, officials noted. Staff at Simon Youth Academy would switch to the Arsenal Tech location.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

‘A Touch of Glory’ will showcase Crispus Attucks High School’s historic basketball win

2024-02-15T22:18:55+00:00

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Last week, Asher Young didn’t know much about Oscar Robertson — the student and later NBA star who led the Crispus Attucks High School basketball team to victory in its historic 1955 state championship win.

Then, just days before a throng of visitors descend upon downtown Indianapolis for the NBA All-Star Weekend, the Arsenal Technical High School senior was asked to portray another member of the school’s famed basketball team in a new play about the Tigers’ historic victory.

Though his role is small — one with few lines but a lot of facial expressions, Young said — he has still learned a lot about the Black community in Indianapolis during the 1950s and Robertson himself.

“This is a way for me to pay respect to [Robertson],” Young said. “And to other people that have also fought for civil rights.”

The play — “A Touch of Glory” — will run at Crispus Attucks High School this weekend, coinciding with a weekend celebrating all things basketball that also occurs during Black History Month.

The play recounts the win that made the Tigers the first Indianapolis team — and the first all-Black team — to win the Indiana High School Athletic Association basketball tournament. The Tigers were also the first all-Black team to win a state championship in any sport in the country.

But the win symbolized much more than a state title — it marked an achievement by the city’s Black students, who persevered despite the school system’s segregation at the time.

Crispus Attucks High School opened as the city’s only high school exclusively for Black students in 1927, during a decade when the Ku Klux Klan held a powerful sway in local politics. Despite a 1949 state law outlawing segregation, the school remained segregated until a federal court mandated the school district desegregate in the 1970s.

Deborah Asante, the play’s director, plans to create a curriculum available free to schools that will help contextualize the basketball team’s story in the fight for civil rights nationwide occurring at the time. The team won the championship the same year white men lynched Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, and the same year as the Montgomery bus boycott.

“These were breakthrough moments where the world kind of pushed forward,” Asante said. “This is our way of keeping that fight out there to remind people that people have made sacrifices already and we will continue to do so. That’s why it’s important to put it in front of people because a man like Oscar Robertson was smacked down when he was a young man — disappointed and disillusioned. And he continued to push past that to make amends for not only himself but for all players.”

Even after winning the title, the team was denied a traditional parade through downtown Indianapolis — another fact that Young learned as an actor in the play.

Now, he and other actors will perform on the same stage the basketball team used to practice on. (At the time, the school’s gym was too small to host basketball games, Robertson recalled.)

The play, written by Laura Town and held in partnership with the local creative agency GANGGANG and the National Crispus Attucks Alumni Association, will have showings on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. at Crispus Attucks High School, 1140 Doctor M.L.K. Jr. St. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door.

A free matinee showing on Saturday is open to the public, with a welcome and introductions at 1 p.m. A community conversation will occur after the showing, which starts at 2 p.m.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Charter schools bought two IPS buildings for a dollar each. What happened next?

2024-02-15T12:00:00+00:00

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The dust in the brick building on east 42nd Street is so thick that visitors have written their names on the counter of what was once a school cafeteria. Desks are all that remains of an old science lab. Basketballs sit in the corner of the school gym.

The former Indianapolis Public School building in the Meadows neighborhood was sold in 2012 by IPS to a charter school for $1 under a law designed to provide vacant facilities to charter schools. But the structure hasn’t housed a school in a decade: It was resold for $225,000, and then again for $10,000. It is now owned by a church and is poised to become a community center.

Another IPS building on the far eastside that was sold to a charter school for $1 changed hands between multiple limited liability companies. At one point, it sold for $1.4 million. It has since been heavily renovated with the proceeds of those sales, according to school officials, and is now the home of Tindley Summit Academy, a K-6 charter school.

Indiana’s so-called “$1 law,” which has been on the books since 2011, has come under fire — particularly in Indianapolis. A battle is brewing over six former school buildings that could eventually be sold under the law, which requires school districts to sell or lease closed school buildings to charter schools or higher education institutions for $1.

But the fates of these two buildings — the only two sold by IPS under the $1 law, according to a Chalkbeat analysis — shows that the controversial piece of legislation has rarely brought about its intended effect in Indianapolis. The challenge isn’t necessarily with the sale but what comes next: Even when charters have managed to acquire buildings for $1 without legal dispute, the buildings have required pricey renovations that charters must pay for on their own, officials with these schools say. That can make opening and maintaining a school in these facilities trickier than the sticker price might imply.

Empty shelves are open in a classroom in the former School 11 in the city's Meadows neighborhood. The building's current owner is working on transforming it into an education and community center.

Historically, charter schools have not received funding from property taxes that go to traditional public school districts, creating a struggle to pay for capital investments.

Despite acquiring the buildings for $1, charters say they did not turn a profit in the subsequent sales to other entities, due to the money they invested in restoring and upgrading the buildings. Under the $1 law, the charters would have had to turn over any such profits to IPS.

The number of buildings sold under the $1 law could increase significantly soon. Lawmakers are considering amending the law this year to essentially clarify that the six schools IPS closed last year are not exempt from the statute.

Acquiring underutilized facilities for $1 can be a good deal for charters pushed for space, said Chris Lubienski, director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University.

But in addition to the challenge of renovations, the transactions raise questions about whether the law is beneficial and transparent for taxpayers, who paid to have these buildings constructed only to see them sold for next to nothing.

“Overall, when you look at the transfer of assets, it raises some big questions about what are the taxpayers in Indianapolis, in this case, getting for the money they had in the past invested into those facilities,” he said.

First school sold for $1 vacant for years

In 2012, IPS made its first $1 sale when KIPP Indy bought School 11.

KIPP Indy, a charter network that at the time only operated a middle school, had to move locations when IPS canceled the network’s building lease at Julian Coleman School 110, according to the network. So KIPP Indy’s acquisition of School 11 was timely.

But the building needed substantial renovations, such as new technology infrastructure and lockers, according to KIPP Indy. Considering both in-kind and direct investments, KIPP Indy says it put about $450,000 into the building.

The school spent two years there, then departed before the 2014-15 school year to return to the Coleman building, where the network now operates its elementary and middle school.

That’s the last time the building housed a school.

KIPP Indy sold the building in 2017 for $225,000 to Global School Properties Indiana, LLC, a Virginia-based business. Since KIPP Indy put more than $225,000 into the building, there were no profits from the sale that KIPP Indy had to redirect to IPS, according to the network.

State business records show the CEO of Global School Properties is Ronald Packard, the former head of the for-profit K12, Inc. — now known as Stride — which has opened virtual charter schools nationwide.

A spokesperson for Global School Properties Indiana, Courtney Harritt, said although the corporation made the purchase with the intention of opening a charter school, the “timing ended up being off.”

The corporation sold the building in 2022 to the local Hovey Street Church for just $10,000.

Denell Howard, the church’s pastor, hopes to turn the abandoned school into an education and community center through his nonprofit. On part of the seven-acre property behind the building, a local gardening operation has already set up shop with several garden beds and chickens. Howard is also hoping to build a walking trail.

Still, Howard says he needs to raise $11 million to fully renovate the building — or roughly 39 times what KIPP Indy sold the building for in 2017, after adjusting for inflation. He sees a lesson in that huge renovation cost.

“Those people who are looking at these schools and looking at utilizing them for stuff, they’re going to need support behind their vision,” he said. “And I’m not talking about just ‘Rah, rah’ support. They’re going to need financial support.”

Pastor Denell Howard walks through the bathroom stalls of the former School 11, which he purchased in 2022.

Multiple transactions funded renovations at former School 98

In 2017, IPS sold the former T.C. Steele School 98 building on Dubarry Road for $1 to Tindley, another charter network.

But the building needed roughly $2.8 million in renovations to make it habitable for students, said Hilary Buttrick, chair of Tindley’s board of trustees. The school paid a significant portion of those costs out of its own cash reserves, she said.

Tindley sold the building, which was then sold again to its current owner for $1.4 million, in a series of financial transactions with limited liability companies that officials say helped the school repay the remainder of the renovation costs.

CIES Tindley I, LLC, which owns the building today, also owns other buildings in the Tindley network. It is affiliated with the Center for Innovative Education Solutions, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that aims to provide cost-effective services to charters.

The Tindley charter network itself no longer owns the building, but Tindley Summit Academy operates there today.

Tindley Summit Academy on the far eastside now occupies the former T.C. Steele School 98, but required significant upgrades to be operational.

Edreece Redmond, the executive director of the Center for Innovative Education Solutions, said in a statement that the process allowed CIES Tindley I to provide cheaper financing, passing on thousands in savings to the school, which rents the building.

Charter school funding change could supersede $1 law

A recent change to state law may reduce the need for such accounting and fundraising maneuvers, as well as the impetus for the $1 law itself.

State legislation passed in 2023 requires school districts in Marion, St. Joseph, Vanderburg, and Lake counties to proportionally share increases in tax revenue from rising property valuations with charter schools, starting in 2025.

Under a different law enacted last year, school districts in these four counties must also share funding for any voter-approved tax increases for operational or safety expenses with charters as well.

Those relatively steady sources of revenue could make it easier for charter schools looking to purchase and (if necessary) renovate facilities.

IPS and other groups representing school districts that have expressed concerns with the $1 law also opposed both measures during last year’s session.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Parents renew call to IPS to partner with charter schools most successful for students of color

2024-02-07T22:45:50+00:00

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Community members in a campaign organized by charter-friendly advocacy groups called on Indianapolis Public Schools to partner with more charter schools in a petition delivered to IPS school board members Wednesday.

Members of the “Better Together” campaign echoed demands long expressed during public comment at school board meetings: to partner with schools that post higher-than-average test scores for Black and Latino students. Specifically, community members point to charter schools excelling in this area.

The demand comes ahead of the district’s application window for schools interested in joining the Innovation Network, a string of autonomous schools that includes both charter and non-charter schools. But partnerships in IPS can also take other forms: charter schools have previously expressed interest in occupying a few of the six school buildings that the district closed earlier this year and proposed legislation at the Statehouse could impact how that’s done.

The petition of 1,000 residents is the latest development in an ongoing divide between IPS and the charter school community. Charter-supportive community members previously expressed opposition to the district’s Rebuilding Stronger overhaul plan in 2022, in part because it did not replicate charter schools best serving students of color. Now, the district could float an operating referendum to help fund the reorganization that will largely take effect next school year, and campaign members are asking again.

Parent Susan Sargent, left, and Believe Circle City High School student Elazia Davison hand petitions to IPS school board members Angelia Moore, Kenneth Allen, Hope Hampton, and Venita Moore at John Morton-Finney Center on Wed., Feb. 7, 2024.

Parents pointed to the district’s analysis of 2023 ILEARN results that compared proficiency rates for both English and math in schools across Marion County. Three Paramount campuses that are independent charters not in the Innovation Network were in the top quartile of performance for Black and Latino students and students eligible for free or reduced lunch, along with the district’s Sidener Academy for High Ability Students.

And the three high schools in the top quartile for SAT performance benchmarks for both math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing were all Innovation Network charter schools.

“We are asking to call on the IPS administration to have a detailed plan in place by June to grow public schools that are working,” said Gregory Henson, whose daughter attends Longfellow Middle School, a traditional IPS school. “And we’re asking that this plan be inclusive of public charter schools that were highlighted in the October board report on school performance in Indianapolis.”

The push is in partnership with Stand for Children Indiana and Empowered Families, two groups that are supportive of charter schools and their expansion.

In a statement, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said she appreciated the perspectives brought forth by concerned parents and community members.

“Every family in Indianapolis wants great choices at great schools, and that is what our district has been wholly focused on since 2015 with our innovation network school partnerships, our emerging schools supports, and, next year, the full implementation of Rebuilding Stronger,” she said. “”Our North Star will continue to be keeping our commitment to great schools, in every neighborhood, for every student.”

Opportunity gaps in IPS higher than independent charters

In IPS, the gap in proficiency between white students and students of color is significant.

White students reached proficiency on the ILEARN in both English and math at a rate of 36.3%, compared to 5.4% for Black students and 8.3% for Latino students, according to state data.

“We should all be concerned when we see how much work there is to be done to recover from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when a gap in both the resources and opportunities available to poor students and students of color existed pre-pandemic, and showed up in academic outcomes and results,” Johnson said in her statement.

As a whole, however, that gap is smaller in independent charters not affiliated with IPS, according to Chalkbeat’s latest analysis of ILEARN scores. Black and Hispanic students in these schools located in or near IPS borders posted higher proficiency rates as a whole.

Yet demographic differences also vary between IPS and charters within its borders. While both Innovation and independent charter schools within IPS borders have a higher proportion of Black students and students eligible for free or reduced lunch, IPS has a higher percentage of special education students and English language learners.

Elazia Davison, a student at the Believe Circle City High School independent charter school, said he has attended multiple IPS schools and seen some schools with clear models for learning while others have almost no stability or functional learning model.

“I want to make sure that students who come after me are positively impacted by the measures IPS takes to ensure equitable learning,” he said. “This will happen by replicating schools that show success.”

School board president Angelia Moore said the next steps would be continuing conversations.

“I appreciate and respect all parents’ input on what works for their children,” Moore said.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Waivers from Indiana graduation requirements are declining. Educators explain how they did it.

2024-01-31T12:00:00+00:00

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When Lauren Franklin first took over as principal of Crispus Attucks High School, her mentor gave her some important advice: “The principal has to own graduation.”

She’s used that advice to try to increase the school’s graduation rate while granting few exemptions to students who don’t meet certain state diploma requirements. These waivers give students an exemption from requirements linked to postsecondary pathways for college or career and can be a lifeline for students in certain circumstances. But some of Franklin’s efforts revolve around the amount of work that getting a waiver can involve, compared to forging ahead without one.

“If we’re going to work that hard to get to a waiver, we just need to work that much harder to get them graduated without a waiver,” she said.

In the Class of 2023, the number of Crispus Attucks students who got waivers dropped to just two out of 246 graduates. That decline from the previous year matches a trend statewide, where the share of students using waivers dropped from 7% to 4.5% for the last two graduating classes. In Marion County, the share of students using waivers also fell from 2022 to 2023 in 10 out of 11 school districts. Their decline coincides with efforts by state lawmakers to curb the use of waivers, and make it more transparent when schools do grant them.

The “graduation pathways” framework — made optional for graduates starting in the Class of 2018 but mandatory starting with the Class of 2023 — lets students choose a certain postsecondary trajectory, such as college or a career. It also requires students to pass a “competency requirement” that can align with one of those goals — including reaching a certain score on the SAT or ACT, or earning a C average in at least two advanced career and technical education courses.

But state law allows students to receive a waiver from these competency requirements if they meet certain requirements. Before the pathways framework, students could also receive waivers from the graduation qualifying exam.

A new law deterring the use of waivers, set to take effect for the Class of 2024, may have played a role in the trend. Yet some Marion County school districts with low waiver rates say it’s a result of a years-long effort to ensure students are actually prepared for whatever comes after graduation.

Indianapolis Public Schools, the county’s largest district, has had among the lowest proportion of graduates with waivers dating back to at least the Class of 2021. In the Class of 2023, roughly 2% of its students received waivers, according to state data. (In the data, the state includes some but not all charter high schools in the district’s Innovation Network of autonomous schools.) Officials credit a philosophy embraced by current and previous administrations to use as few waivers as possible.

IPS is well-positioned to avoid exceeding a state-mandated cap that kicks in for the Class of 2024, when students who graduate with waivers can’t account for more than 9% of the total graduating class in a school’s reported graduation rate. Lawmakers say that rule will improve transparency about graduation rates.

In the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, officials also attribute a decline in waiver rates to adhering to the pathways set by the state’s new graduation requirements.

“It became very hyper-focused even at the middle school level,” said Brett Crousore, principal at Lawrence North High School. “We started having conversations about the different pathways that students would enter.”

IPS leans into career academies for success

Indiana’s 2018 transition to “graduation pathways” requirements aligned with the overhaul of IPS high schools that same year. The district’s closure of three high schools led to the addition of more specialized career academy programs at its remaining four.

Those changes meant “we had to change up everything and how we were doing it,” Franklin said.

But Franklin also attributes the medley of requirements students must meet to be eligible for a waiver to her school’s low waiver rates.

In order to qualify for a waiver, seniors must have tried to pass at least three competencies. They may also be eligible for a waiver if they transferred from a nonpublic, non-accredited or out-of-state school during their senior year and failed to pass one. In either case, students still must also maintain a C average and also have an attendance rate of 95% in order to qualify.

Instead of trying to meet those qualifications, officials say they’re starting early to make sure students meet standard graduation requirements. Each of the district’s four traditional high schools has a graduation coach who works to ensure students try to complete multiple competency requirements throughout their high school career, said Cara Hachmeister, the district’s graduate services coordinator.

That way, if students fail to achieve one competency — such as earning passing grades in career-technical courses, for example — they can have another one to fall back on.

“We’re not just relying on them to pass a test,” she said. “They have those safety nets built in there starting with their freshman year.”

IPS also mirrors another statewide trend: an increase in non-waiver graduation rates. The district’s graduation rate excluding waivers has increased in each of the last three graduating classes, and reached roughly 79.7% last year, although that’s still among the lowest for Marion County districts.

In Lawrence township, focus on pathways helped reduce waivers

In Lawrence township, officials credit a focus on the new graduation pathway requirements to help reduce waiver usage.

Too many students at Lawrence North High School were dabbling in entry-level classes but not moving on to higher-level courses, said Brett Crousore, the school’s principal. The school instead began to ensure more students were following through with the next course to help them complete their designated pathway, he said. That focus on pathways even started in middle school.

“It felt like a 12-year-old was having to pick a major as they entered into high school, and that’s essentially somewhat what we’re doing,” Crousore said.

The career and technical education pathway is a popular option in the district. At the McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology, students from both high schools can attend programs in law, health science, hospitality, and more.

The township reduced its use of waivers from 14% of the Class of 2021 to roughly 3% of last year’s graduating class.

Like IPS, Lawrence has increased its non-waiver graduation rate every year since 2021, when 80% of students graduated. The non-waiver graduation rate for the Class of 2023 was 91.7%.

But some Marion County schools and districts use waivers at much higher rates than their peers.

At Ben Davis High School in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, for example, 36% of graduating students received a waiver, according to the latest state data. The district as a whole has the highest waiver rate of any Marion County district, with roughly one-third of graduates receiving a waiver — about ten times the percentage in Lawrence Township.

State law will increasingly restrict how much waivers can contribute to graduation rates schools and districts share with the public. For the Class of 2025, no more than 6% of graduating seniors in the school’s reported graduation rate can receive waivers. In 2026, that drops further to 3%.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS enrollment declines slightly in 2023-24 while charter school enrollment keeps growing

2024-01-05T19:37:44+00:00

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Enrollment at Indianapolis Public Schools has remained fairly stable since last year, despite the closure of six buildings that sent over 1,000 students searching for new schools this year.

Marion County’s largest district lost only 169 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24, bringing total enrollment to 21,858, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education. The figure excludes students enrolled in charter schools within the district’s Innovation Network of autonomous schools, which the state counts separately.

Although the district continues to lose students annually, the latest figures indicate that sharp drops in enrollment stemming from the pandemic have essentially flattened out; from 2019-20 to 2020-21, the district lost roughly 10% of its students. Enrollment declines this year and last school year have been less than 1%.

This year’s slight decline could indicate that enrollment won’t change dramatically next year, when the district embarks on the latter half of its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization and sends even more students to different schools as IPS breaks up its K-8 schools.

In a bid to boost its enrollment, IPS has paid federal pandemic relief to a private firm to recruit students. IPS has also stressed the choices parents have within the district as it implements Rebuilding Stronger.

Overall, district officials were happy with the new enrollment numbers, said Patrick Herrel, the district’s director of enrollment and options.

“We did put a very intentional and concerted effort into making sure we were reaching out to and communicating with families so we would lose as few students as possible during the big transition that happened last year,” he said.

Student enrollment in the district’s Innovation Network charter schools grew by about 200 to roughly 10,350 students total. That continues a trajectory of growth among these charter schools that has recently kept total enrollment in the IPS portfolio of schools relatively stable.

Enrollment at charter schools not affiliated with IPS but operating within IPS boundaries also increased from last year by a few hundred students to roughly 13,600.

Demographics at charter and traditional public schools differ

Both independent and Innovation charter schools as a whole have roughly 75% of their students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared with about 56% of students in the district’s non-charter population.

At those charters, roughly 51% of students are Black, compared with the district’s 37%.

But compared with those charter schools, non-charter IPS schools have a higher proportion of Hispanic students, special education students, and English language learners.

Student enrollment grows at several IPS schools

IPS schools that grew the most this year include those that the district set as default schools for students at closing schools. That includes James Russell Lowell School 51, which had the biggest jump, from 294 students to 528, or nearly 80%, and Anna Brochhausen School 88, which grew from 263 to 384 students.

But schools not in that category also saw big jumps, including Brookside School 54 and George Julian School 57 on the east side of the district — both of which grew by over 20%.

Herrel said those schools — along with William McKinley School 39, which grew by roughly 9% — did a decent amount of recruiting for families at schools that closed.

“I think pretty universally we saw not all families chose to go to their guaranteed default school,” he said. “So pretty commonly, they spread around nearby schools.”

Schools where enrollment dropped the most include George Washington High School, which declined to 624 students, a loss of roughly 17%, and the Center for Inquiry at School 27 in the Kennedy-King neighborhood. In fact, all four Center for Inquiry schools had enrollment declines.

Parents at these and other IPS magnet schools voiced concerns about the Rebuilding Stronger’s plan to break up the K-8 model that they argued served these schools well. Some decided to pull their children out of those schools ahead of the district’s sweeping grade reconfigurations that will take place next year.

But Herrel said the exact cause of the drops is unclear.

Applications for IPS schools higher than last year

Meanwhile, IPS continues to receive applications for its schools at a higher rate than last year, according to officials.

Just before the district’s winter break in December, 22,060 families applied — a 43% jump compared to the same time last year, according to Herrel.

“We were very intentional last year in how we communicated and worked with families on how they were going to be impacted on Rebuilding Stronger,” Herrel said. “We’re trying to apply that same approach this coming school year.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

They waited years to come to America. Now, this Indianapolis school is teaching them how to succeed here

2017-02-13T23:27:16+00:00

The brother and sister spent the first years of their lives waiting — for food, for clothing, for a home. The siblings were born in a refugee camp in Tanzania after their parents fled the Congo. More than two decades after their parents arrived in the camp, their wait came to an end last year, when their family finally settled in Indianapolis.

For the siblings, that marked the beginning of another journey: Learning English.

The brother and sister are enrolled in the Indianapolis Public Schools newcomer program, which serves students in their first year in the U.S. who are learning English. The school, which opened this year, has seen explosive growth — going from about 55 students when they opened their doors to almost 200 kids, and new students arrive each week. The aim is to help students catch up to grade level and become fluent in reading, writing and speaking English so they can succeed in school and beyond, said Jessica Feeser, who leads the district’s English language learner programs.

“We had less than a 50 percent graduation rate for newcomers in IPS,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that we are equipping our students to graduate from high school.”

(Read: Teaching when students are full of fear: Inside Indiana’s first school for new immigrants.)

At the newcomer program, even art class is an English lesson.

About three dozen of the students in the newcomer program are refugees who fled war in their home countries or — like the siblings— grew up in camps that were meant to be temporary.

When refugees arrive, they are paired with resettlement agencies that help them adjust to life in America and tackle problems like finding schools and work. The siblings’ family worked with Exodus Refugee, which helped the brother and sister enroll at the newcomer school.

In the refugee camp, their parents didn’t have work, so the family relied on food and necessities from international aid. Every four months they received new supplies, the brother said. In the weeks that followed, they would stretch the food to make it last until they were given more. In the camp, the family of nine — the brother and sister have three adult siblings and two younger siblings at a nearby elementary school — lived in a small house with an outhouse instead of a bathroom.

The family left all that behind earlier this year, when they took a bus from the camp to a nearby town where they boarded a plane to the capital of Tanzania. From there, they flew through Switzerland to Chicago. Their settlement in Indianapolis was bittersweet, however, because their father became ill and died in the camp in Tanzania just months before they left for the U.S.

In some ways, the family was well-prepared to come to America: When they were selected by the U.S. State Department, aid workers in the refugee camp taught them about life in the U.S., from how to greet people to how to wash clothes, the brother said. They even taught them how to board a plane.

(Read: Should undocumented students be afraid? These are their rights.)

But life is still different in the U.S. Now, instead of a house, their family lives in an apartment. Their older brothers and their mother work in factories. The biggest differences between schools in the camp and in Indianapolis, they said, are that teachers in Tanzania hit students when they make mistakes and students in the U.S. use their cell phones in class.

The newcomer school offers a rare community for African migrants in Indianapolis. The siblings speak Swahili and their parents’ Congolese language of Kibembe, and there are at least 14 languages spoken at the school. But the brother and sister have made friends with other students who speak the same language and other students who grew up in refugee camps.

It’s a relief to spend time with other people he can communicate with, said the brother. But he is reluctant to spend time with them because it takes him longer to learn English, he said.

Ask either sibling about the future — what they want to be when they grow up, what they dream for their family — and their answer is the same. They will start thinking about the future once they have mastered English.

Literacy, vouchers, and IPS: Indiana education issues we’re watching in 2024

2023-12-21T12:00:00+00:00

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It may be a new year on the calendar, but January marks the halfway point of the school year and the start of the legislative session in Indiana. And there’s no shortage of education news and issues to watch.

Here’s five topics we’re watching in 2024:

How students learn to read

No surprise here, but reading will likely get a lot of attention, just like in 2023.

Lawmakers passed a new state law in 2023 that requires school districts to adopt a curriculum that’s aligned with the science of reading. The law also specifies that districts are no longer allowed to use literacy curriculum that rely mostly on the three-cueing model, in which students use context clues and pictures.

The new law grew out of concerns held by lawmakers and education officials about students’ reading ability, and our story about what it means for students, teachers and schools was our most-read story of 2023.

When discussing next year’s legislative session, lawmakers said they want to continue to address literacy by looking into Indiana’s third grade retention laws for students who don’t pass the state reading exam, the IREAD-3.

2024 elections feature gubernatorial, IPS school board races

The new year means that it’s a big election year — and not just because there’s a race for the White House.

Here in Indiana, there’s an election for governor with no incumbent, since term limits prohibit Gov. Eric Holcomb from running again. There are multiple candidates on the Republican side and former Indiana Superintendent of Education Jennifer McCormick on the Democratic side.

At the local level, four of the seven seats on the IPS Board of Commissioners are up for election in November, plus there will be school board elections across the state.

Rebuilding Stronger becomes reality for IPS

Approved by the Indianapolis Public Schools board in fall of 2022, Rebuilding Stronger is the district’s sweeping overhaul that aims to address pressing challenges of declining enrollment and educational inequities for students of color.

The Rebuilding Stronger rollout started this school year with the closure of several schools. But the bigger piece begins in the 2024-25 school year, when grade reconfigurations at the elementary and middle schools start, along with expanded academic programs and enrollment zones.

The district is working hard to make sure families know their options for the coming year with an invitation for families to “Choose your IPS.”

The enrollment period is underway, and IPS reported in early December that applications were up from the same time last year by about 470 families.

The future of old IPS school buildings

Per state law, school districts must offer closed school buildings to charter schools to buy or lease for $1. But the law comes with exemptions, including one added this year for districts that share funds from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety expenses with an “applicable charter school.”

What that new exemption means is the focus of a legal dispute between IPS and the state that will likely continue into the new year. The outcome will determine whether the district can sell the buildings or must essentially give them to charter schools that could enroll former IPS students.

IPS filed a lawsuit in August against Attorney General Todd Rokita and state board of education officials, arguing that the school district is exempt from the state law. A Marion County judge sided with the district, and Rokita appealed the ruling. In the meantime, the IPS has paused the sale of closed buildings, but the district plans to lease one of the facilities (which it previously voted to sell to a nonprofit) while the court battle plays out.

More students using vouchers

Earlier this year, lawmakers expanded the state’s voucher program to make nearly all students eligible to receive public money to attend private school. Indiana was one of several Republican-led states to do so recently.

Roughly 97% of students now qualify, and state projections show that participation could increase by nearly 42,000 students within two years. And in November, we had our first glimpse into what the participation looks like.

More than 69,000 Choice Scholarship applications were approved during the first round of the program for the 2023-24 school year, per the Indiana Department of Education. That’s a record number. And it’s likely to rise after the second application period, which closes in January.

Chalkbeat Indiana reporters Amelia Pak-Harvey and Aleksandra Appleton contributed to this article.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools moves to lease School 102 to nonprofit amid ongoing litigation

2023-12-15T02:13:35+00:00

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Banned from selling any of its closed school buildings through a court order, Indianapolis Public Schools will instead lease Francis Bellamy School 102 to a local nonprofit that serves youth.

The Thursday 6-0 vote (one member was absent) by the IPS school board authorizes the administration to lease the building on the east side for free to the Voices nonprofit. But the lease acknowledges the terms may change depending on an agreement with Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office or the result of the district’s ongoing lawsuit with the state over closed school buildings.

Voices, which works with disadvantaged youth in the city, will pay the building’s utility costs.

District officials have stressed that Voices shares the district’s philosophy of serving underprivileged youth and students of color. The organization could also help combat youth gun violence, board president Venita Moore said on Thursday — a growing issue that has reached a high in the past five years.

“One might wonder why this board continues to be committed to partner with Voices in ensuring they have a place to call home,” Moore said after the vote. “Voices is an integral part of the community, serving our city’s most vulnerable children, a number of whom have already been engaged with our justice system.”

The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The sale of School 102, which the school board previously approved, is in limbo pending litigation with the state. A Marion County judge ordered a pause on the sale of any closed school buildings while the matter is in appeals court, but clarified that the district could lease the buildings if both parties in the lawsuit agree.

The lawsuit IPS filed in August against Rokita and state board of education officials sought relief from a state law that requires closed school buildings to be offered to charter schools for the sale or lease price of $1.

The district argues it is exempt from the law, thanks to a new addition to state statute this year that grants an exemption if districts share funds from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety expenses with an “applicable charter school.” A Marion County judge sided with the district last month, and Rokita appealed the ruling.

Thursday’s vote came after parents and students under the “Better Together” campaign, which features the charter-supportive group EmpowerEd Families, once again packed the meeting to urge IPS to work with charters instead of competing with them.

“Both IPS and charter schools should work together to find more innovative solutions,” said Elazia Davison, a student at Believe Circle City High School charter school. “This will build trust with families and improve partnerships in our city.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Minimum teacher salaries reach $50,000 for majority of Marion County districts

2023-12-14T10:00:00+00:00

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Teachers’ starting salaries for a majority of Marion County’s 11 school districts reached at least $50,000 for this school year, following the latest round of contract negotiations completed last month.

Notably, Indianapolis Public Schools no longer touts the highest starting salary for teachers in Marion County. That designation belongs to the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, which offers a minimum salary of $52,500. After the latest round of talks, an additional five of the 11 Marion County districts now offer a starting teacher salary of at least $50,000, a threshold that leaders hope will keep them competitive in the local labor market.

The salary adjustments come on the heels of increased funding for traditional school districts in the two-year state budget adopted earlier this year. They also reflect ongoing efforts to make teaching a more attractive career, as schools grapple with hiring challenges that intensified during the pandemic.

The average teacher salary in Indiana for the 2022-23 school year, the latest year available, fell about $1,500 short of the $60,000 figure supported by Gov. Eric Holcomb earlier this year. However, most Marion County districts reported average salaries above $60,000, and districts in the county have used different approaches to boost base teacher pay.

“We are absolutely thrilled to realize the $50,000 entry salary benchmark,” said Beech Grove Schools Superintendent Laura Hammack, adding that the figure is a significant milestone.

Wayne Township’s new starting teaching salary, meanwhile, isn’t just the highest in Marion County — it’s one of the highest starting salaries in Indiana.

“There’s a couple of schools of thought that we need to consider,” Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts said about teacher compensation. “One is for brand new teachers coming into the profession. They’re going to look at that starting salary — they don’t necessarily look at the average salary or the top end salary. We want to be competitive.”

Raises vary based on education, experience, other factors

State law dictates that increases to base salary depend on five factors, including years of experience, performance rating, and the academic needs of students. Teachers who received a rating of “needs improvement” or “ineffective” in the prior year are ineligible for a raise.

For example, a highly-rated teacher in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township with six years of experience would be eligible for a $2,000 increase for performance and another $2,000 for experience. The same teacher could earn an additional $2,000 base salary increase if they earn a master’s degree in their content area for a total pay bump of $6,000, according to the contract.

Some districts, including Lawrence Township, also provide additional stipends on top of base pay increases for remaining with the district, earning National Board Certification, and several other factors.

In its new teacher contract, Perry Township schools, for example, offered a $500 stipend for those who worked in the district last year and returned this year.

Superintendent Patrick Spray said Perry Township’s new starting salary of $50,000 represents a significant acceleration over the last five years, and is more in line with the local cost of living.

“I think that the difficulty right now is just the available number of new teachers or teachers entering the field,” Spray said. “So we do have to be responsive to that.”

Districts have also tried to maintain adequate pay raises for mid-career teachers.

For 2023-24, eligible Wayne Township teachers will receive a $3,500 increase to their base pay, and those with four to 16 years of experience will receive an additional $2,000.

Wayne district leaders also want its teacher salaries to be competitive with those in districts outside of Marion County. Hendricks County is where the highest percentage of Wayne teachers live, Butts said.

“So those are also districts that we look at when we’re thinking about our negotiations,” Butts said.

While the state’s average teacher salary still sits below Holcomb’s $60,000 target, eight of Marion County’s 11 districts report an average salary above $60,000 for 2022-23. For full-time teachers in Wayne Township and Speedway schools, the average salary is more than $70,000.

Franklin Township Community Schools, which has Marion County’s lowest starting salary in 2023-24, still had an average salary last school year of $62,873 in 2022-23— higher than five other Marion County districts.

There are 305 bargaining units in the state, including those for school corporations and special education centers that provide services to multiple districts.

But not all public school educators are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. No charter schools in the state had a teacher bargaining unit for the 2022-23 school year. And the state legislature ended collective bargaining for Muncie Community Schools in 2018, when Ball State University took control of the district.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Eric Weddle is the education editor at WFYI. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org.

Number of young people killed in Indianapolis reaches five-year high, despite overall drop in homicides

2023-12-12T11:20:00+00:00

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This article was co-published by Chalkbeat Indiana and Axios Indianapolis as part of a reporting partnership about youth gun violence in Indianapolis.

The day before Mother’s Day this year was hot. Hotter than it should’ve been in mid-May, reaching into the 80s. Mourners vigorously waved paper fans while they waited in line to walk past Jamar Ward’s white casket.

He should’ve turned 19 that day.

Instead, his mother leaned over his dead body and wailed to God.

At the time of his death in April, Ward — who graduated early from Arsenal Technical High School — was the 15th teenager to be killed by gun violence in what has become a record year for homicides of young people in Indianapolis. Within the next two weeks, four more teenagers would die from a shooting.

While total homicides in Indianapolis are down this year by over 20% from the record set in 2021, the number of homicides in the 19 and under age group have reached a high since 2018. The majority of such deaths involve gun violence: The number of youth in this age group killed by gun violence has more than doubled from 20 in 2018 to 44 as of Dec. 8 of this year, according to an analysis of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department records and news articles by Axios Indianapolis and Chalkbeat Indiana. (The analysis only extends to 2018). This year all of the victims have been teenagers.

Homicides among minors, children under age 18, are up more than 25% from last year’s 19 and more than triple the pre-pandemic levels in 2018. Meanwhile, the number of teenagers shot and killed since Jan. 1 is at 44, higher than 34 last year and 36 in 2021 — the city’s most violent year in overall homicides.

The increase has left students, parents, and education officials grappling with how to stop killings that have impacted school districts and charter schools throughout Marion County. Community members who work closely with youth and gun violence attribute the causes to a variety of factors, including social media and the easy access that youth have to guns.

Two days after Ward died, 19-year-old Markes Day was found shot to death in an alley – less than a month before he would have graduated from George Washington High School. Roughly a week later, Jhavon Fisher, 17, and Nicholas Powell, 18, were killed. Three days after that, Austin Tyler Bunn, 19, was killed in what police believed to be an accidental shooting.

“We are at war,” IPS school board Commissioner Angelia Moore said at a board meeting Nov. 16 — one day after 13-year-old Dayon Darnell Lyles was shot and killed near the Meadows neighborhood on the city’s eastside.

That same night, 14-year-old Arsenal Tech High School student Kaleiah Veloise-Mae Dean would lose her life.

Police have called on the community to keep guns out of the hands of children. Last month, IMPD Commander Matt Thomas stood outside just yards away from KIPP Legacy High School, where 15-year-old Devin Gilbert III was shot and killed in an adjacent parking lot.

“We have to do better,” Thomas said. “And we owe it to our youth to lead the way in doing that.”

The deaths have also left families like Kaleiah’s dealing with the loss of multiple family members.

Derico Young lost his 21-year-old daughter Derisha Young in 2021 to gun violence. Now, the death of his stepdaughter, Kaleiah, has left him once again facing the loss of a young life.

“Why?” Young asked. “Why does someone else have to bury another kid?”

The shootings have also left some young people injured.

Andrew Holmes, an activist on gun violence prevention in Chicago, was at the scene of a mass shooting there when he got the call that his grandson Terrell was shot at a party in Indianapolis. Terrell’s mother, Holmes’ daughter, was shot and killed in Indianapolis years earlier.

Terrell, a football player at Lawrence North High School, was one of nine injured in a shooting at an Oct. 29 party on the northeast side that left 16-year-old Kalin Washington dead. Six of those injured were teenagers.

Now, Holmes said, his grandson is recovering from his shooting injury with rehabilitation and therapy as the family prays he is able to play football again.

“That’s a passion that his mother had for him,” Holmes said. “I told him just keep pushing, you shall play football again. Your mother wants you to play football.”

Read the Axios Indianapolis story here.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Arika Herron is a reporter for Axios Indianapolis. You can reach her at Arika.Herron@axios.com.

As enrollment drops, IPS is pitching families on better academics. Here’s how parents are reacting.

2023-11-27T11:00:00+00:00

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Bridget McIntyre has no idea where she will send her daughter once she reaches sixth grade.

She has one school year to figure it out: Her daughter, now in fourth grade at Daniel Webster School 46, will stay there for fifth grade next year, when the school will shrink from pre-K-8 to pre-K-5.

A few years ago she wouldn’t be faced with this decision, and her daughter would have attended School 46 through eighth grade, just as her son did. Now, she has to do more research on her daughter’s middle school options.

“I know where I don’t want to send her to as far as out-of-district schools,” she said. “But I’m not for sure I’m keeping her in-district.”

The next few years will be critical for Indianapolis Public Schools as it rolls out its plan to break up K-8 schools and provide rigorous academic offerings to all students in a push for equity. But as the district faces declining student enrollment in its traditional schools, there’s another big task: convincing families facing a move to a new school to stay in the district.

During the enrollment period for the next school year that ends April 19, IPS will need to actively market to parents and families in an already hyper-competitive school choice environment in which IPS is regularly losing students in its non-charter schools.

The district, meanwhile, is working hard to ensure families know their options: opening elementary and middle schools to public tours, training principals on how to sell their school, and even offering school-day field trips for elementary students to visit the middle school where they are guaranteed a seat.

New and bigger enrollment zones will give parents the options to choose from multiple IPS schools — a setup that the district has marketed as an invitation for families to “Choose your IPS.”

Officials hope that the reorganization taking place in 2024-25 will ultimately boost enrollment by expanding specialized academic programming, and offering more rigorous academic courses and electives. By reconfiguring grades, all middle school students will have access to band or orchestra, a world language, and Algebra 1.

They also hope the bigger enrollment zones will allow more students to remain at their school if they move a short distance away.

“Our hope is that with those three things combined, our three- and five-year projections would be very positive and would reflect an upward trend because of how much more students are being offered,” said Patrick Herrel, the district’s director of enrollment and options.

But there’s no guarantee it will work, as private school options as well as charters grow in popularity.

“In a way you could argue they’re fighting fire with fire here,” Christopher Lubienski, director of the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy at Indiana University, said of the district’s marketing campaign. “It’s hard to outchoice the charters and the voucher schools, but that seems to be the battleground they’re choosing.”

Families that endured the pandemic face more upheaval

The stakes could hardly be higher for IPS. An analysis by Lubienski and others at the center found that the district has lost roughly 41% of its student population from 2006 to 2022, or more than 15,500 students. (That figure excludes students in charters that are part of the district’s Innovation Network.)

But even when families acknowledge what IPS is trying to do, some have other big concerns that marketing and expanded options don’t address.

It was a hard decision for Jill Davis to pull her two children out of Center for Inquiry School 70 in the middle of last school year and place them in a private school.

The family had already gone through the challenges of pandemic learning. The district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, which would send her sixth grader to a new school when the school switches from pre-K-8 to pre-K-5, was the latest wave of instability. The plan would have required her children to leave the school for middle school — a change that, combined with other factors, led her and her husband to pull their children out of IPS.

“For our family, I just didn’t have the stomach to take now what’s probably going to be the hardest part of school, middle school, and have the school part be not constant,” she said.

Davis appreciates the district’s plan to make academics more equitable for all students, and knows she has the privilege of being able to choose to leave. But the plan, to her, seemed a lot to implement in a short amount of time.

“I kind of feel like everybody’s in a snow globe,” she said. “And they’re just going to shake it and see how things fall out.”

As IPS reconfigures, its highest flight risks may be families like Davis’ in magnet schools — specifically Montessori, CFI, Butler lab, and high-ability schools — where students are more likely to be white and not from low-income backgrounds, such as CFI 70. Parents from these schools voiced some of the strongest objections and concerns to the Rebuilding Stronger plan.

CFI 70, for example, was roughly 66% white last school year with about 25% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, according to state data. In IPS as a whole, white students in non-charter schools made up roughly 21% of the population, while 68% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.

Other parents like what Rebuilding Stronger involves, regardless of the upheaval it will require.

Officials’ promise of stronger and more diverse academic offerings is what has parents like Brooke Thomas enthusiastic. Her son, who’s in the sixth grade at Butler Lab School 55, will attend Broad Ripple Middle School next year.

“I’m really excited for Cameron to be able to be in a middle school environment,” Thomas said. “I like the idea that he’ll have so many more offerings than a single K-8 building.”

IPS hopes changes will stabilize and grow enrollment

Parents like McIntyre do have logistical concerns about how the plan will roll out. She wonders, for example, how the closure of six schools earlier this year and the opening of others will affect staffing and transportation.

Behind the scenes, IPS is working on staffing projections and transportation routes, officials say.

“I can totally understand these parents’ concerns,” Herrel said. “This is exactly what we are working on right now with a lot of really detailed information that we already have.”

The district is also looking to the past to determine what kind of impact the reorganization will truly have on enrollment.

Student enrollment in non-charter IPS schools has been shrinking in small increments in recent years (although the district lost a more significant amount during the pandemic). But overall enrollment — which includes students in the district’s Innovation Network schools — has not decreased significantly when the district has closed schools or reconfigured grades in the past, Herrel said.

In fact, the district has seen slight increase in enrollment from students transferring into the district when it has expanded Butler lab or Center for Inquiry schools, he added. But he cautioned against making overly optimistic projections.

“Just because part of Rebuilding Stronger is launching new programs, we don’t want to overestimate in this first year how much of a magnet that will be” as far as attracting students to IPS, he said. “We hope it will be, and we anticipate over time it will be.”

Some leaders, families excited about district’s changes

At Brookside School 54, the Rebuilding Stronger plan is designed to bring stability.

The school, which serves a high percentage of families from low-income backgrounds, has struggled with student transiency throughout the school year as families move elsewhere in the city. The bigger enrollment zone means that fewer families will need to enroll in a new school just because they move a short distance away from Brookside.

“It’s going to be a game-changer,” said Principal Jeremy Baugh.

Brookside School 54 Principal Jeremy Baugh watches a family enroll at the district's Showcase of Schools on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.

As an “exploratory” model school, Baugh markets the school as one that will prepare students for college and career while also allowing students to explore the community and neighborhood around Brookside. It offers everything from small-group math instruction to a pottery studio.

But with Rebuilding Stronger, next year the school will at least double the number of enrichment opportunities for students by adding things like a makerspace, Baugh said.

Baugh is not flustered by the competition he could face from other IPS schools. With about 430 pre-K-6 students this year, the goal is to reach an enrollment of about 500 next school year, even after the school drops the sixth grade next year.

And many new families are excited about coming to Brookside, now that they fall into the school’s enrollment zone, Baugh said.

“Is it an option to potentially lose children? It always is, and I think it always has been,” he said. “I think our goal is to make sure that whatever we offer in our school, it’s great for families.”

Like Baugh, Thomas is excited for the district’s changes next year and thinks they’re well thought out.

“I’m excited to see it play out and get implemented,” she said. “It probably won’t end up exactly right like they had thought. They’ll just adjust as they go. But it really seems like the best possible path to put IPS on.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS sale of Francis Bellamy School 102 paused amid legal battle with Todd Rokita

2023-11-17T21:52:11+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools board voted to move ahead with the sale of Francis Bellamy School 102 while the legal battle over whether the district must offer it to charter schools for $1 continues in court.

But within a day, that sale was put on hold.

The school board voted 6-0 Thursday to authorize the sale of the school on the far eastside to VOICES, a local nonprofit that works with youth, for $550,000. One commissioner was absent.

The vote came three days after Marion County Judge Heather Welch granted the district an exemption from a state law that requires districts to offer closed school buildings to charter schools for $1. For some time, that law has caused tension between IPS and some in the charter sector, as IPS has closed schools while charter school enrollment has grown.

On Friday, Welch granted an emergency motion requested by Attorney General Todd Rokita to stay her ruling and stop the sale while Rokita appeals the decision.

In a statement, the school board said it is seeking clarity on the meaning of the stay.

“We will continue to advocate for our facilities to be repurposed in ways to meet the needs of our community, as is the case for our agreement with VOICES Corp.,” the board said.

Before the school board vote Thursday, a crowd of parents, students, and others urged the school board to work collaboratively with charter schools under the “Better Together” campaign. The campaign includes groups supportive of education reform, such as EmpowerEd Families.

IPS objected to Rokita’s attempt to stop the sale in a court filing on Thursday, arguing that doing so would harm IPS and taxpayers.

The district indicated that there’s no real downside to selling the school while the legal battle plays out, as far as IPS is concerned. If an appeals court ultimately finds the district in violation of the $1 law, state law would require the proceeds of the sale to go to nearby charter schools, the district noted in its filing.

The state has not provided any evidence that a charter school actually wants to acquire either School 102 or Raymond Brandes School 65 — another closed school the district wants to sell — IPS also said in its filing.

However, last year several charter schools expressed interest in taking over schools that IPS planned to close.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Attorney General Todd Rokita will appeal ruling backing IPS in lawsuit over $1 law

2023-11-15T20:48:26+00:00

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This story has been updated.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita plans to appeal a Marion County judge’s ruling that grants Indianapolis Public Schools an exemption from state law requiring districts to sell closed school buildings to charter schools for $1.

Rokita is also seeking an emergency stay of Judge Heather Welch’s Monday ruling, in order to prevent IPS from selling Francis Bellamy School 102 at Thursday’s school board meeting. IPS plans to sell the building to the local VOICES nonprofit that works with youth.

The lawsuit from IPS against Rokita and state board of education officials sought relief from the so-called $1 law. It also highlighted disagreements between the district and some members of the charter community about the best use of facilities and resources.

The district argues it is exempt from the law because it shares funding from a 2018 operating referendum with charter schools in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools. Lawmakers revised the $1 law this year to exempt districts if they share funds from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety expenses with an “applicable charter school.”

Welch ruled that IPS is exempt from the law so long as it continues to share those referendum funds with its charter schools.

But she said that the district would need to comply with a new law — which requires Marion County school districts to share such funds with all charter schools that enroll any of its students — if it extends its current sharing agreement, or if voters pass another funding referendum.

Rokita said in a statement that IPS should be held to the letter and spirit of state law.

“Like every case, we take it head on and do not back down,” he said. “We truly believe in parental rights, so we plan to file an appeal as soon as possible.”

IPS did not offer comment on Rokita’s announcement but referred to their statement sent on Monday that expressed gratitude for the judge’s ruling.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS board approves new teacher contract with average of 3% raises

2023-11-15T01:04:36+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Schools board unanimously approved a new two-year labor contract on Tuesday that gives teachers an average of 3% in raises plus more time off.

The contract, which Indianapolis Education Association members voted to ratify last month, bumps starting pay in the district from $50,400 to $51,900 in 2023-24, and raises it again to $53,460 in 2024-25. Current teachers can also increase their base salary based on their educator evaluation ratings, their years of service in IPS, and whether they serve in high-need subject areas.

Those pay increases range from $1,850 to $2,790 for 2023-24, and $1,900 to $2,870 for 2024-25. Teachers who were rated as ineffective or needing improvement, however, are not eligible for an increase.

Teachers will also receive two floating holidays each academic year that can be used at their discretion. These holidays are designed to benefit those employees whose religious holidays are not recognized on the traditional school calendar.

The agreement, heralded by both IPS and the IEA as a positive collaborative effort, will guide compensation and bonus pay at a critical time for the district, which will shift teachers to different schools next school year when IPS breaks up its K-8 schools.

“I’m extremely proud of the agreement that we were able to build together by working collaboratively to find solutions to the fiscal and logistical obstacles that we face as a district,” Tina Ahlgren, the bargaining chair for the IEA, said at the meeting.

A new pilot program in the contract will allow teachers to receive additional pay if they are forced to give up their preparation periods to cover for an absent teacher in another class. Teachers can receive $25 per hour under this new provision.

Teachers can also receive that extra pay if principals increase their class size by at least 30% because of another teacher’s absence.

“We are both proud of and grateful for the collaboration that we’ve had with our partners at IEA to get to this point this evening,” Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said at the meeting. “Thank you to the team, both the bargaining team as well as my administrative team, who really did engage in this deep collaboration, positive conversations and discussion.”

The contract also provides new pay for staff who serve as certified school psychologists, social workers, or teachers of English as a new language.

Teachers who are approved to serve as long-term substitutes in addition to their regular teaching roles can also get additional compensation under the new contract.

The contract increases the payout for unused sick time that teachers can cash out upon retirement, from $35 for every seven hours to $50. That payout had not changed in over 15 years.

The district, however, will no longer pay for long-term disability insurance. Teachers can opt in to the insurance but will pay premiums on their own.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Judge grants IPS exemption from state law in sale of two closed school buildings

2023-11-13T19:47:42+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools may sell two closed school buildings without first offering them to charter schools for $1, a Marion County judge ruled on Monday.

Judge Heather Welch’s ruling in the district’s lawsuit against the state over the so-called $1 law — which requires districts to make those buildings available to charter schools or state education institutions for $1 sales or leases — concluded that IPS can sell the buildings because it previously agreed to share referendum funding with its Innovation Network charter schools in 2021.

The ruling against state Attorney General Todd Rokita, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, and the Indiana state board of education means the district can sell Raymond Brandes School 65 and Francis Bellamy School 102, both of which closed to students at the end of last school year.

It was not immediately clear Monday if any state agency planned to appeal Welch’s ruling. In a statement, the IPS school board said it was grateful for the judge’s ruling, which the board said reaffirmed the district’s ability to make decisions about the reuse of its facilities.

“We’re proud that we have already worked with organizations and community members so that, along with a number of possible options, some of these buildings will serve students with mental health needs, deaf students, and adult learners,” the statement said. “We continue to strive to not only be a good partner but also be fiscally responsible with the resources that have been entrusted to us by our community.”

In a statement responding to the ruling, a spokesperson for Rokita’s office said it will “continue to fight to uphold the law, as it is our statutorily authorized duty.”

“Charter schools provide a multitude of positive opportunities for children and allow Hoosier parents to have a say in how their kids are being educated,” the spokesperson said.

The Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit hinged on a new exemption to the $1 law, and highlighted ongoing tension between IPS and the broader charter community about resources and facilities.

That exemption applies to districts that distribute money from a voter-approved tax increase for operating or safety expenses to an “applicable charter school”

IPS, which sought relief from the $1 law in August, claimed in court filings that it was exempt from the law because it shared funds from its 2018 property tax increase with charters in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools.

Rokita’s office, however, argued that the district also needed to comply with a new referendum-sharing requirement imposed on school districts this year in order to be exempt.

That new requirement says school districts in Marion County and three other counties must share operating or safety referendum funds with charter schools that enroll a student in that district for any ballot question passed after May 10, 2023. Virtual and adult high school charter schools are exempt from receiving such funds.

In her ruling, Welch applied the “unambiguous” language of the exemption statute as written, arguing that the district is already distributing referendum funds to at least one charter school and is therefore exempt from the $1 requirement. The exemption applies for as long as IPS continues to give its charter schools such distributions, the ruling noted. The distributions are slated to last through 2026.

Lawmakers could have been more specific in crafting the new exemption to explicitly require districts to follow the new referendum-sharing requirements in order to be exempt from the $1 statute, Welch said.

But the court “must ultimately apply the statutes as written and cannot otherwise engage in further statutory construction to ascertain the General Assembly’s intent for passing the 2023 amendments to the Dollar Law in the particular manner the Legislature did,” the ruling stated.

But IPS is only exempt due to the “unique timing of the prior referendum and its election to distribute funds to charter schools,” Welch noted.

If IPS were to extend its current agreement to share funding with charter schools or begin distributing funds from a referendum held after May 10 of this year, it would be subject to the new state law requiring it to distribute funds to any charter school that enrolled an IPS student, Welch added.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Circle City Prep celebrates opening of new cafeteria with scratch kitchen and culinary lab

2023-11-10T20:21:12+00:00

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Jonnah Davidson walked into his school’s new cafeteria on Wednesday thoroughly impressed.

The new Circle City Prep cafeteria — known in school as “C3″ — is part of a $1.5 million investment the school made with the help of philanthropic donors to provide a new scratch kitchen with an on-site chef and a new learning laboratory space for the school’s after-school culinary club.

The project also included an overhaul of what students get to eat for lunch. Last year, the school began to transition from prepackaged, reheated food, like warmed-up pizzas, to fresh produce and meals made at the school. Students can choose fresh kale salads, something from the produce bar, and other options.

It’s a big deal for Circle City Prep, a school on the far east side, where family income levels qualify nearly every student for free or reduced-price lunch and many residents struggle with access to grocery stores and fresh food. The school and its community partners hope the new cafeteria and food lab will not only help students discover new food options, but also be open to the community as it addresses food insecurity as a whole.

The cafeteria space, with its sleek new seating, opened to students for the first time last month. During the construction, students were eating food in classrooms.

“This year, it feels like everything’s just new,” said Davidson, a sixth-grader. “I actually went into the kitchen one time and helped make a pizza. I feel like there’s more options.”

The project drew on assistance from the Patachou Foundation, a local nonprofit that works to address hunger. The group helped ensure the project complied with federal regulations for the National School Lunch Program, which covers the cost of lunch for students from low-income families.

Circle City is one of the foundation’s first “PataSchool” sites, where the group supports a transition from prepackaged meals to fresh food prepared on-site.

“Food insecurity is not just about scarcity. It’s a profound issue of justice,” Matthew Feltrop, executive director of the PataSchool program at the Patachou Foundation, said in remarks at the school celebration on Wednesday. “Merely providing food to prevent starvation perpetuates the cycle of poverty, and the real challenge is to break the cycles through innovative approaches and sustainable strategies.”

At Circle City Prep, the foundation’s in-kind aid includes help with recipes, training for kitchen staff, and help with operating the school cafeteria, Feltrop said.

The foundation is also helping Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan, a charter school in the Indianapolis Public Schools Innovation Network, for the first time this year.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS seeks community help to expand before- and after-school care to all pre-K-5 students who need it

2023-11-09T20:08:30+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools is asking for help from the community to increase availability of before- and after-school care for students districtwide.

The Engage Every Student Indianapolis campaign — launched on Thursday with At Your School, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, and other community partners — seeks to provide before- and after-school programs for all students who need it, from pre-K to fifth grade, by the 2024-25 school year.

Some community centers that currently offer programming and partner with the district have waitlists, officials say, while staffing also remains a challenge. The district call to action seeks pledges from community organizations to work with the district to eliminate the waitlists.

Community partners already on board with the initiative hope to work with the district to properly staff programs that are located both at schools and elsewhere. IPS also hopes to tap district employees to serve as paid staff for the programs.

“While our specific work may vary, our goal of providing quality care is universal,” said Natasha Bellak, vice president of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis. “When we work together, we move everyone close to meeting that goal.”

The district already partners with about a dozen community centers and other organizations to offer before- or after-school care, in some cases at the school and in others off-site. Fees for such care can vary based on the provider; low-income families can seek assistance through the federal Child Care and Development Fund administered by the state’s Family and Social Services Administration.

The district plans to expand the number of these collaborative programs from 15 after-school offerings to at least 25 by next school year, and to add more before-school programs, which are currently at about 10.

Staff at Daniel Webster School 46 plan to launch a before- and after-school program on Monday, in partnership with At Your School, to address the need in the southwest corner of the district.

“IPS welcomes and encourages other youth program providers to connect with the district, so that we can better support our pre-K-fifth-grade students during these critical development years,” said Mary Seifert, director of student engagement and extended learning for IPS.

People from interested organizations can get involved by filling out the pledge form.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Tentative IPS teacher contract includes average 3% pay raises, more time off

2023-11-09T01:06:49+00:00

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Teachers in Indianapolis Public Schools could see average raises of 3% and more days off under a tentative contract agreement between the district and the Indianapolis Education Association.

The new contract, which would cover the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, would raise starting salaries from $50,400 to $51,900 for 2023-24. The contract’s maximum salary for teachers would also increase to an estimated $94,000.

The estimated salary range for the 2024-25 school year would be $53,460 to $94,000.

No teacher would make below the minimum salary for each school year unless given an evaluation of “ineffective” or “needs improvement.”

The tentative contract would offer special increases to base pay for special education teachers, English-as-a-new-language teachers, school psychologists, and social workers.

As required by state law, only teachers rated “highly effective” or “effective” will receive increases to their base salary. But recent data indicates the vast majority of teachers would receive those raises under the proposed contract.

In 2022-23, nearly 35% of teachers were rated highly effective and roughly 64% were rated effective, according to district data obtained through a public records request. Only 15 out of the 1,586 teachers who were evaluated were given ratings of “improvement necessary” or “ineffective.”

Increases in base pay for qualifying teachers would range from $1,850 to $2,790 for 2023-24 and $1,900 to $2,870 for 2024-25. Salary increases for the current school year would be retroactively paid dating back to July 23 of this year. Raises for the 2024-25 school year would take effect during the first contract day of that year.

The school board will vote on the contract next week.

Here are some major changes in the proposed contract.

Base pay increases by teacher evaluations

Teachers who receive a rating of “highly effective” for the prior school year would receive:

$1,290 in year one (reflecting their 2022-23 rating).
$1,310 in year two (reflecting their 2023-24 rating).

Teachers who receive a rating of “effective” for the prior school year would receive:

$1,050 in year one (reflecting their 2022-23 rating).
$1,070 in year two (reflecting their 2023-24 rating).

Base pay increases for in-demand positions

Employees who served as certified school psychologists, social workers, special education teachers, teachers of English-as-a-new-language, core content teachers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), STEM career and technical education teachers, or credentialed dual-credit course teachers in the prior school year would receive:

$530 in year one (if employed for 2022-23).
$550 for year two (if employed for 2023-24).

This provision would exclude teachers working in these areas on emergency permits.

Base pay increase by years of service

Teachers who were employed by IPS for at least 120 contract days in the prior school year would receive:

$530 in year one (if employed for 2022-23).
$550 in year two (if employed for 2023-24).

Teachers who completed one to seven years of effective IPS teaching as of the effective date of salary increase would receive:

$440 in year one (if teacher completed one to seven years by July 23, 2023).
$460 in year two (if teacher completed one to seven years by the first contract day of 2024-25).

Teachers who completed eight or more years of effective IPS teaching as of the effective date of salary increase would receive:

$270 in year one (if teacher completed eight or more years by July 23, 2023).
$280 in year two (if teacher completed eight or more years by the first contract day of 2024-25).

Pilot program to pay teachers for class coverage

The district would launch a pilot program for 2023-24 and 2024-25 to pay teachers for class coverage when another teacher is absent.

Teachers would receive $25 per hour when they give up their designated preparation periods to cover a class with an absent teacher.

Academic coaches, interventionists, and International Baccalaureate coordinators would only receive this compensation if they cover for at least three hours and lose their prep period. Job-sharing teachers would not receive this compensation when their co-teachers are absent, unless the coverage also requires them to give up their prep period.

Teachers would also receive an extra $25 per hour if principals place additional students in their class that increases their total class size by at least 30% due to the absence of another teacher.

More days off during the school year

Teachers will receive two floating holidays for each academic year that can be used for any reason. Unlike sick or personal time off, these days do not roll over from year to year and cannot be cashed out upon retirement.

The tentative contract would provide for two additional bereavement days for extended family, bringing the total to three full paid days off to attend the funeral of an extended family member. Such family members are defined as aunts, uncles, nieces, or nephews.

The contract would give more flexibility for bereavement days for immediate family, a term that would extend to an unborn child.

Employees would have five bereavement days for immediate family as in the old contract, but could take three within 14 days of the death and reserve the other two for up to a year after the death to attend to affairs of the deceased.

Compensation to serve as a long-term substitute

The new contract allows licensed teachers to accept a role as a long-term substitute to cover vacancies outside the classroom instruction hours of their current teaching position.

This scenario could cover teachers who, for example, finish their school day sooner than other schools and may have the ability to travel to another school still in session to cover a class there.

Teachers would be paid at their standard hourly rate for this long-term assignment, which would end either at the end of the semester or until the vacancy is filled. Priority for vacant positions would be given to teachers whose schedule, licensure, and endorsement matches the needs of the vacant position.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

KIPP Legacy High School student fatally shot near school identified

2023-11-06T21:01:40+00:00

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The KIPP Legacy High School student shot and killed near the school on Friday afternoon has been identified as 15-year-old Devin Gilbert III, according to the Marion County coroner’s office.

Gilbert was shot as he was walking home from school just before 1 p.m., the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the school said Friday. Police said the shooting was a targeted incident and no other people were injured.

IMPD homicide detectives announced on Friday night the arrest of a 15-year-old for his alleged role in the shooting, but did not release the name of the suspect. The Marion County prosecutor’s office will make the final charging decision, police said.

A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said charges will have to be filed in juvenile court due to the age of the suspect.

Since Gilbert’s death Friday, at least two more teenagers were shot and killed in the city over the weekend, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Legacy High School planned to have on-site support available for students and staff on Monday to help them process the tragedy, the school said in a statement on Friday.

Police urge anyone with information about the incident to call Detective Larry Craciunoiu at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or send an email to Larry.Craciunoiu@indy.gov. People who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

How to navigate IPS’ school reorganization and new enrollment policies for 2024-25

2023-10-25T21:24:16+00:00

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Thousands of Indianapolis Public Schools students will see big changes next year when the district splits up more than a dozen schools, gives families a wider choice of schools, and expands the reach of its specialized academic programs.

The changes are the second part of the district’s massive Rebuilding Stronger reorganization, which seeks to bring more diverse academic programming and extracurricular activities to more students in a push for equity. The plan also seeks to stabilize enrollment amid growing competition from charter schools.

The plan could have a big impact on where families choose to enroll.

Starting in 2024-25, the district will break up 17 K-8 schools into 16 standalone elementary schools and one middle school. Other schools will switch from serving grades K-6 to K-5, and from 7-8 to 6-8.

The district is organizing its schools into four new enrollment zones encompassing different educational options. Families can apply for a spot at any of the schools located in their zone, rather than being restricted to their neighborhood school or to old school-choice boundaries.

Each zone has a mix of schools that specialize in different subjects or programs, such as arts, STEM, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, dual language, high ability, or the Reggio-Emilia approach. Some schools that do not have these specific programs are “exploratory” schools. The plan also assigns new feeder schools for these specialized schools, guiding students from elementary to middle school.

Some schools serve multiple zones.

High schools will serve all zones and will still be open to all students in the district, no matter where they live.

The first enrollment period for 2024-25 runs from Nov. 1, 2023, to Jan. 24, 2024, with results of the lottery released on Feb. 22. The second enrollment period runs from Jan. 25 through April 19, with results released on May 16.

The district has held school tours and open houses every weekday for the past month, and plans a showcase event Nov. 1 from 4 to 8 p.m. in which every school will be open for families to visit.

Here are answers to some of the big questions inspired by Chalkbeat Indiana readers about the upcoming enrollment process:

What is the easiest way for me to enroll?

The district encourages families to enroll online through Enroll Indy, which runs the lottery for IPS. Families who visit a school to enroll will still use Enroll Indy’s online application.

Will my child get transportation to any school in our zone?

Yes, families who choose a school in the zone where they live will receive transportation to and from that school. However, families who live close enough to the school to be classified as a “walker” will not receive transportation. See if you qualify as a “walker” here.

Families can apply to a school outside their zone, but IPS gives preference to students who live in the zone. Families must also provide their own transportation to a school outside of their zone beyond the 2024-25 school year.

Schools in the IPS Innovation Network may not offer transportation through IPS, and may require families to contact the school directly for transportation.

The proposed new enrollment policy talks about ‘priority groups.’ What are those, and how will they affect my chances of getting into the school I want?

The lottery gives certain groups of students preferences that can increase their chances of getting a spot in the school they want. Priority is given, in this order, to:

Students living in the IPS district
Siblings of a current student at the school
Families who live in the same zone as the school
Students who attended a closing school
Students with a guardian who is an IPS employee

My child is attending a school that will be in our zone next year. Do I need to do anything to reenroll them?

If families are happy in their current school and plan to stay there for the 2024-25 school year, they do not need to reapply or reenroll, according to the district.

What happens if the school I want in my zone is at capacity?

Families can select another school in their zone, according to the district.

When IPS unveiled the plan last year, Evan Hawkins, school board president at the time, said the district has not historically seen families crowd any one school.

My child’s new zone is different from the one in which their current school is located. Can they stay at that school next year?

Yes, families can remain at their current school until the student graduates from the school’s highest grade, according to the district.

If families are eligible for transportation at the school this year, they will be offered transportation in 2024-25, but not after that.

What happens if I want or need to transfer to another IPS school midyear?

Families who move in the middle of the school year to a different zone can apply for a seat at a school in their new zone through Enroll Indy, according to the district. Or the student can stay at their current school, provided they have their own transportation.

But students won’t be permitted to switch schools midyear for a personal preference. They would need to wait until the next enrollment period to apply to a different school.

There are exceptions, though, for students who:

Need special medical services offered by the desired school
Experience bullying at their current school
Are in physical danger due to documented issues with other students at the current school
Have a sibling who attends a special education program in the desired school

How can I easily compare school options?

IPS advises visiting Enroll Indy to preview school options.

Have a question about IPS enrollment that’s not answered? Email us at in.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Corrections and clarifications: This article has been updated to correctly note transportation options and clarify that some schools serve multiple zones. The accompanying map has also been updated to correct information on schools and add schools that were omitted.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS to tap state vouchers to fund prekindergarten as it weighs whether to charge tuition

2023-10-24T11:00:00+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools will rely on state-funded vouchers for its expanded prekindergarten offerings once federal pandemic relief expires in 2024, as officials weigh whether to charge for prekindergarten in the future.

Beginning next year, all families will be required to submit an application for the state’s On My Way Pre-K voucher if they want to enroll their children at any one of the 22 IPS prekindergarten sites, even if they don’t qualify for the voucher. The vouchers are offered to families who earn a gross monthly income of less than 150% of the designated federal poverty level — or about $45,000 for a family of four, according to the state Family and Social Services Administration

IPS families do not need to be eligible for the voucher in order to secure one of roughly 700 prekindergarten seats next year, IPS officials say. All families will be eligible for matching with a prekindergarten program in the district-wide lottery, according to IPS. Those who qualify for vouchers will not get preference, but other preferences do apply.

The switch to state voucher funding for the district’s prekindergarten program is one of several changes that IPS and other school districts will have to make as federal pandemic relief funds expire. It comes as officials consider whether to charge for prekindergarten for families who can afford it. IPS is one of few districts that offer free prekindergarten. Across Marion County, charging tuition is the norm.

“This is a first step that I believe will lead to us likely taking on a charge for families, because the reality is even in the districts who offer it, it is at a cost,” except for those using On My Way vouchers, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told school board members at a work session earlier this month.

IPS anticipates receiving enough funding from the On My Way Pre-K vouchers to cover prekindergarten programming expenses, the district said in a statement.

Vouchers should bring in roughly $4.2 million to the district next year to offset a program cost projected at roughly $3.8 million, Chief Financial Officer Weston Young told school board members last week.

If voucher funding is not enough to cover the cost, the district said it will supplement it with an alternative funding source, such as its main education fund or other federal funding.

The district’s reorganization plan, known as Rebuilding Stronger, increased the number of sites offering prekindergarten, from 29 classrooms at 20 sites last school year to 30 classrooms in 21 sites this year. Next year, the district will add one more site for a total of 31 classrooms.

Source: Indianapolis Public Schools

How to apply for IPS pre-K for 2024-25

Families can apply for prekindergarten for the 2024-25 school year online through Enroll Indy when the first enrollment period opens Nov. 1. To be eligible, students must be 4 years old by Aug. 1. Enrollment decisions will be released on Feb. 22.

A second enrollment period opens on Jan. 25, with decisions released on May 16.

The application period for the On My Way Pre-K vouchers opens in March. IPS will retroactively verify with the state whether families applied for the voucher.

The enrollment lottery will give priority placement to families who live in the IPS district, IPS employees, students who have a sibling already attending the designated school, and families who live in the new enrollment zone that the school serves.

After that, remaining seats will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the district.

Families who received a prekindergarten seat next school year are guaranteed a seat in kindergarten at the same school for 2025-26.

Additional early childhood seats offered at new Howe site

IPS has also partnered with Early Learning Indiana to open another early childhood education site at the future Howe Middle School, which opens next school year. This site is separate from the 22 prekindergarten sites and offers classes for even younger ages.

Families tour the new Day Early Learning center on Oct. 19, 2023. The center offers 79 seats for toddlers, infants, preschoolers, and prekindergarten students.

This site will offer 79 seats across two infant rooms, two toddler rooms, one preschool room, and one prekindergarten room. Priority is given to IPS employees and IPS students with children.

The Day Early Learning Center at Howe opened this week with three initial infant, toddler, and preschool classes totaling 20 students, all of whom were students of IPS employees. The district offered scholarships to families enrolled this year, paid for through federal pandemic relief funds. Families had to apply for available state or federal assistance in order to qualify.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Thrival Indy Academy Innovation school to close after 2023-24 amid low enrollment

2023-10-07T00:43:55+00:00

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Thrival Indy Academy, designed to offer study abroad opportunities to students as an Indianapolis Public Schools Innovation Network high school, will close at the end of the 2023-24 school year after failing to meet enrollment targets.

The school’s board of directors voted on Friday to not renew its Innovation agreement with IPS once it expires at the end of this school year. The high school, located within Arlington Middle School, has 107 students this year who will have guaranteed spots at an IPS high school in 2024-25, according to the district.

Year after year, Thrival could not meet the enrollment targets set forth in its latest Innovation agreement, signed in 2019. This year, that target was set at 300 students.

“When we look at student numbers and enrollment, we have to ask ourselves the question of what student experience can we really give the students?” Julius Mansa, Thrival’s board chairperson, said during the meeting.

The Thrival board also voted to offer retention stipends of $10,000 for teachers and support staff and $12,000 for administrative staff who stay through the end of the school year.

“This is always the hardest decision to share as a superintendent, but I am committed to getting this transition right for Thrival students, families, and staff,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a statement. “My pledge to Thrival families is that IPS will have your back every step of the way by helping you find a great IPS high school for your child next school year.”

The high school is one of the few IPS Innovation Network schools that is not a charter school. It is run by a nonprofit organization and a board of directors.

Thrival opened in 2017 as a small pilot program within IPS that allowed students to study abroad in Thailand for free. It later grew to a one-year school that only enrolled juniors.

But the school paused operations for one-year in 2019-20 as officials figured how to help students fit the one-year opportunity into four years of high school. Thrival relaunched in 2020-21 as a four-year high school, after signing a new Innovation agreement with IPS that allowed it to start with ninth graders and grow by one grade each school year.

Students were unable to travel for two school years after the pandemic, Mansa said. Last school year, students took a domestic trip. A Puerto Rico trip is planned for some students this year, he said.

Loki Lavin, a sophomore at the school, expressed concern about the transition of Thrival students into much larger schools after Friday’s meeting.

“This school is small and we’re very close-knit like a family,” Lavin said. “And I think that’s part of what makes us different.”

Mansa said he was unsure if the pandemic caused the school’s low enrollment.

“I know it’s a tough enrollment environment in general,” he said. “There’s a lot of options. Students have a lot of choices.”

The district will offer enrollment sessions for each Thrival family, IPS said in a statement.

Enrollment at IPS schools for next school year begins Nov. 1, and families can apply to schools at enrollindy.org/apply. All IPS school buildings will be open for families to visit during a showcase of schools from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 1.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana University Indianapolis to offer automatic admission to IPS students with 3.0 GPA

2023-09-27T22:38:07+00:00

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Students attending Indianapolis Public Schools who have a grade point average of at least 3.0 will receive automatic admission to Indiana University Indianapolis.

The major initiative announced on Wednesday aims to make higher education more accessible for IPS students. In addition, those qualified students won’t have to fill out an application, provide a high school transcript, or pay an application fee to attend the university. The effort applies to students in the four high schools IPS manages directly: Arsenal Tech, Crispus Attucks, Shortridge, and George Washington.

“We know that this partnership with IU Indy bridges the gap between high school and higher education,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said during the announcement at Crispus Attucks High School. “[It] empowers our students to pursue advanced coursework and broaden their horizons.”

The announcement comes as the state embarks on a broad push to make high school students aware of their higher education opportunities.

A new law requires Indiana students to fill out the application for federal aid next year, with certain exceptions. And this month, some Indiana high school seniors began receiving pre-admission letters to certain higher education institutions through an Indiana Commission for Higher Education initiative; that initiative still requires students to apply, even if they are pre-admitted.

Indiana University Indianapolis is still known as Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), but will officially rebrand as IU Indianapolis in the summer of 2024 following an agreement between IU and Purdue to split and operate two separate campuses.

IPS students who meet the GPA requirement will receive an email and postcard indicating they qualify for admission to IU Indianapolis this fall, and can opt in to attend the school. They will receive automatic admission after filling out an online form. The first cohort of admitted students will attend the university in the fall of 2024.

The initiative is funded by the New Skills Ready Network initiative by JPMorgan Chase & Co., which selected Indianapolis as one of several cities to receive $7 million to help students complete high-quality career pathways.

IUPUI is one of the three most popular colleges that IPS students apply to, Johnson said.

In 2023, 64% of graduating seniors at IPS reported plans to enroll in a two- or four-year college, Johnson said. This year, that figure is 72% for the class of 2024.

Statewide, the college-going rate for high school seniors is roughly 53% for the class of 2021, the latest data available.

Crispus Attucks High School senior Amy Gaytan said she’s excited about the new initiative because it will help ease some of the stress of her senior year. She hopes to study nursing at IU Indianapolis, and has been working through dual-credit classes currently offered through her school and the college.

“I was a little bit worried (about) starting to find scholarships and to apply for colleges and all that stuff, and with all my classes that I take here and [at] IUPUI I was just overwhelmed,” she said. “But when I heard about the opportunity here, I was just very excited.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS superintendent highlights ‘excellent choices for everyone’ in State of the District speech

2023-09-21T01:20:55+00:00

Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, said she’s never been as excited for the State of the District speech as she was on Wednesday, when she invited all Indianapolis families to see the options IPS offers.

Her speech touted options available to students, largely through Rebuilding Stronger, the district’s overhaul plan, as the district aims to attract students and families.

The plan was unveiled at the State of the District last year, and this year’s speech is about keeping those promises, she said.

Johnson expressed her gratitude to the Indianapolis community for answering requests from the district including passing a capital referendum, sharing ideas, and giving the district grace and patience as changes were implemented, which included closing and merging some schools.

Johnson called the offerings now available to students “historic.”

“For as long as I can remember, our most exciting and comprehensive offerings were concentrated in neighborhoods that were whiter and wealthier,” she said. “Now, for the first time, every family in our city can access our best stuff. What was once a privilege is now a right.”

Here’s what to know from Johnson’s speech:

IPS is ‘making up ground’

Johnson highlighted the district’s recent academic gains. In 2023, a greater share of the district’s students scored proficient on both the reading and math sections of the state ILEARN test than before the pandemic in 2019. (Passing rates on IREAD declined from 62.8% last year to 60.6% this year.)

“While much of the country is still experiencing major academic setbacks, we at IPS are already making up ground. We now have a greater share of students at or above pre-pandemic performance in both reading and math, and we’re the only district in Marion County that can make that claim,” she said. “This is a nationally significant achievement.”

Additionally, Johnson said the graduation rate has grown to 80%, which cut in half the gap between IPS and the state graduation rate, which was 86.61% in 2022.

That is “a direct reflection of the work our team began in 2018 to reinvent our high schools and transition to college and career pathways,” she said.

District extends an invite to ‘every family in Indianapolis’

Every family with school-age children will receive an invitation in the mail, Johnson said. That invitation, expected in two weeks, asks families to “choose your IPS” that is “tailored to your child’s needs, interests, and hopes.”

In addition to the mailer, Johnson said IPS will have a “showcase of schools” in early November where all schools will be open for families to visit. Plus, school staff will reach out to current families to answer questions; there will also be open houses and information sessions.

This “whole new chapter” is the payoff for doing hard things as part of the district’s reorganization, she said. And it’s ending ways that “reinforced old patterns of haves and have-nots, of segregation, of intentional disinvestment.”

“Every family in Indianapolis is invited,” she said. “Every family.”

Offerings reflect that students’ ‘talent is everywhere’

Johnson said options available to students previously varied from neighborhood to neighborhood, meaning some students and families were left out.

“The way we did it before would have made perfect sense — if all the future violinists were born in one neighborhood, and all the computer coders in another,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure talent is everywhere so we need to make sure opportunity is as well.”

The new approach includes more pre-K options and more high-demand instructional models for elementary school such as Montessori, dual language immersion, and others. For older kids, all middle school students now have access to band and orchestra, world language, algebra I, computer science, and music, she said. This is a change from the past, when not all schools offered these programs.

At the high school level, options continue, Johnson said, listing choices from “Law and Public Safety to Media Arts and Design to Computer Science and Advanced Manufacturing.”

Plus, she said programs in health care, IT and cybersecurity set students up for internships, industry certifications, and dual credit programs.

Beyond academics, Johnson said athletic offerings are expanding, including girls flag football at all four district-managed high schools as well as more elementary and middle school sports camps and clinics next year.

Investments also include updated buildings – by the end of September, 30 schools will have updated HVAC systems and design work is underway for other buildings, she said.

Nearly $100 million of capital referendum projects will be facilitated by a minority-, women-, or veteran-owned business, she added.

Johnson looks to the future needs

While Wednesday’s speech largely centered on touting exciting parts of the future, Johnson said she knows she’ll likely have speeches where she’ll have to make tough asks.

She also acknowledged that she’d likely have to make more tough requests of the community. And she called for the community to come together more for students.

She noted that resources are needed for students who are non-native English-speaking learners, students with disabilities, and 3- and 4-year-old early learners.

“We can invest in solutions that make it possible for working parents to support their families while their children learn,” she said, adding that investing in students is also investing in a strong economy of the future.

“It’ll take all of us, fighting for what our students need. But there are solutions and, together, we have them,” Johnson said. “Indianapolis has shown me that time and time again.”

Chalkbeat reporter Aleksandra Appleton contributed to this article.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief and covers higher education. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools expands virtual tutoring during the school day after some success

2023-09-18T11:00:00+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools is expanding its virtual tutoring efforts to reach more students during the school day after some of the district’s most underperforming schools saw positive growth on the state ILEARN exam from the program.

The virtual tutoring offered by Tutored by Teachers expanded this school year from 11 of the district’s chronically underperforming elementary “Emerging Schools” to 22 out of roughly 40 traditional IPS schools.

Principals were able to opt into the program, using it to fulfill one of several needs: support for vacant classroom teaching positions in math, English, science, or social studies, SAT prep for high school students, and intervention for students at a certain achievement level, according to Tutored by Teachers.

The expansion means the district is leaning even more heavily into one of its largest efforts to recover from pandemic learning loss, with help from federal coronavirus relief funds. Roughly 2,755 students will now get tutoring during the school day, according to Tutored by Teachers, up from last year’s figure of over 1,200.

IPS is also relaunching Tutoring for All, an after-school virtual tutoring program also offered through Tutored by Teachers, which has garnered just over 2,000 students so far.

School districts around the country have turned to high-dosage tutoring to help students recover from pandemic-era learning loss, although the efforts in the country’s largest districts have only reached a small fraction of students. IPS has embraced the tutoring offered through Tutored by Teachers, which offers small-group instruction during the day by certified educators from all over the country.

This year, the tutoring offered during the day at participating schools in IPS can vary by school site, said Tutored by Teachers co-founder Rahul Kalita.

“It requires some strategic thinking and effort for the entire leadership team of a school to think through, ‘Who do we want to target?’” Kalita said.

The expansion also means some students may be getting double doses of tutoring — one session at school and another at home.

Robin Hill, who signed her fourth grade daughter up for after-school tutoring, was surprised when she learned last week that her daughter will also get tutoring during the school day at George Washington Carver Montessori School 87.

Math is her daughter’s strong suit, Hill said, but she struggles with English and struggled with reading when the pandemic hit in her earlier elementary years.

“I love it,” she said of the news of tutoring expansion. “Absolutely love it. Because she needs it.”

IPS did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Data from Tutored by Teachers shows positive results

Data analysis from Tutored by Teachers indicates both during and after-school tutoring showed some promising academic results.

Emerging School students who participated in more than 20 hours of tutoring on average grew more on the ILEARN assessment in math and English than students who did not, according to the company’s analysis. Those students grew by about 14 more points on ILEARN in math and 12 in English.

And students who participated in more than 10 hours of after-school tutoring in the Tutoring for All program also grew more in math and English than their non-tutored counterparts from fall to spring, according to another analysis of seven of the 11 Emerging Schools.

Funding for Tutored by Teachers has been one of the district’s largest expenditures from its federal pandemic relief coffers.

The district spent roughly $4.3 million out of its roughly $217 million in federal relief dollars on Tutored by Teachers from the start of last school year through March 31, according to records of the district’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund spending.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana attorney general hopes to block sale of two IPS school buildings in latest court filing

2023-09-14T18:50:12+00:00

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The state attorney general wants to block the sale of two buildings that Indianapolis Public Schools closed this year and hopes to sell.

It is the latest development in the argument over how to interpret the newest version of the state’s so-called “$1 law” that requires school districts to give closed school buildings to charters for the sale or lease price of $1. The controversial law is especially pertinent as IPS has closed six schools this year, two of which it currently seeks to sell.

The district’s complaint against Attorney General Todd Rokita and the Indiana Department of Education’s secretary of state and its board members argues that it is exempt from the newly revised state law. IPS asked the court last month for legal affirmation of its position, while also requesting an injunction to prevent the state from enforcing the law with respect to IPS.

The law, revised this past legislative session, exempts districts from having to sell or lease closed buildings to charters if they split funding from certain voter-approved property tax increases with an “applicable charter school.” IPS argues that it is exempt because it previously shared funds from a 2018 property tax increase with charters in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools.

But in its counterclaim filed in Marion County Superior Court on Wednesday, the attorney general’s office cited a new section added to state law this year that requires school districts in Marion County and three other counties to share certain voter-approved tax increases with charter schools. The law requires those districts to share referendum funds for any ballot question approved by a school board after May 10, 2023.

It’s the first time the attorney general has weighed in on the interpretation of the new version of the $1 law. The counterclaim offers the same interpretation as Sen. Linda Rogers, the Republican who authored the changes.

School districts must share referendum funds with charters for any ballot question passed after May 10 in order to be exempt from the $1 law, the counterclaim argues. In all other cases, they are subject to the law, the attorney general’s office noted.

IPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The legal battle has sparked a complaint with the state’s public access counselor from the Indiana Charter School Network, which argued that the school board violated the state’s public meetings law because it had failed to approve the legal complaint in a public meeting.

The school board voted to authorize its complaint against the state three days after the public access complaint in a public meeting, with board President Venita Moore stressing that the board was seeking clarity over the law’s interpretation.

“We’re not trying to start a fight with anybody,” Moore said. “But rather we’re trying to remove any uncertainty with respect to our legal rights and obligations.”

The vote passed 4-1, with board member Angelia Moore abstaining and board member Will Pritchard voting against. Board member Hope Hampton was absent.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

New school year for James Whitcomb Riley School 43 brings new agreement with community partners

2023-09-11T11:00:00+00:00

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James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis has lived through the same story over and over again:

A new year with yet another principal. Test scores that need significant improvement. Community members who are desperate to help.

But after spending the past decade floundering, School 43 could finally see change with the start of this school year.

For the school’s latest principal, Crishell Sam, returning to School 43 feels like coming home. Sam began her Indianapolis Public Schools career here in 2006 — now, some of her former students are parents at the school.

Sam was tapped for the role in part by community members who participated in the principal selection process.

This year, the district also signed a memorandum of understanding with a community group that has long tried to support School 43, requiring routine meetings during which both parties discuss the school’s improvement plan, staffing changes, and budget.

Sam acknowledges that turnaround will require hard work, but she’s not fixated on the many leaders that came before her.

“We’re talking about student achievement,” she said. “And so for me it is about: Where are we at, at this point, and what do we need to do to be able to improve?”

Nonbinding MOU outlines regular community engagement

The MOU between the district and Midtown Indy, the local nonprofit that does community work in the midtown area of the city where School 43 is located, is legally nonbinding.

But it acknowledges the desire of both parties to work together to bring community resources to students. One main goal is to allow community members to “positively influence student achievement and assist IPS with the tough work of providing equitable educational opportunity,” the MOU states.

Principal Crishell Sam talks to members of the Community Partners of James Whitcomb Riley School 43 group at a meeting at the Martin Luther King Community Center in August 2023. “The thing that I love about what happened with CP 43 is that it created a space for all of us to come together to have this common discussion,” Sam said.

Midtown Indy will collaborate with community groups, including the network of community members who have routinely met to support School 43 — known now as the Community Partners of James Whitcomb Riley School 43, or “CP 43.”

Midtown will establish an education committee — which could include CP 43 members — to work with the district and school staff on academic performance, community relations, school operations and staffing, and “overall school health,” according to the MOU.

Community members will also provide input on the school’s budget and recommendations on school staffing and facility improvements. Midtown can also assist the district with obtaining grants to support the school.

Although not legally enforceable, the agreement summarizes the kind of input the CP 43 group of neighborhood churches, alumni, and community organizations have wanted to have for years.

It’s a relatively big step for a neighborhood that has often felt blindsided or frustrated about consistent principal turnover and decisions about the school made from above.

School 43 has also already enjoyed years of support from neighborhood partners, including the Butler University College of Education, whose students help staff the library, and a journalism program launched by an alumna.

This year, a new community coordinator is welcoming those CP 43 members with open arms.

“We want to change the environment, make it a happy, wonderful utopia. I know people think that’s impossible, but we have a very positive staff, very positive principal,” Monica DeLaPaz, the school’s community coordinator, told members at a CP 43 meeting at the Martin Luther King Community Center in August. “We want you to always feel welcome to come into the building and work together.”

New principal wants data to dictate community resources

As Sam walked through the halls nearly one month into the school year, she stressed order among students as they transition to class.

Everyone walks in a straight line, on the right side of the hallway — and Sam makes sure students are moving in an organized way between classes.

First graders prepare to go to lunch at James Whitcomb Riley school 43 on Aug. 30, 2023.

“I want to provide as much consistency as I can for students,” she said. “And I also want to create a space of trust.”

Still, Sam has a daunting task ahead of her as she works to turn the school around. Scores from state tests remained largely flat from 2022 to 2023, with just 2.3% of students proficient in the ILEARN administered in grades 3-8 and 35% of third graders passing the IREAD test.

“It’s work that has to be done for students, because our students deserve the best,” she said. “I don’t have any plans of not being here. And if I’m here, I’m doing my work.”

And when the school transforms from a K-8 school to a Pre-K-5 visual and performing arts school next year — part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization — even more work will need to be done.

Sam started almost completely fresh this year, hiring about 90% of the staff — some of whom she brought over from Arsenal Tech High School during her time as interim principal there.

As of the end of August, the school had four staff vacancies in first, fourth, and sixth grades, and an open position for English language learner students.

Sam hopes to organize the community support from CP 43 and the midtown area based on where it’s most needed, analyzing student data to make sure community partners are doing meaningful work.

“We have great things that they are affording us,” she said. “Now we have to make sure that we channel them as far as helping us.”

Community members, at least, seem ready and willing to help. And some can already tell that this school year will be different.

“We’ve been sitting in this committee talking about 43 for years now, and I want to publicly say, it really has changed,” Sheila Long, a teacher at the school and member of CP 43, said at the group’s meeting in August. “I can’t believe — I walk the hallways and I can hear a mouse run across. It’s calm, it’s orderly, it’s quiet leaning. There’s a lot of engagement, learning, and a lot of support.”

The committee broke into applause. Sam broke into tears.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools creates equity committee to address outdated policies

2023-08-31T23:43:36+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will launch an advisory committee tasked with recommending culturally responsive and equitable policies to the school board.

The Culturally Responsive and Equitable Education Committee approved by the school board Thursday will review district policies and procedures and suggest ways to address inequities that lead to disparate educational outcomes for students, according to the group’s charter.

The inaugural group of 10 people includes parents, IPS staff, community members, and school board commissioners Nicole Carey and Diane Arnold. Although it can make recommendations, the power to adopt those suggestions will remain with the school board.

IPS has made equity a priority in recent years. Last year, it adopted the Rebuilding Stronger reorganization to expand specialized academic offerings to all geographic areas of the district. In December, the board passed a language justice policy that seeks to address inequities experienced by students whose first language is not English.

Carey, who proposed the committee and runs an equity consulting firm, said before Thursday’s vote that she hopes the committee would bring the district’s recent equity efforts together and help IPS look at the topic through a comprehensive lens.

Some district policies from the 1980s and 1990s are not centered in equity for students, Carey noted.

“Even though this is the work I do every day, I can’t make these decisions on my own, and I can’t make these recommendations in a vacuum,” she said. “They need to be community-created.”

The committee will meet every two weeks until January and will make official policy recommendations in February, Carey said. After that, the group will continue to meet at least quarterly.

Carey said the committee could also advise the district as it works on its next long-term strategic plan.

The committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. at 1220 Waterway Boulevard in Indianapolis.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

These IPS schools could soon get overdue upgrades to classrooms, gyms, and air conditioning

2023-08-30T17:13:20+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools plans to use up to $95 million to upgrade athletic facilities, air conditioning units, special education classrooms, and address other facility needs at over two dozen schools.

The projects, which IPS officials unveiled Tuesday night, are part of more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance needs that the district identified in a 2020 facilities review. The majority of the projects would be completed by fall of 2024 or spring of 2025, IPS Chief Operations Officer Bill Murphy said. A bond repaid over 19 years would fund the improvements, which would not require IPS to seek new tax revenue.

The projects still need various approvals from the school board, which could approve them in November after completing public hearings required by state law.

Major high school investments would include:

Shortridge High School: Improvements to the school theater, exterior windows, main gym mezzanine, fire alarms, field and press box seats, and the artificial turf football field.
George Washington High School: Improvements to the theater room, track, artificial football turf, visitor’s stand and sidewalk, and a new sound system. The school will also receive repairs to its foundation and windows and fire alarm upgrades.
Arsenal Tech High School: Upgrading the walls in the east gym and Lone Hall and fire alarm upgrades.
Crispus Attucks High School: Improvements to exterior walls and foundation, fire alarm upgrades, new visitor and home bleachers, new press box, and the replacement of the west gym floor.

Other school upgrades target plumbing, water heaters, elevators

Arlington Middle School, Emmerich Manual High School (which houses a Christel House charter school campus), and Northwest Middle School will also receive improvements to school theaters.

Meredith Nicholson School 70 would also receive roofing and wall improvements, as well as fire alarm upgrades, a new water heater, and upgrades to plumbing fixtures and exterior windows.

The former Francis W. Parker Montessori School 56 building, which closed this year, would also receive improvements to its foundation as part of a historic preservation project. The district is exploring how to renovate and repurpose the building.

William Penn School 49 and James Russell Lowell School 51 would receive new water heaters.

The following schools would also receive fire alarm upgrades:

Anna Brochhausen School 88.
Merle Sidener Academy for High Ability Students.
School 49.
Arlington Woods School 99, which houses the Sankofa School of Success in the IPS Innovation Network.
Theodore Potter School 74.
Clarence Farrington School 61.
George H. Fisher School 93.
School 51.

The following schools would also receive elevator replacements or repairs:

George Washington High School.
Ralph Waldo Emerson School 58.
KIPP Indy College Prep Middle School, an IPS Innovation Network school.
Shortridge High School.
Phalen Leadership Academy at Louis B. Russell School 48.
Arsenal Tech.
Center for Inquiry School 84.
The PATH School at Stephen Foster School 67, an IPS Innovation Network school.
Robert Lee Frost School 106.
James Whitcomb Riley School 43.
Crispus Attucks High School.
Edison School of the Arts.
Christel House schools at Emmerich Manual High School, an IPS Innovation Network school.
Cold Spring School.
Phalen Leadership Academy at Francis Scott Key School 103, an IPS Innovation Network school.
Center for Inquiry School 27.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools board move to sue state violated open meetings law, charter group says

2023-08-28T20:22:02+00:00

The Indianapolis Public Schools board violated the state’s public meetings law when it approved a lawsuit against the state last week, a charter group has alleged.

The complaint that the Indiana Charter School Network filed with the state Public Access Counselor centers on the school board’s lawsuit that claims an exemption for IPS from a state law that requires districts to sell or lease closed school buildings to charter schools for $1. The so-called $1 law is an ongoing and significant source of tension between IPS and charter supporters as district enrollment has dropped and charter enrollment has grown.

The state’s “Open Door” law allows school boards and other governing bodies to meet in executive or closed-door sessions for specific purposes, such as collective bargaining and litigation. But the law also requires any final action to be taken at a public meeting.

“The IPS board never approved the filing of the Lawsuit in a properly noticed public meeting as required by the Open Door Law,” an attorney for the Indiana Charter School Network said in the group’s complaint, which it filed Monday. “This approval of the Lawsuit behind closed doors without any discussion in public violates the plain language of the Open Door Law’s provision that official action must only be taken in an open meeting.”

State law also requires governing bodies to give public notice of closed-door sessions that state the specific allowable reasons for which they are meeting in executive sessions. But the charter group’s complaint says two executive sessions held in July also do not indicate that the school board was discussing possible litigation.

IPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a Monday statement, the charter network’s executive director, Marcie Brown-Carter, said the IPS board’s lack of transparency, along with what she called the district’s violation of the $1 law, “are unacceptable and do nothing to support the public-school students of Indianapolis or promote a spirit of collaboration.”

The complaint is at least the second time the charter network has taken formal issue with the district over the state’s so-called $1 law. Last year, the group filed a complaint with the Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office, alleging that the district did not comply with the $1 law. Rokita’s office later concluded IPS did not violate the law.

Lawmakers revised the $1 law earlier this year in ways that make it easier for certain charters to lease or acquire district’s closed buildings. Yet the latest version of the statute includes an exemption for districts that share revenue from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety costs with “applicable charter schools.”

IPS argued in its lawsuit against the Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, Rokita’s office, and members of the Indiana State Board of Education last week that it is exempt from the $1 law, since it shared funds from its 2018 property tax increase with charters in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools.

The state education department, however, told IPS in a memo earlier this month that it is subject to the $1 law.

This story has been updated to include a statement from the Indiana Charter School Network.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis expands tutoring program for reading skills after literacy pilot shows promise

2023-08-23T18:41:44+00:00

The city of Indianapolis will launch a literacy tutoring program at nine schools and a Boys & Girls Club location for this school year, after a pilot program with a small group of students showed some promise.

The program, Circle City Readers, is one of a myriad of tutoring programs that both the state and school districts have launched in the wake of the pandemic. Reading scores on the state third grade exam known as IREAD dropped in 2021 and have essentially stagnated since then.

Circle City Readers, funded by $1 million from the city’s coronavirus relief funds, will provide small-group tutoring for up about 800 students at the following locations:

Pleasant Run Elementary School (Warren Township).
Hawthorne Elementary School (Warren Township).
Sankofa School of Success at Arlington Woods School 99 (IPS Innovation Network school).
Global Prep Academy at Riverside School 44 (IPS Innovation Network school).
The PATH School at Stephen Foster School 67 (IPS Innovation Network school).
Liberty Grove at Elder Diggs School 42 (IPS Innovation Network school).
Tindley Genesis Academy (charter school).
Avondale Meadows Academy (charter school).
Vision Academy Riverside (charter school).
Jonathan Jennings School 109 Boys and Girls Club.

The program, launched in partnership with the RISE Indy education advocacy nonprofit, will offer tutoring during the day at school sites from paid parents and community members. RISE Indy is helping to identify and recruit tutors.

The program adopts a curriculum based in the science of reading that emphasizes researched-backed ways of learning, such as phonics.

As evidence of the program’s potential, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s Office of Education and Innovation said that all 36 students in the Circle City Readers pilot performed better on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) reading assessment at the end of the pilot than at the start. The pilot took place over eight weeks earlier this year at Liberty Grove — a charter school within the IPS Innovation Network of autonomous schools — and at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center.

The four IPS schools in the program are “restart” or “jumpstart” schools in need of academic improvement. All but one of them — the Path School — posted declines in IREAD scores from 2022 to 2023. IREAD scores also dropped from last year to this year at two out of the three charters in the program, Avondale Meadows Academy and Vision Academy Riverside.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect how tutors are recruited into the program.

Indianapolis Public Schools seeks relief from law on selling buildings to charters for $1

2023-08-21T22:37:01+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools is seeking legal affirmation for its position that it is exempt from a state law governing how and when districts must make underused or closed school buildings easily available to charter schools.

In a Monday filing with Marion Superior Court, IPS sought a declaratory judgment that it is exempt from the Indiana law that requires districts to sell or lease those buildings to charter schools or state education institutions for $1. The district is also seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the Indiana Department of Education from enforcing the law with respect to IPS.

Lawmakers revised the so-called $1 law this year that made it friendlier to charters and education institutions in districts with declining enrollment, but the district stated in July that it’s not covered by the statute because of a 2021 decision it made about sharing certain tax revenue.

The district also issued a statement on Monday underscoring its view that it’s exempt from the law. But charter groups have argued that it is not. And earlier this month, the state education department directed IPS to notify the agency about its school closures, and noted that as a school corporation IPS was subject to the $1 law.

The court filing by IPS is the latest move in a long-running dispute between the district and the charter sector over facilities and resources, as charter enrollment grows and IPS enacts academic and other changes to attract students. The court’s interpretation of the law could also have big implications for the buildings that used to house Raymond Brandes School 65 and Francis Bellamy School 102, both of which closed earlier this year. The buildings have garnered interest from charter schools.

“The IPS Board is committed to complying with Indiana law, believes it is doing so, and believes Indianapolis Public Schools qualifies for the exemption from the $1 Charter Law,” IPS Board President Venita Moore said in a statement. “The IPS Board believes the courts will provide needed clarity regarding the exemption from the $1 Charter Law, and IPS will abide by the ultimate decision from Indiana courts.”

But the Mind Trust, which cultivates charter schools in the city, said in a Monday statement from CEO Brandon Brown that the court filing is “an unfortunate escalation in the district’s ongoing efforts to circumvent state law.”

“By choosing a potentially long and divisive legal battle instead of collaboration, IPS is closing the door on longstanding partners who want to work alongside the district in service to Indianapolis students,” Brown said.

The state education department declined to comment about the Monday court filing from IPS.

Lawmakers tweaked the $1 law this year after school districts successfully maintained exemptions from the law, which targets vacant or unused buildings. Sen. Linda Rogers, a Republican who authored the revised $1 law, said her intention was to create an appropriate balance between the interests of traditional public schools and charters.

But IPS maintains that even the new changes to the statute mean the law does not apply to its sale of School 65 and School 102.

The revised law exempts districts from having to sell or lease closed buildings to charters if they split funding from voter-approved property tax increases meant to pay for operating or safety costs with “applicable charter schools.”

IPS claims it is exempt because it shared funds from its 2018 property tax increase with charters in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools. The district has provided over $4 million annually to Innovation charters, IPS said in its motion for a preliminary injunction.

The school board voted in July to authorize the sales process for those two buildings, with priority given to nonprofit groups or government agencies. The district highlighted one local nonprofit that offers youth programming, Voices, as a potential buyer for the former School 102 building.

“IPS has sought to dispose of Brandes 65 and Bellamy 102 in a strategic manner that benefits the community, IPS students, and IPS,” the district said in its motion for a preliminary injunction. “IPS has not looked to simply offload the buildings to the highest bidder.”

But the district’s interpretation has been criticized by charter supporters. They have argued the district must share referendum funds with all charter schools within the district’s borders.

Rogers previously told Chalkbeat that sharing revenue from the 2018 referendum does not exempt IPS from the revised statute.

A separate state law requires the district to share tax revenue stemming from future ballot questions.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IREAD scores rise slightly for most Indianapolis districts but remain below pre-COVID levels

2023-08-17T11:00:00+00:00

The share of third graders passing the state’s IREAD literacy test rose slightly in most Marion County school districts this year, although none have returned to pre-pandemic rates.

The majority of Marion County districts and charter schools also remain well below the statewide pass rate of 81% for public school students.

Passing rates for Indianapolis Public Schools, the city’s largest district, declined from 62.8% last year to 60.6% this year. The rates for schools in Speedway, Perry and Franklin Townships also fell. Meanwhile, scores rose in seven other township districts, including Decatur, Warren, and Washington.

Proficiency rates for independent charter schools within or near Indianapolis Public School borders rose slightly as a whole, but are still far below their pre-pandemic pass rate of about 84% in 2019.

And charters within the IPS Innovation Network — which are run independently but are considered part of the district — also showed slight improvement overall.

The results for Indianapolis schools show the pandemic’s ongoing disruption to students in the early grades, which educators and others consider crucial for building students’ literacy skills.

In a statement, IPS said the district’s drop “further reinforces the need for the investments we have made to date, as well as new investments we will make in literacy throughout the district that are critical for student achievement.”

Districts and individual schools that improved significantly from last year highlighted efforts like a local summer learning initiative, state-funded coaching for teachers, and embracing training in the science of reading, which emphasizes phonetic instruction and science-backed ways of learning.

“We really leaned heavily into the science of reading, given the number of second-language learners we have,” said Alicia Hervey, founder and executive director of the Path School at Stephen Foster School 67, an Innovation charter school where the IREAD passing rate jumped more than 13 points from last year to 35.8%.

Warren Township schools see biggest growth on IREAD

IREAD scores for school districts across Marion County showed only slight increases or decreases, mirroring a stagnation in both the latest statewide IREAD and ILEARN results.

Among township school districts and IPS, Warren Township schools improved the most since 2022, increasing from 64.7% to 69.8%.

Ryan Russell, associate superintendent for Warren Township schools, said the district made K-3 literacy a priority last school year, focusing on training K-3 staff on the science of reading over the past three years.

All nine of the district’s elementary schools also participated in the state’s literacy coaching program, which guided the district’s own literacy coaches and teacher leaders.

But like all other school districts, Warren Township schools still have significant gains to make before reaching the district’s 78% passing rate of 2019. The biggest such gap is in Perry Township schools, where the gap between 2019 and 2023 IREAD scores is approximately 12 percentage points.

Russell said the district’s goal is to grow by 10% every year, reaching pre-pandemic levels at the end of this school year.

“We’re certainly celebrating our growth and we are happy to experience that growth, but at the same time we realize how critical of a measuring stick this is for our students and their future,” he said.

Independent charter schools outperform IPS

Independent charter schools in or near IPS boundaries continue to perform better than IPS as a whole, but also remain well below the statewide average.

The K-5 Ace Preparatory Academy, where the proficiency rate rose more than 14 percentage points to 76.3%, also participated in the state’s literacy coaching program to provide guidance for the school’s literacy coach.

Principal Amanda Liles also attributes the growth to the school’s small class sizes, its focus on student data, the skill and consistency of the school’s teachers, and an extended literacy-focused teaching period of 90 minutes.

“We’ve really been intentional about how we interpret our student data and how we help our scholars understand what that means for them as far as their growth,” she said.

Black students in independent charters for which disaggregated data was available had higher pass rates as a whole compared to Black students in IPS, with 67% of students passing. Data for some schools, however, wasn’t publicly reported by the state due to the small number of Black students taking the test.

The number of Hispanic and white students in many independent and Innovation charters was also too small to reach a firm conclusion about their success compared to their peers in traditional school districts.

Among all Marion County districts, IPS had the highest gap in the passing rate between white and Black students, with 52.6% of Black students passing compared to 83.9% of white students. The gap in IPS between white and Hispanic students is also the greatest of all the Marion County school districts, with 50.7% of Hispanic students passing the test.

But the IPS statement pointed to some “bright spots” from this year’s data, noting that eight schools outperformed the state average for Black students.

The district’s Emerging Schools, which are a set of low-performing schools, made gains that on average outpaced state gains, the district said.

Restart charters had significant score increases and decreases

The passing rate at IPS Innovation charters, meanwhile, increased as a whole from roughly 46% to nearly 51%. But at Innovation Restart schools, which are chronically underperforming schools that charter operators are trying to improve, there was significant variation.

Four schools’ scores dropped from last year’s passing rates: Global Prep, Phalen Leadership Academy (PLA) at Francis Scott Key 103, Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan Elementary, and Liberty Grove Schools at Elder Diggs School 42.

But there was sufficient improvement at the remaining four — the Path School, Urban Act Academy at Washington Irving School 14, Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63, and PLA at Louis B. Russell School 48 — for the overall passing rate at Innovation Restart schools to rise.

The Path School required students who did not pass the IREAD in the spring to attend an Indy Summer Learning Lab that helped a few more students pass the test over the summer, Hervey said. The school also did after-school tutoring twice a week, she said.

Still, the school’s 35.8% pass rate is well below the 61.3% rate from 2018-19, two years before School 67 became a charter school. Hervey said the school’s goal is to reach a 95% pass rate.

“I do expect we’ll be around 80% over the next few years,” she said.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

As students left Indianapolis Public Schools, leaders paid COVID aid to a company to get them back

2023-08-07T11:00:00+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools faces competition on nearly every street corner.

“Vouchers accepted,” read signs for a private Christian school strewn throughout the Fountain Square neighborhood.

“Now enrolling!” signs for multiple charter schools beckon in Mapleton-Fall Creek.

“Free college in high school,” touts one charter school on the east side.

In short, IPS is fighting for students — and the state funding that follows them — with local charters and private schools that continue to grow. And students have been leaving the school system in droves. So as IPS spent millions of dollars of federal COVID relief on high-profile priorities like academic recovery and staff retention, it also directed some of that aid to a different goal: enticing students back to the district, with the help of a private company.

The $269,600 the district paid to the Memphis-based Caissa K-12 firm to recruit and retain students as of March 31 is less than 1% percent of the district’s $217.2 million in COVID relief money. But the effort highlights the district’s ongoing challenge with long-term declining enrollment that worsened during the pandemic. At its worst, roughly one out of 10 IPS students left the district from 2019-20 to 2020-21.

Signs for Trinity Christian School, a private religious school, and Christel House Indianapolis, a charter school, in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, charter school enrollment within and near IPS borders has grown almost every year — as has the number of IPS students attending private schools using state-funded tuition vouchers, which lawmakers expanded this year.

Ultimately, IPS is relying heavily on its Rebuilding Stronger plan to improve academic offerings and school facilities as a strategy to attract families to the district.

Caissa K-12 President Adrian Bond said the firm works with traditional public school districts on marketing themselves to parents — something charter schools, private schools, and homeschool networks have done a better job of in years past.

“Districts have to realize this is almost like a business now,” he said. “You’re not the only business in town anymore.”

IPS says the money spent on Caissa K-12 helped a student recruitment campaign that brought nearly 400 students into IPS through a contract that lasted for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. But raising even a small portion of federal relief funds this way could raise questions.

“From my perspective, I’m seeing so many other compelling needs in terms of supporting student development,” said Thomas Dee, professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education who has tracked student enrollment declines from the pandemic. “It’s difficult to look at that expenditure and characterize it as the best available use of scarce funds.”

Pandemic exacerbated declining enrollment for IPS

For several years before COVID hit, IPS lost between 3% and 4.4% of its enrollment annually. But between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school year, that loss jumped to 10.5%.

After COVID shut schools down and ushered in virtual learning at the end of the 2019-20 school year, IPS decided to open the 2020-21 school year virtually. Such a decision may have had a significant impact on the district’s enrollment.

Schools that offered remote instead of in-person instruction saw a decline in enrollment, particularly in kindergarten and elementary grades, according to research Dee and others conducted using data from across the country.

Meanwhile, charter school enrollment within IPS borders grew from roughly 7,500 students in 2018-19 to over 9,400 in 2022-23. The number of students who live within IPS borders but use vouchers to attend private schools has also grown steadily from roughly 3,580 students in 2017-18 to roughly 4,240 in 2022-23.

Now, many districts have settled into a new equilibrium with fewer students, Dee said. They also face financial pressure to close under-enrolled schools, once federal COVID relief expires and districts face a fiscal cliff.

“Part of the critical narrative going forward isn’t so much that the exodus has stopped,” Dee said, “but rather that the kids haven’t returned.”

IPS says Caissa K-12 brought back students

The district worked with Caissa K-12 to launch a student retention campaign that focused on contacting families who had previously been enrolled in an IPS school, the district said in a statement. The IPS contract with the company lasted from May 2021 through June 2023.

The campaign reached out to families through text, email, and phone calls. The campaign focused on understanding why students left the district, and highlighting the programs that the district has to offer, Bond said.

“There’s a lot of other educational options out there that parents may see as the shiny and bright toy, and then they just don’t realize that they have similar or better programs at the traditional public school,” Bond said. “But oftentimes the traditional public schools do not have the ability to be able to put that out at a grassroots level.”

Caissa’s work requires anywhere from nine to 22 contacts with parents in order to get them to return, Bond said.

Caissa K-12 and its affiliated Memphis-based communications firm, Caissa Public Strategy, have worked with districts across the country. Since the pandemic hit, Caissa has scored contracts to recruit students with Florida’s Duval County Public Schools, which includes Jacksonville, and Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish Schools, the largest district in the state.

And in March, the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township approved a contract with Caissa K-12 for customer service training, a student recruitment campaign at $953 per student, and $31,200 in “secret shopper” campaigns, in which the firm poses as a family interested in attending the district and provides feedback on the school staff’s response.

“Spending time and resources on recruiting and retention became necessary after Covid-19 when we noticed that a number of students were not returning to school,” a spokesperson for Washington Township schools said in a statement.

Caissa’s website frames student recruitment in terms of customer service, offering secret shopper evaluations, training, and other services “exclusively for public schools.”

Caissa isn’t afraid to be blunt when marketing its services. The firm advertises itself with phrases such as “Sick of screaming parents?” and “The customer is not always right! But we sure do need them.”

Asked about Caissa’s use of that language, Bond said the company works with districts to make sure their front desk workers and registration teams put their best foot forward to parents. The group trains staff to advocate for the goal they are trying to accomplish and emphasize how it benefits the students and parents at the end, he said.

IPS did not use Caissa’s training services. But the district said that the campaign recruited nearly 400 students into the district. At the start of this school year, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said IPS enrollment was similar to last year’s figure, which state records show was just over 22,000 students when excluding the district’s non-charter schools. When counting the district’s charter schools within its Innovation Network, that number stands at about 31,000, per the district.

IPS believes its contract with the firm brought “significant additional revenue for the district,” but did not specify how much. Basic state per-pupil funding was about $6,000 in 2021-22, and $6,234 in 2022-23.

But Bond said Caissa’s work should be just one part of districts’ efforts to stem declining enrollment.

“It is only a Band-Aid,” he said. “What we’ve seen is districts need to make this part of their overall strategy for the stabilization of enrollment. We help recruit students in the front doors, but also districts have to figure out ways to retain those students from leaving out the back door.”

The district said in its statement that its work with Caissa inspired it to build its own recruitment and retention team. As of March, the district had spent about $5,400 more in pandemic relief funds to do so.

Dee, however, said such recruitment campaigns aren’t a “scalable solution for academic recovery.” He also said that amidst many acute challenges schools now face, such efforts have limited value because they’re “chasing a fixed population of students.”

“I bristle at the idea of simply trying to market yourself better to attract kids,” he said. “Because from a broader policy perspective, it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Clarification: This article has been updated to include IPS’s enrollment with students who attend charter schools in the district’s Innovation Network.

Major IPS overhaul hits home for students at closed schools on first day of class

2023-07-31T17:18:06+00:00

Zola and Jehu Jorman climbed into the backseat of their mother DeShawn’s car on Monday morning, where bags of crayons and notebooks awaited them.

“Cool school supplies, mommy,” Zola, a third grader, said just before she tore into the packaging for a new pair of scissors.

The two siblings had been in school together at Francis Parker School 56, a Montessori school in the predominantly Black Hillside neighborhood of Indianapolis that shepherded their four older siblings through eighth grade. But with the closure of School 56 this year, the two are parting ways. Jehu, a second grader, was accepted into the Sidener Academy for High Ability Students. Zola is continuing her Montessori education at Rousseau McClellan School 91.

“I’m kind of nervous but I’m kind of excited,” Zola said. She was up at 7 a.m. — an hour before Jehu, she pointed out, even though she stayed up later last night while her older sister did her hair.

DeShawn Jorman ushers her children Zola, left, and Jehu into the car on Monday, July 31, to drop them off at their new schools on the first day of class for Indianapolis Public Schools. Jorman’s family is one of many affected by recent school closures in IPS.

The start of school on Monday marks the beginning of a monumental shift for Indianapolis Public Schools and its students. The district, struggling with a consistent decline in enrollment, has launched its Rebuilding Stronger plan to run the downsized district more efficiently and compete with private and charter schools.

The first step in that plan started this year: closing down six schools, including School 56, and moving over 1,200 students and 300 staff elsewhere.

DeShawn Jorman is used to upheaval in IPS. Her eldest daughter was a senior at Shortridge High School in 2019 when Broad Ripple High School closed and merged with Shortridge.

This time, Jorman thought long and hard about what to do next with her two youngest children.

As students of the closing School 56, Zola and Jehu had a guaranteed spot at James Russell Lowell School 51, which will merge with School 56 and become a Montessori school. But Jorman chose to send them elsewhere.

“This was not an easy decision to make,” said Jorman, who fought for School 56 to stay open. “It wasn’t as easy as the decision that they [made] to shut that school down.”

IPS: Enrollment ‘steady’ on first day of school

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the district’s student enrollment remained similar to last year’s figure, which stood at 22,027, for the district’s non-charter schools, according to state records. When counting the district’s charter schools within its Innovation Network, that number stands at about 31,000, per the district.

Johnson said that’s a positive sign in light of Rebuilding Stronger.

“We’ve been watching those numbers to sort of see how we’re looking and overall, I would characterize it as steady,” Johnson said Monday morning.

The district reported 152 classroom teaching vacancies last week, a vacancy rate of 12%. IPS also still needed 204 support staff, a 22% vacancy rate.

But the majority of staff who were displaced due to school closures under Rebuilding Stronger stayed in the district.

This year, the district faces even greater competition for its students. The state’s expansion of its voucher program, which funds private school education with taxpayer dollars, means roughly 97% of all students will qualify for the subsidies.

But Johnson said she does not expect vouchers, which expanded this year to cover wealthier families, to have a tremendous impact on enrollment.

For parents like Jorman whose children are undergoing significant change, Johnson reiterated a philosophy she often touted during the past year: acknowledge the grief that comes with school closures, but also hold hope for the future. She wants families to feel supported and cared for at their new schools like they did at their prior ones.

“Ultimately, I believe the shifts we’re making are going to be for the betterment of our kids and our families in terms of the experiences that we’ll get to have and what we’ll be able to offer and commit to them,” she said.

The district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan replicates academic models that officials say are in high demand, and it seeks to close learning gaps across racial subgroups by bringing these programs to schools throughout the district. The reorganization expands International Baccalaureate, Montessori, dual language, high ability, arts, and STEM programming. It also reconfigures grades, breaking up the K-8 model at many schools and creating standalone elementary and middle schools.

Nearly all of those changes, however, won’t take place until 2024-25.

‘What can schools do to keep students?’

From the backseat, Jehu watched as his mother walked Zola to the entrance of School 91. While his older sister was bubbly about the prospect of a new school, he was less enthusiastic.

“Mom, why do me and Zola go to different schools?” he asked as Jorman pulled away from the drop-off area and headed to Sidener.

DeShawn Jorman walks her son, Jehu, to his new school at Sidener Academy for High Ability Students. Jorman fought unsuccessfully for Jehu’s previous school to stay open.

“Because your school closed down, baby,” she replied.

Jorman did not want to send her youngest children to School 51 during its shift to Montessori programming. She loves Montessori education — she just didn’t want her children to be in a new school community that might not love it back.

“I’m concerned about forcing a specialized program on a community school,” she said. “They did not ask for that.”

She and her family pushed for School 56 to remain open, launching an online petition to save the building from closure. Jorman and her daughter stressed its place as an anchor in the community.

But to them, all those points fell on deaf ears.

“[School] 56 was a family, and the school board doesn’t care about that,” Jorman said. “It wasn’t just a school.”

Jorman’s eldest daughter, Mesgana Waiss, reflected on her own experience as an IPS graduate as she and Jorman discussed the best options for her siblings.

Now, as a senior in college, looking back at all the school closures makes Waiss sad.

“It’s almost like every five to 10 years, the district gets smaller,” she said. “What can schools do to keep students? And then what can they do for students that are leaving?”

Despite the difficulties, Jorman still has hope for the new school year. She hopes Jehu will be challenged at his new school. She wants Zola to continue in her Montessori education, which she thinks is good for her.

Jehu was crying as Jorman dropped him off into his new classroom at Sidener, she said.

But Jehu found his table right next to another little girl, who recognized him.

“She said, ‘Is he from Francis W. Parker?’ And I said yes,” Jorman said. “She’s like, ‘Yes, I used to go there too.’”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Clarification: This article has been updated to include IPS’s enrollment with students who attend charter schools in the district’s Innovation Network.

Over 90% of teaching staff directly affected by IPS school closures will stay in the district

2023-07-28T20:59:10+00:00

At least 90% of the teaching staff directly impacted by Indianapolis Public Schools’ sweeping reorganization enacted last year will continue working in the district for the 2023-24 school year, the district said Thursday.

The staffing update from IPS showed that 300 staff affected by the school closures and mergers initiated by Rebuilding Stronger were placed elsewhere in the district. Most of the affected staff who got offers from the district to be placed in jobs for next year earlier than normal accepted those “Advanced Placement” offers, IPS said.

In addition, 109 teachers who were at Francis Parker Montessori School 56 and Paul Miller School 114, both of which closed at the end of the last school year, decided to make the switch to new schools with students. School 56 students are switching to James Russell Lowell Elementary, while School 114 students are now attending Frederick Douglass Elementary School 19.

As part of Rebuilding Stronger — which is the district’s effort to address dropping enrollment and address long-term fiscal challenges — IPS decided to close six schools, in addition to changing grade configurations at other schools and revamping academic offerings to make things like world languages and music more widely available. But these changes involve significant disruptions for staff.

The district decided to offer $10,000 stipends to teachers directly impacted by the changes, as well as $2,000 stipends to teachers indirectly impacted, like those who remain at the schools some of their colleagues must leave.

Sandy Bombick, the director of employment and operations for IPS, said at Thursday’s school board meeting that those bonuses were paid to impacted staff who met eligibility requirements. She also clarified that those retention bonuses were given for staff to remain at their schools through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The district also accelerated its typical timeline for identifying vacancies and working on staff placements, which allowed the district to be competitive with other potential employers.

IPS relied heavily on making sure it communicated well with staff through the process. The district’s strategies for communicating clearly included the formation of a Principal Advisory Board, which offered input on what they believed to be helpful in moving forward. In addition, impacted staff were met in person at their schools, and could share any questions or concerns that they had.

There is also a “Let’s Talk” option in the staff portal where teachers can research issues or submit inquiries.

“I think what’s key here is the cadence of communication, knowing that it was critical to keep open lines of communication through this,” Bombick said during her presentation to the school board.

Bombick also said the district plans to replicate this hiring and placement timeline going into the new school year and continue these communication strategies. She said despite the amount of change IPS is going through, she was “proud” of how the district had handled it.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said professional development has been and will continue to be offered to staff working with new instructional models or in new roles.

Of the more than 190 staff members who received Advanced Placement offers between December 5 and January 4 during the last school year, 114 accepted them. Seventy-seven chose to apply for new positions and go through the interview process all over again.

Roughly a week before the start of the school year on Monday, IPS reported there were 152 teaching vacancies, or a 12% classroom teaching vacancy rate. Bombick said staff leave the district for various reasons throughout the year, and cannot necessarily be linked to Rebuilding Stronger.

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Jade at jthomas@chalkbeat.org.

IPS plan to sell closed school buildings could tee up conflict with charters, GOP lawmakers

2023-07-28T00:50:04+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools says its planned sale of two school buildings that closed this year is exempt from a state law designed to make such district facilities available to charter schools for $1.

The school board on Thursday voted unanimously to authorize officials to begin the sales process for Raymond Brandes School 65 and Francis Bellamy School 102, two of the six schools that closed at the end of the 2022-23 school year as part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization.

But the district will only consider transferring the properties to another government agency or selling them to a nonprofit organization for the first 30 days of the process before opening up the sales to other buyers.

The state’s so-called $1 law in general requires districts to make such buildings available to charter schools or state educational institutions for a sale price or annual lease of $1. But IPS maintains that changes to the statute that lawmakers approved earlier this year mean the law does not apply to its sale of the two facilities. That interpretation of the law has garnered pushback from charter supporters.

The district’s argument underscores an ongoing conflict between IPS, charters, and GOP officials over the best way to use and reallocate school facilities as IPS enrollment declines and the district looks to shore up its finances.

Charter schools had previously expressed interest in occupying some of the six buildings closed this year, including Adelante Schools, which had hoped to start a second school at School 65. Last year, the Indiana Charter School Network filed a complaint with Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office that IPS had failed to comply with the $1 law by not making the six schools it planned to close available to charters. Rokita’s office later ruled in favor of the district.

State lawmakers revised the $1 law in their most recent session to allow the Indiana Department of Education to force the closure of schools operating at less than 60% capacity in districts that have lost at least 10% of their students in the past five years. Once closed, districts must offer to sell or lease those schools to charters. That change gave charters a new edge, at least in theory.

Yet the revised law also exempts districts from having to sell or lease closed buildings to charters if they share funding from voter-approved property tax increases for operating or safety costs with “applicable charter schools.”

Francis Bellamy School 102 on the far eastside previously housed prekindergarten and a Step Ahead Academy for students who were retained, before it closed at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

In 2021, the IPS school board voted to share funds from its 2018 property tax increase with charters in its Innovation Network of autonomous schools. On Thursday, the district in its resolution cited that revenue-sharing to argue that it is exempt from having to sell or lease its closed buildings to charters for $1.

“In 2023, there were significant modifications to the so-called dollar law that we believe exempt IPS from” the statute, the district said in a statement after the vote. “Our legal team will continue to engage in the analysis and implications moving forward.”

But Sen. Linda Rogers, a Republican and the author of the change to the $1 law, previously told Chalkbeat that the exemption would not cover IPS just because the district had shared funds from a previous referendum.

Instead, she argued, the exemption only covers districts that share such revenue with charters through measures that voters approve this year or in subsequent years. (In fact, under a separate state law, IPS and other Marion County school districts will be required to split revenue in this way with charters for any future ballot question that voters pass.)

“We don’t think IPS has met the requirement of the statute to share property tax dollars proportionately with all charter schools in the IPS boundaries, and thus the action they are taking violates the law,” Marcie Brown-Carter, executive director of the Indiana Charter School Network, said in a statement before the vote on Thursday.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the directive to prioritize a sale or transfer to a nonprofit or government agency will give “mission-aligned organizations … the opportunity at the front of the line” to acquire the buildings.

VOICES, a nonprofit that offers youth programs, told the school board that the space at School 102 would allow it to grow.

Circle City Prep founder and executive director Megan Murphy told Chalkbeat that the school is also interested in pursuing a partnership with IPS to use School 102 for a second campus as the charter school grows. But she said the school is not interested in purchasing the building at this time, even for $1.

Both School 65 and School 102 were built in the early 1960s and had low utilization rates in the 2022-23 school year. School 102 on the far eastside operated at just 24% capacity, and School 65 operated at 45% capacity. The sale price for these buildings is not yet determined.

School 102, which housed a prekindergarten center and the Step Ahead Academy for students who had been retained, was given a building condition score of “poor” in a third-party assessment. School 65 was rated as “fair.”

Although the district had discussions with Adelante about potentially occupying School 65, IPS Chief Operations Officer Bill Murphy said the neighborhood in the south side area would not have sustained a second Adelante campus. Adelante, a charter school in the Innovation Network that operates in the district’s Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School building, has an enrollment that only uses 35% of the capacity available in that building, Murphy added.

“We really want to make sure that they have an opportunity to thrive,” he said. “When we looked at the projections, splitting them in between two campuses, for example, would have engineered their failure in at least one.”

Adelante Executive Director Eddie Rangel declined to comment on the plan to sell the buildings.

School for the blind to lease two other closed schools

Board members also approved lease agreements with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) to occupy two other schools that closed this year as part of Rebuilding Stronger.

ISBVI will pay $8,885 per month to occupy Floro Torrence School 83 in the northeast part of the district through July 2030, while its campus undergoes renovations. The school will pay $13,845 per month for George Buck School 94 on the far eastside.

Paul Miller School 114, which also closed this year, will serve as a new campus for the Excel Center adult charter high school. The district is still working on plans for Francis W. Parker Montessori School 56, the sixth school to close under the reorganization.

Correction: This article has been updated to accurately describe the state law governing the lease or sale of closed and underused school buildings to charter schools and education institutions under certain circumstances.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

COVID aid ends, science of reading, vouchers: 5 things to watch as Indiana’s school year begins

2023-07-25T11:00:00+00:00

The first Indiana school districts head back to school this week amid a spate of new laws and policies that will affect what happens in the classroom.

Recovering from the pandemic’s effects on student performance remains a top priority for schools, as state testing scores indicate that learning has stagnated. But new laws will also expand schools’ focus beyond postsecondary education, and more toward career exploration.

For younger students, Indiana is prioritizing reading instruction through new laws requiring curriculum and teacher training based on the science of reading, an approach to literacy that emphasizes phonics, fluency, and other principles.. Meanwhile, for middle and high schoolers, preparation for postsecondary life is the priority, with new funds earmarked for workforce training.

Public schools are also grappling with the potential impacts of an expanded voucher program, as well as laws aimed at students’ identities and school library books.

Here are five things to watch for as the school year begins.

New standards and approaches to reading

Fresh off the latest statewide testing results showing a decline in students’ reading proficiency, Indiana is continuing a push to make sure schools teach reading through evidence-based practices known as the science of reading. Several new laws and policies will shape how students learn to read this year.

Districts will be evaluating their reading curriculum materials this year to ensure they’re in line with the science of reading practices. They must adopt an approved curriculum by the 2024-25 school year.

Literacy coaches will be coming to schools where fewer than 70% of students passed the state reading assessment, as well as schools that opt in to the Indiana Department of Education’s initiative to place more of these coaches in schools.

Meanwhile, new standards in four core subjects adopted in June will also streamline what students must learn in each grade level. Officials hope this move will allow teachers to focus on the most essential skills in their lessons.

A push toward college and career

While literacy is the emphasis for younger students, middle and high schoolers will see several new initiatives aimed at preparing them for postsecondary training.

All high school seniors will have to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid next spring due to a new law meant to increase Indiana’s college-going rate.

High schoolers will also have access to the state’s new career scholarship accounts, which provide grants for workforce training that they can use outside of traditional high school programs. As part of that new law, students will also attend career fairs throughout the year.

Eligible middle school students, meanwhile, will be automatically enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program, which covers tuition and fees at an in-state college or university.

A near-universal choice program

Indiana opened its private school voucher program to nearly all students during this year’s legislative session, offering public funding for students to attend private schools and potentially leading to major changes in the state’s enrollment landscape.

It’s not immediately clear how many more students will participate in the program, or whether new participants will primarily be students who are already enrolled in private schools. But declines in enrollment at public schools could create instability in district budgets and affect the students who remain.

The approaching end of ESSER spending

Districts are facing final deadlines to commit the second and third rounds of federal COVID funding — known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER — in September 2023 and September 2024, respectively.

With Indiana no longer allowed to charge families for textbooks and devices, some districts could use federal funds to provide these course materials. Conversely, districts that relied on federal funding for long-term costs like staffing may face a crunch as they figure out how to fold those positions into their budgets.

The state education department’s spending tracker shows that the state has reimbursed schools for around 84% of ESSER II dollars and 46% of ESSER III dollars as of July 17, though these figures don’t represent schools’ expenditures in real time.

The effects of laws aimed at students’ identity

The Indiana legislature this year passed several laws that seek to control how sex and gender are discussed and dealt with in schools.

Among them is a requirement for schools to notify parents if their children request to change their names or pronouns, passed over LGBTQ advocates’ concerns that it could put youth at risk at home. The law also bans sex education lessons in preschool to third grade.

Districts will also grapple with a law that requires them to publish their library catalogs and create procedures for parents and others to request the removal of books. Supporters of the law said it was meant to keep obscene material out of kids’ hands, while librarians said such material isn’t in their libraries to begin with.

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Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPS ILEARN scores improve some, but remain below independent charters

2023-07-14T12:00:00+00:00

Indiana’s latest ILEARN scores show that Black and Hispanic students in independent charters in Indianapolis continue to outperform their peers in Indianapolis Public Schools and the district’s own charter schools.

IPS, however, is inching along in its pandemic academic recovery with a greater share of students proficient in both subjects than in 2019, while independent charters and charters in the IPS Innovation Network as a whole have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

The results for the three public school systems serving students within IPS attendance boundaries show slow growth in some areas and stagnation in others, in some cases mirroring a recent national analysis showing students experienced little to no academic progress in the 2022-23 academic year. (Chalkbeat’s analysis of independent charters included some schools that are physically outside of IPS boundaries but enroll a majority of IPS students).

IPS rates remained low: 14.8% of students scored proficient in both math and English, up slightly from 14.1% the year before, and more than 4 percentage points above 2021 scores. The most recent scores are one point higher than rates from 2019, the first time students took the exam.

The gains since 2021 have largely been driven by the district’s white students, whose proficiency rates have jumped by roughly 10 percentage points since the pandemic low in 2021 and are even higher than when students first took the ILEARN in 2019. Black and Hispanic students in IPS, however, have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Charter schools within the IPS Innovation Network — a consortium of autonomous schools considered a part of IPS — collectively also increased combined English and math proficiency rates slightly from 6.7% to 6.9%.

On average, independent charters that are not affiliated with IPS slightly increased rates from 17% to 18% proficiency in both math and English. Black and Hispanic students in these schools continue to perform better than their peers in IPS. As a group, however, these schools have yet to reach pre-pandemic proficiency levels.

The results are similar to statewide rates that have also largely stalled — proficiency rates in both subjects increased from 30.2% to 30.6%.

IPS, however, is the only school district in Marion County that has exceeded 2019 rates for the percentage of students proficient in both subjects.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said she’s not satisfied with the outcomes, but is pleased to see continued progress.

“The fact that we stayed stable in English language arts, saw some positive movement in math, I think is a positive for us as a district given the context of the past year,” she said.

IPS mirrors statewide math gains and English losses

In IPS, proficiency rates in English dipped minutely from 22.3% to 22.2% while rates in math slightly increased from 19.5% to 21.1%.

IPS maintains a significant gap between white students on one hand and Hispanic and Black students on the other for percentages of students scoring proficient in English, math, and both subjects.

Johnson said the district has to double down on successful initiatives to drive student achievement, including tutoring programs.

This year, the district is expanding virtual tutoring during school hours to all schools that wish to participate. The district began an overhaul in curriculum in 2020.

“We have to be really urgent about the work we’re doing,” Johnson said.

Different circumstances may affect scores for school systems as a whole. For example, eight Innovation Network charter schools are chronically underperforming schools. To improve achievement, the district assigned them to a charter operator, but several still struggle.

Half of the eight so-called restart schools last spring increased the percentage of students proficient in both subjects.

Combined proficiency at Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School dipped slightly from 12.4% to 12.2%, but the school still maintains the highest rate among restart schools. Adelante’s individual rates for English and math also declined.

Eddie Rangel, Adelante’s executive director, said the school enrolled 194 new students in the 2022-23 year. He said new students had lower proficiency rates than longer-enrolled students.

“I don’t think any of us really know what’s going on, and it is frustrating to think we can’t pinpoint one thing,” Rangel said of national reports of stagnant learning. He said Adelante is focusing on grade-level scores and improvement.

Rangel said he hopes new state standards and revised school attendance boundaries will help stability and academics.

Black, Hispanic students in independent charters perform better

Independent charters continue to show higher rates for students proficient in both English and math.

This group of schools also maintains the highest proficiency rates for Black and Hispanic students, rates that have risen the most since 2021 but have still not reached 2019 levels.

“I do think that we have enough evidence that the independent charter schools in Indianapolis for Black students in particular are making tremendously larger academic gains than what we’re seeing for other schools,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of the Mind Trust nonprofit that helps incubate charter schools in Indianapolis. “The question is ‘What are the conditions that are driving those gains?’”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

2023 ILEARN scores: See test results from your school

2023-07-12T13:05:44+00:00

ILEARN scores for 2023 were released Wednesday, with Indiana students doing slightly better than last year on their overall scores.

In 2023, about 30.6% of students in grades 3-8 statewide scored proficient or better in both the English and math sections of the ILEARN state test — only a fraction of a percentage point above the 30.2% last year.

By subject, 40.7% of students were proficient in English, and 40.9% were proficient in math. That’s a drop of half a percentage point in English and a 1.5 percentage point increase over last year in math.

See how students at your school did on the ILEARN test using the table below:

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

2023 ILEARN scores show Indiana students improving in math, but stagnating in reading

2023-07-12T13:00:00+00:00

Indiana’s statewide testing scores stagnated this year as students faced an uneven academic recovery, with gains in math proficiency and declines in English.

Around 30.6% of students in grades 3-8 statewide scored proficient or better in both the English and math sections of the ILEARN state test — only a fraction of a percentage point above the 30.2% last year.

Even though overall math scores rose 1.5 percentage points over last year, English scores dropped half a percentage point despite a statewide effort to boost literacy. In 2023, 40.7% of students were proficient in English, and 40.9% were proficient in math.

Reading proficiency rates have dropped back to 2021 levels after gains in 2022, with several student groups showing a percentage-point decline this year.

Overall scores still remain far below pre-pandemic levels: In 2019, around 37% of students scored proficient in both English and math. Around 48% of students scored proficient in at least one of the sections.

“When we set our standards in 2019, compared to the data we’re seeing now, we’re still about 6% below where we were in 2019,” said Charity Flores, chief academic officer at the Indiana Department of Education.

The department acknowledged in a presentation to the State Board of Education that more targeted support is needed in English, especially for English learner students and middle schoolers. Seventh grade English scores dropped nearly 3 percentage points.

The state launched several initiatives in the last year to improve reading skills, including increasing funding for English learners.

New laws also require schools and teacher preparation programs to align their literacy instruction with research-backed methods known collectively as the science of reading. The state also recently reduced the number of standards required of students in order to allow teachers to focus on the most essential skills.

Students will take a brand-new statewide test by 2025-26, as the department undertakes a redesign of the assessment.

The goal of the redesign is to make the results clearer to families and teachers with more frequent data, Flores said, as well as to shorten the final assessment. Students will take informal, check-in assessment throughout the year.

2023 ILEARN results by school and student group

Some student groups showed signs of improvement on the 2023 ILEARN. For the second year in a row, Black students posted at least a percentage point increase in both math and English.

Sixth graders posted a 2.8 percentage-point increase in math proficiency and a 1.8 percentage-point increase in English.

Additionally, around 53% of third graders scored proficient or better in math, making them once again the only grade where more than half of students were proficient in either subject. Those students have only known school during the pandemic.

At Indianapolis Public Schools, proficiency rates for English stayed flat from last year, while math scores climbed 1.6 percentage points. Overall, 14.8% of students were proficient in both math and English.

Meanwhile, Brownsburg schools in neighboring Hendricks County had the highest percentage of students who tested proficient, 63.4%.

Below, look up scores at your school.

Academic recovery is stabilizing for most students

At a Wednesday State Board of Education meeting, Department of Education officials also presented the results of a multiyear study on the impact of the pandemic on students’ academics.

This year’s analysis showed that nearly all students are stabilizing in both English and math, with no further declines. But students are not accelerating their learning at the rates needed to return to their pre-pandemic performance, according to the presentation.

Notably, English performance among English learner students is still declining.

Flores said the data indicates that the education system is returning to a pre-pandemic normal, but specific student groups — including English learners, middle schoolers, and students who were below proficiency before the pandemic — have yet to recover.

“Specific conversations and concerted efforts are needed to best support their learning,” she said.

SAT scores also show a decline

In addition to scores for students in grades 3-8, the Department of Education on Wednesday released SAT proficiency rates for Indiana juniors, who take the test as a graduation requirement.

The percentage of students who tested as college ready declined in both math, and reading and writing from last year.

Around 31% of juniors met the benchmark in the spring compared with 33% in 2022, the first year the test was required.

In reading and writing, around 50% of students met the benchmark this year, compared with 52% in 2023.

The department is also considering new graduation requirements to align with Indiana’s push for more work-based learning, though it’s unclear whether the SAT requirement would be affected.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s new ‘science of reading’ law requires districts to adopt research-backed curriculum

2023-05-25T21:01:35+00:00

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Indiana has joined a growing number of states that require schools to use curriculum materials that emphasize phonetic instruction when teaching children how to read.

A new state law, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb on May 4, requires school districts to adopt a curriculum that’s aligned with what’s commonly called the science of reading.

Districts are also forbidden from adopting curriculum that relies primarily on using context clues and pictures for literacy instruction, an approach known as the three-cueing model. In addition, teachers licensed after June 2025 to teach a content area involving literacy instruction in prekindergarten through fifth grade must earn a new literacy endorsement to prove they are proficient in the science of reading standards.

The new law comes amid concern from lawmakers and education officials in Indiana and nationwide about elementary school students’ reading ability — an issue exacerbated by the pandemic. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said last year that literacy instruction and the use of phonics varies from classroom to classroom. Elsewhere, New York City recently required elementary schools to adopt a phonics-based reading program, and Illinois advocates said students there have struggled to read because schools haven’t relied on the science of reading.

Below, we break down how Indiana defines the science of reading, what the new law actually says, and what it all means for students, teachers, and schools.

What is the science of reading?

The new state statute defines the science of reading as a “vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research” that requires the “explicit, systematic” use of five elements in literacy instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Phonemic awareness means being able to understand that different sounds form words, said Brandon Sherman, a research project manager in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Education. Phonics is the ability to break down that word into its different phonemes, or sounds.

State law defines “science of reading” as research that also has a record of success and increases competency in those five elements, as well as oral language skills, writing, and spelling. The research also informs how proficient reading and writing develop, why some students may have difficulty with reading, and how to effectively teach reading to all students.

But the term itself has different meanings to different people, Sherman said.

Do Indiana students struggle with reading?

Just 33% of Indiana’s fourth graders were proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress last year, while 31% of eighth graders were proficient in reading. Those scores were roughly in line with the national average. Eighth grade reading scores dropped from their pre-pandemic level in 2019, although the fourth grade scores were statistically about the same as in 2019.

Last year, 81.6% of third graders were proficient on the state’s IREAD exam in 2019; schools may hold back students who don’t pass the test. That’s a decline from pre-pandemic scores. In 2019, for example, 87.3% of students were proficient on the IREAD.

But many students of color have scored much lower on the IREAD than the statewide average. In Indiana, 64.1% of Black students and 69.6% of Hispanic students were proficient on the 2022 IREAD.

What does Indiana’s science of reading law do?

The law requires school districts and charter schools to adopt curriculum or supplemental materials that are aligned with the science of reading by the 2024-25 school year. The state board of education must also develop academic standards for reading based on the science of reading by 2024-25.

It forbids districts from adopting curriculum that is primarily based using context, pictures, or syntax clues to teach students to read.

The law also requires teachers who teach literacy in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade to receive a literacy endorsement through the state if they receive their teaching license after June 30, 2025. School districts are required to offer extra pay for teachers who have the literacy endorsement. The amount of additional pay is up to the district.

The endorsement requires 80 hours of professional development aligned with the science of reading, plus a written exam to demonstrate that educators are proficient in “scientifically based reading instruction skills.”

The state board will adopt the exam, and will establish the procedure for current teachers who wish to add the literacy endorsement to their license.

Teacher preparation programs in Indiana must also use a curriculum that instructs teaching candidates on the science of reading by July 2024. The state education department will develop guidelines for this requirement, and will conduct a review of all accredited teacher programs to ensure the programs adhere to this requirement.

What will change about students’ reading lessons?

This depends on the district.

For example, some districts reported using a curriculum that aligns with the Orton-Gillingham approach, which has systematic lessons on phonics, according to its website.

Others report using the Into Reading curriculum by HMH, which lists phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as among the components of reading instruction.

The state education department will provide a list of curriculums that are based on the science of reading for districts to consider when reviewing whether their current curriculum complies with the law.

In Marion County, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township says it does not believe it needs to change its curriculum, which includes the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum, but is awaiting state education department guidance.

Perry Township, which uses the HMH Into Reading curriculum, said its own investigation concluded that all components of science of reading were heavily supported in the curriculum, although there was less use of phonemic awareness in grades 3-5.

“We have reinforced this area through additional training of our teachers in Orton-Gillingham and through the focus of The Science of Reading components during our Professional Development (cluster) time,” a Perry Township spokesperson said in a statement.

The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township did not specify which curriculum the district uses, but said it provided K-2 educators the opportunity to participate in training in LETRS, a professional development tool that says it is based on the science of reading on its website. A spokesperson said the district will provide professional development to ensure its curriculum aligns with science of reading principles.

“When we go through our next curriculum adoption process, we will intentionally select materials that meet the needs of our learners, while adhering to all IDOE [Indiana Department of Education] criteria,” a Pike Township spokesperson said in a statement.

Will Indiana provide new funding for science of reading and literacy?

The state’s biennial budget for 2024-25 allows up to $20 million to fund science of reading initiatives from the state education department each year.

The department can distribute this money to districts for literacy coaches to train teachers in the science of reading, or to use for efforts that increase instructional time, such as summer literacy programs or high-dosage tutoring for struggling readers. Districts can also use this funding to cover the cost of teachers to obtain the new literacy endorsement.

The state’s budget also provides up to $10 million each fiscal year for literacy achievement grants to school districts and charter schools.

This funding is in addition to the $111 million the state announced it would use to train teachers in the science of reading last year.

What’s driven recent interest in literacy instruction?

The so-called “reading wars” over the best approach to teaching literacy date back to at least the 1920s, Sherman said. Some researchers say the debate in the U.S. originated more than 200 years ago.

But the issue became more prominent in recent years due to reporting by American Public Media about school districts’ use of disproven methods of literacy instruction; its coverage of literacy includes the “Sold a Story” podcast. Mississippi also brought attention to the science of reading after embracing the approach and increasing its reading scores in a turnaround effort deemed “the Mississippi miracle.”

The reemergence of literacy instruction as a major issue has also highlighted disagreements between supporters of different teaching methods. For example, researchers and advocates frequently contrast the science of reading with “whole language” instruction, which emphasizes contextual clues to help students learn to read.

Sherman says that historically in the U.S., the popularity of different instructional methods for literacy has waxed and waned.

“We see that again focusing on systematic phonics is the emphasis,” he said. “And then the pendulum kind of goes the other way. And this is where we see whole language. And then the pendulum goes again and we see phonics come back in.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis school for students with substance-use struggles guides another class to graduation

2023-05-19T09:00:00+00:00

Looking back, Ashley Mash is somewhat thankful that a few years ago, her father called the police after her sisters found the two blunts she had put in a drawer in the basement.

Months before, she had gotten high for the first time as a freshman in the Carmel High School bathroom, an experience that turned into a coping mechanism to deal with feelings of insecurity and anxiety. When her parents sent her to Hope Academy — a charter high school in Indianapolis for students struggling with substance use — she did not want to go.

Now, Ashley is the valedictorian in a class of seven graduates who will celebrate their diplomas in a ceremony on Saturday. She is heading to Ball State University to study wildlife conservation with nine months of sobriety under her belt.

“Obviously I still have cravings and stuff,” she said. “But I realized how many problems I don’t have when I don’t smoke.”

Valedictorians at Hope Academy don’t earn the title based on grade point average alone, but also on their service to the school and their commitment to staying sober. Ashley has been active in the school, even giving a speech at the school’s regular fundraising event.

“I don’t know how to ever repay you,” she said about the school in the speech she gave at the event in November. “But I can start today by continuing to be sober and living the life that you saved.”

The graduation for Hope Academy is among the first in the wave of high school graduations that begin this month for the Class of 2023.

Hope Academy is celebrating its 17th graduating class this year since opening in 2006 as the state’s only recovery high school. It is one of 42 across the country, according to the Association of Recovery Schools.

The challenges for Hope Academy and other recovery schools have changed since then. With a shortage of proper treatment programs, schools like Hope are now increasingly on the front lines of students’ recovery efforts, said Rachelle Gardener, the school’s co-founder and executive director.

“They find us first and we’re doing a lot of referrals to treatment, if we can find treatment,” she said. “We’ve had to kind of adjust the way we look at that student when they come to us, not having a lot of knowledge of addiction, not having a lot of knowledge of recovery.”

In an attempt to reach more students, Hope moved to a more central location on the southside of Indianapolis in 2020 and joined the Indianapolis Public Schools as an Innovation Network school that same year.

The legalization and prevalence of marijuana in recent years has presented a new challenge, Gardner said. Now, all of the school’s students have a marijuana substance use issue, whereas nearly two decades ago students primarily struggled with other substances such as alcohol.

At Hope, students take a traditional academic curriculum to align to the state’s Core 40 standards required to graduate. But they also have recovery coaches who help guide them through their addiction, and a recovery and wellness class that breaks up the standard academic day.

After two years at the school, Mash realized she didn’t like the feeling of smoking weed and the anxiety it would bring. When senior year hit, she knew she had to graduate because she didn’t want to be in school forever.

She was also motivated to change when she realized how much she was hurting the people around her, she said.

“My parents were really worried and for a while, I knew that they were worried and I didn’t care,” she said. “Senior year hit and I was like, ‘I actually have to get my stuff done and be sober and make something of myself.’”

And when her father passed away in January, she still stayed sober.

Ashley advises other students struggling with addiction: “Don’t be selfish.”

“You have to think of your future,” she added. “No matter how badly I didn’t want to think about it, I knew that if I was 20 and still in school I wouldn’t be happy. I think that everyone that’s still struggling with it needs to just try their best to do better, because it’s not perfect, but as long as you’re trying to help yourself then that’s all you can do.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools’ Teachers of the Year reflect on teaching, equity, and hands-on learning

2023-05-18T16:11:03+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools named two Teachers of the Year in surprise announcements on the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week.

The award goes to one educator each at the elementary and secondary level who is nominated by a school principal to represent the best in excellent teaching and accomplishments. Local Teachers of the Year may choose to compete in the statewide Teacher of the Year competition run by the Indiana Department of Education.

Below, Brandon Denning and Robin Houdek answer questions about their work and reflect on the joy of hands-on learning, the importance of reflecting on their teaching practices, and what teaching means to them.

Butler Lab School 55 teacher Robin Houdek, left, and Center for Inquiry School 84 teacher Brandon Denning are the Teachers of the Year for Indianapolis Public Schools.

Embracing the arts and unpredictability while teaching

Robin Houdek, the K-6 winner, works with teachers at Butler Lab School 55 to incorporate hands-on activities into their curriculum. She is called an “atelierista,” a term from the Reggio Emilia philosophy of learning that Butler Lab schools adopt. The Reggio Emilia style of teaching embraces the theory that children have multiple modes of expression and understanding, and emphasizes learning through the environment and participation.

She studied at Indiana University’s School of Fine Arts, later earning a master’s degree in art teaching from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She’s also a former IPS student.

What was your own education experience in IPS?

Houdek attended the now-closed Key Learning Center, which was based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences that people have different capabilities in processing information.

As a student at Key, Houdek learned in an environment where art was valued as much as reading and math, she said.

At Shortridge Junior High, Houdek also participated in the performing arts program.

“I learned a lot about intrinsic motivation as a young child so I think that had the biggest impact on me,” she said. “But I didn’t realize it until down the road in life when I got in more traditional settings and was able to see how much that progressive, non-traditional experience shaped just my learning and life.”

How do you incorporate art into your role as an educator?

Houdek works with teachers to think about what kinds of projects they want to do in their classroom, and how they can teach it for different learning styles in accordance with the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

“If kids are really interested in rocks and worms we might bring dirt into the classroom and explore with dirt. Go outside and go to parks,” she said “If they’re doing memoirs, we might try to start exploring spoken word or we just kind of play around with different ways.”

What does teaching mean to you?

In her essay for her Teacher of the Year application, Houdek answered a version of this question.

“Teaching is not perfect or predictable. It is knowing that you will never arrive but caring enough to stay on the journey. It is a constant fight for optimism and hope in the face of limited resources and limited time,” Houdek wrote. “It is joy and courage. Curiosity and commitment. Teaching is listening to students, to families, to yourself. It is changing over time and knowing where you need to grow for the sake of our children. It is making mistakes and trying again.”

Houdek then carefully listed Ava and Eva, Javonte and Jerome, and 30 other student names and summed up why they all matter: “Teaching is not me, it is us.”

Making sure students feel valued, included, and respected

Brandon Denning, the 7-12 winner, is a math teacher at the Center for Inquiry School 84, where he serves on the school’s equity team. He gravitated toward education after studying business at Purdue University (or “the greatest school on earth,” as he calls it).

At CFI School 84, Denning has participated in the school’s racial equity team and was a spokesperson for the district’s staffing recruitment campaign known as “Proving What’s Possible.”

Why was it important for you to join the school’s equity team?

Denning, who is one-quarter Japanese, said he grew up with a lot of interesting questions from his peers that could sometimes be seen as microaggressions.

“I wanted to be a part of the solution moving forward,” he said.

As part of the team, Denning presented a teacher equity reflection rubric, which allows teachers to consider whether they are making their lessons inclusive and accessible to students of all backgrounds.

“It’s basically a way to reflect on your teaching practice, both in the way your classroom is set up and your actual instruction,” he said.

Why did you participate in the district’s recruitment campaign?

When administrators approached Denning about being part of the district’s “Proving What’s Possible” recruitment campaign, the thought of trying to recruit and retain high-quality teachers greatly appealed to him.

“Our kids deserve it,” he said. “That’s the bottom line of all of this. Students in IPS, just like students in any other district, deserve to have quality education.”

Dening said if his simple message could attract even one educator, then he was happy to put that message out there.

“If we can bring in talented individuals, then the sky’s the limit for our kids,” he said.

What does teaching mean to you?

To Denning, being an educator also means being a guiding hand to students even outside the classroom.

“There’s a lot of tough things in the world, and life can be really hard for kids in this day and age in a lot of ways,” Denning said. “So any positive impact that I could have in the classroom or in extracurricular activities is something that I wanted to be a part of.”

Helping students feel valued and respected as individuals in a time when it’s really hard to feel those things — especially with social media — is important, Denning said.

“If I could do that, that means I could have an impact I could leave behind,” he said.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana charter schools get state funding boost with help from influential voucher supporters

2023-05-17T21:24:25+00:00

The argument in the video was simple.

Two fictional students, Andy and Anna, both go to a public school — but Andy’s school receives less state funding because it is a charter school. The ad from the Indiana Student Funding Alliance prompted viewers to ask: Shouldn’t Indiana lawmakers close this unfair funding gap between charters and traditional public schools?

The message reached voters throughout Indiana just as state lawmakers convened for this year’s legislative session. The roughly $500,000 ad campaign was the latest in a years-long push to direct more state and local funding to charters with the help of the alliance, an influential group of charter backers and nonprofits.

As the session began, charter schools and their backers had particularly pressing reasons to step up their lobbying and marketing efforts. Indianapolis Public Schools, the state’s largest district, planned on seeking roughly $413 million in new property taxes through a 2023 ballot measure. And charter schools were frustrated with the prospect of getting a relatively small slice of that money; some charters wouldn’t get any of it. Additionally, property values in general were rising, sending extra funding to some local school districts but not to charters.

Although the alliance had existed informally for a few years, last year its members organized the group under a formal name. It got support for its marketing campaign from groups like the Hoosiers for Quality Education nonprofit — which also has a political action committee that has donated nearly $1 million to lawmakers in the last three years alone and supports school choice of various kinds.

The Indiana Student Funding Alliance’s campaign paid off. After lawmakers enacted several changes this year, charter schools scored one of their biggest wins since they started in Indiana over 20 years ago: a modified state funding system that gives them more money. The changes, combined with a nearly universal voucher system lawmakers passed this year, mark a critical milestone for an Indiana education landscape that favors school choice now more than ever.

Education interest groups and PACs have long lobbied state lawmakers and tried to sway public opinion. The Indiana Political Action Committee for Education, for example, is the political arm of the Indiana State Teachers Association that consistently gives money to lawmakers’ campaigns.

But the changes this year represent a critical juncture for school funding in Indiana. In addition to increasing the state’s per-student charter funding, school districts in Marion County and three other counties now must not only share referendum funds for operating expenses with charters, but also future property tax increases as well.

Even with the Republican supermajority’s strong support for school choice in general, it was important for advocates like the Indiana Student Funding Alliance to highlight charter schools’ funding challenges, said Scott Bess, the executive director of Purdue Polytechnic High School, an Indianapolis charter that is part of the alliance. The group had existed loosely for years, he noted, but the IPS referendum — and charters’ inability in general to tap local property tax revenue — elicited a more organized response.

“Those two things happening at the same time really sent home the message that if we don’t do something and do something more aggressively, these gaps are going to get to a point where it’s not financially sustainable,” Bess said.

Rep. Ed Delaney, a Democrat on the House education committee who has consistently opposed charter schools and vouchers, sees lobbying by the alliance and similar efforts as the work of an “education industrial complex.”

“I think they’ve reached a point of excessive power,” he said. “And what comes with that is greed and a lack of judgment.”

Charter school backers turn to Facebook ads

How these changes will affect traditional public schools’ budgets is unknown, given fluctuating property values among other factors.

The Mind Trust, a powerful Indianapolis nonprofit that advocates for charter-friendly policies and which joined the Indiana Student Funding Alliance, estimates those changes will ultimately provide an additional $2,259 per student for charter schools within IPS.

Changes to Indiana charter school funding

The new laws for charter funding stem from two bills, one from the Senate and the state’s budget legislation from the House. The laws:

Require school districts in Marion, St. Joseph, Vanderburg and Lake counties to proportionally share revenue increases from rising property valuations with charter schools, beginning in 2025. This would apply to charters located in the same county that enroll students living in those districts. The provision means that altogether, school districts in those counties will lose $9.3 million in 2025 and $12.5 million in 2026 to charter schools, according to the fiscal analysis from the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency (LSA).
Require school districts in Marion, St. Joseph, Vanderburg and Lake counties to proportionally share additional property tax revenues from any operating or school safety referendum passed by voters after May 10 with charter schools that enroll a student living in that district. Virtual and adult high schools do not receive this funding. The LSA estimates that if the law were applicable in 2022, school districts in these four counties would have distributed about $23.9 million of $210.1 million collected in referendum funding to charters.
Increase the annual charter school grant amount from $1,250 per student to $1,400 per student for operational costs. Statewide, the funding is set at $52.6 million in fiscal 2024 and 2025.
Provide $25 million in fiscal 2024 statewide to charter schools for facility needs.
Allow charter schools to access loans through the state Common School Fund for facility and technology needs. All charters may also now access loans for large projects — such as new buildings — through the Indiana Bond Bank at a low interest rate.

Members of the alliance are celebrating these changes as wins.

The alliance is made up of partners such as the Indiana Charter School Network and the Walton Education Coalition, an education advocacy group, said Betsy Wiley, president of the Hoosiers for Quality Education nonprofit that helped fund the alliance’s campaign. (The Walton Family Foundation, which is legally separate from the Walton Education Coalition, is a funder of Chalkbeat.)

Hoosiers for Quality Education also has a political action committee that has received funding from wealthy donors and groups frequently associated with education reform efforts such as charter schools and vouchers.

Together, the Hoosiers for Quality Education nonprofit and the related Institute for Quality Education nonprofit — which distributes private school tuition support as a scholarship granting organization — paid for at least $49,000 in Facebook ads, such as the one featuring Andy and Anna that promoted more funding for charters, according to Facebook’s Ad Library. Those ads ran from September 2022 to the end of the session in April.

“This year was different in that a group of folks who strongly believe that public charter school students deserve the same funding as their traditional district student peers came together in a more coordinated fashion,” Wiley said in an email.

Rep. Bob Behning, the Indianapolis Republican who was chairman of the House education committee in the 2023 session, had previously pushed for school districts to share referendum revenues with charters. But this year, he said, the IPS referendum elevated the issue’s importance in his mind. (IPS ultimately nixed its plan to put the referendum on the May primary ballot, although the district may revive the proposal in some form.)

The advertisements by charter backers indicated a general motivation to push for “some level of parity” for charter school funding, he said.

Lawmakers did also approve a $312 million increase for traditional public schools right before the end of this year’s legislative session. But critics such as Delaney argue the push to increase funding for charters is just part of a bigger agenda to dismantle the traditional public school system.

“The fundamental truth is they are not interested in traditional public education,” he said. “They do not support it, they do not believe in it, but they don’t have the courage to stand up and say” that traditional public schools should close.

What increased funding means to charters

Anna and Andy used in the Indiana Student Funding Alliance ads may be fictional, but Dwayne Sullivan and his mother, Susan Sargeant, are very much real.

Dwayne is in the first class due to graduate next year from the Rooted School, an Indianapolis charter school with grades 7-12 that opened in 2020.

Even though her son will graduate soon, Sargeant is hopeful the additional funding enabled by the changes to state law will support higher teacher salaries to attract high-quality teachers to Rooted.

“That’s a big, big, big deal, especially for a charter school that’s starting out,” she said.

Jack Langlois, a junior at Purdue Polytechnic High School’s north campus in Indianapolis, helped start a cafe run by students at a cost of $5,000. School officials hope more funding for charters will help cover the cost of materials for projects at the school, which emphasizes project-based learning.

At Purdue Polytechnic High School, which has two campuses in Indianapolis, extra operating revenue will also help cover the cost of materials needed for the experiential learning that the school emphasizes through robotics, woodshop, and even a coffee shop that students recently opened at the Englewood campus of Broad Ripple High School.

Both charter school and traditional public school advocates see the referendum sharing requirement as an opportunity to collaborate to convince voters to pass future property tax increases for schools.

Still, some school district officials are worried about the net effect of sharing incremental property tax revenues with charters.

Rafi Nolan-Abrahamian, chief of staff for South Bend Community Schools, said the district is grateful for the $2.1 million in additional yearly revenue it’s getting due to the last-minute change made by lawmakers. And he said each funding change favoring charters on its own is probably manageable.

“But we are concerned in particular about the precedent that some of these are setting, and the sort of underlying motivations and rationales behind them,” he said.

Meanwhile, pro-charter groups are stressing that this year’s policy changes don’t meet all their long-term goals.

“Our goal remains the same, the same that it’s been for many, many years, which is parity in funding for public charter school students,” Wiley said. “And we’re not there yet.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

4 closing IPS schools will see new uses, revival under approved plan

2023-05-17T00:36:26+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools has plans to reuse four of six schools slated to close to students at the end of this school year, including moving its facilities division to one location and partnering with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to use two buildings.

The resolution approved by the school board on Tuesday describes next steps for Floro Torrence School 83, George Buck School 94, Paul Miller School 114, and Francis Parker School 56.

The district is still exploring reuse options for the Francis Bellamy Preschool Center and Raymond Brandes School 65.

The reuse plan is part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger overhaul, which is closing the six schools in an attempt to operate more efficiently while expanding specialized academic programming and preschool.

Charter schools had expressed interest in occupying some of the closing school buildings through an older version of the state’s so-called $1 law, which allowed charters to buy or lease unused or vacant classroom buildings for $1. Adelante Schools, for instance, hoped to occupy Raymond Brandes School 65.

The Indiana Charter School Network filed an attorney general’s complaint against the district in December, arguing that IPS violated the state law by not offering the buildings to charter schools. But the attorney general’s office ruled in favor of IPS, noting the district still had plans to use the buildings after the schools closed.

But a revised version of the $1 law exempts school districts from the requirement to offer certain school buildings to charters if they share additional property tax revenue for operational or safety expenses — approved by voters through a ballot question — with charter schools. School districts in Marion County are required to share such referendum funds under other new legislation.

The district also plans to sell six small surplus land parcels near schools, which the district estimates would bring in an extra tens to low hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Indiana School for the Blind to use two buildings

The Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will temporarily occupy Floro Torrence School 83 and George Buck School 94 while its permanent campus is renovated. Students will come to the campuses in August 2024 and stay five or six years.

The 100 Black Men nonprofit, which provides programs to uplift and mentor Black youth, will also use School 83 as a space for summer programming in 2023-24 before the ISBVI occupies the space.

Facilities division, charter school to use Paul Miller School 114

The Paul Miller School 114 building on the district’s south side will house its Facilities and Maintenance Division, consolidating staff that are currently located in Arlington Middle School, northwest Middle School, and the Broad Ripple High School that will reopen as a middle school under the Rebuilding Stronger plan.

The school’s open layout is much more conducive to facility needs than other school spaces, district officials said.

The newly approved Excel Center - Twin Aire, the seventh Excel Center adult charter high school to open in Indianapolis, will also use School 114 on a long-term basis.

Johnson said housing the charter and the FMD in the same building could lead to partnership opportunities for Excel students to work with the FMD team after graduation.

The district will also collect community input to determine the best use of the school’s playground and green space.

IPS hopes to preserve, repair Francis Parker School 56

The district hopes to restore the historic Francis W. Parker Montessori School 56 in the city’s Hillside neighborhood, which the district classifies as being in “exceptionally poor” condition.

The building, constructed in 1931, is located near the popular Monon Trail in a gentrifying area of the city. The district previously scrapped its plans to tear down the building amid community pushback and gentrification concerns.

“We want to continue to maintain ownership of that building,” Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a media briefing before the school board meeting. “We are committed to continuing to explore how we renovate and use that building for instructional purposes in the future.”

Susan Leach School 68, which has not been used for classes since 2019, will serve as the district’s new warehousing and distribution space.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

This IPS teacher infuses her English lessons with virtual travel and Shakespearean playlists

2023-05-16T13:50:58+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

Nikia Garland takes her students all over the world.

An English and AP Language and Composition teacher at Arsenal Tech High School, she uses Google Lit Trips to take students virtually to Sweden and Norway while reading “Beowulf.” And during her lessons on George Orwell’s “1984,” Garland tasks her classes with color-coding countries according to the level of government surveillance.

“I strive to teach students how to think critically using real-world examples. I want students to take responsibility for their learning,” she said. “I like to provide intriguing lessons that cause my students to want to know more about what I am teaching.”

That means she adapts Shakespeare to a teenager’s palate by occasionally assigning students to create a playlist of 15 songs, each accompanied by a paragraph that explains how the song connects to “Macbeth’s” plot and themes.

“I layer my teaching, sort of like a blooming onion,” she said.

Always looking to enhance teaching and learning, Garland has applied for a number of grants. One funded a field trip earlier this year to the Candles Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Terre Haute, an experience that paired with “The Book Thief,” a novel set during the Holocaust. Another grant allowed Garland to study oral traditions in Africa with a visit to Kenya and Ghana — an experience that she later reflected on as “returning home to the Motherland.”

Now, she’s one of 50 educators to be selected as a Grosvenor Teaching Fellow, which will bring her to the fjords and Arctic Svalbard of Norway aboard the National Geographic Endurance expedition ship. She’s hoping the trip will inform her curriculum in a way that inspires her students to become environmental stewards.

Garland previously taught ballet at the former Nicholson Performing Arts Academy at School 70, and she studied at the Jordan College Academy of Dance at Butler University. She’s also a proud Broad Ripple High School alumna. (“Rockets for life!” she said.)

She spoke recently with Chalkbeat about her latest fellowship, the value of teaching environmental and community stewardship, and the most memorable class of her 24-year teaching career.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How do you plan to use the experience from the Norway fellowship in your everyday English teachings?

I believe the fellowship will give me more tools to continue building geographic awareness.

I would like to start locally within their own communities. I haven’t yet decided what this will look like, but I have reached out to a few agencies — The Nature Conservancy and Indy Parks — to partner with me on this initiative.

I also want to do something community-based as well, possibly about the impact of gentrification and redlining in their neighborhoods. I want to center whatever I do around them. I want to know what they are curious about and start there.

Why is it important for you to teach your students to become environmental stewards?

The city of Indianapolis is only a small piece in the global puzzle, but everything we do or don’t do to take care of the planet has a deep impact worldwide. Continuing to disregard issues such as global warming and pollution is dangerous to humanity. It reminds me of a book I’ve taught by Octavia Butler, “The Parable of the Sower.” I also teach “The Space Traders,” a short story by Derrick Bell.

I believe we can do small things that, if done consistently, turn into great acts. I hope to inspire them to become more engaged with their immediate communities. Texts such as the ones I mentioned help kids understand why caring for the environment is important. I also want to provide them with the tools and knowledge necessary to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives.

What is one interaction with a student that has changed how you view the profession of teaching?

It would be impossible to name just one student. I have a collective — the Arlington High School class of 2007.

I must begin by saying that most of them did not like me initially. I have always been a strict teacher with high expectations and rigorous content. However, I was able to loop with that particular class of students for three years.

The three years I spent with them allowed me to get to know my students on a deeper level and vice versa. I became invested and grew to truly love them. And the love, loyalty, and respect they showed me was unmatched.

For example, my husband and mother both died in the same year. This was after they had graduated. But so many of them came back to give me flowers and comfort me. So many that my principal had to tell the secretary to waive the no-visitor policy during the day and allow them all in. One of my students from that class had lost contact with me, so she Googled me one day and saw that I was now a breast cancer survivor. She found me on Twitter and sent me $100 so I could buy myself some flowers. I could really go on and on.

There’s an urban saying about such relationships, “locked in.” We are bonded — through celebrations such as weddings, births, and college graduations and even in trials such as death and incarceration. I consider them family, and my life has been infinitely blessed simply because I was allowed to be their teacher. I am the lucky one. They are the loves of my teaching life.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

That’s a tough question because I have so many. But I really enjoy teaching poetry. I love the complexity of some poems, the critical thinking and reading required to comprehend the content, the way it engages students, and the ability to use it as a springboard for longer writing assignments. It also brings out student creativity. We have a lot of rich, provocative discussions and assignments when I teach poetry.

Tell me about your own experience with school as a child and how it affects your work today.

I loved school. I am a product of IPS, K-12, and I had some stellar educators. As a result, it has motivated me to give my students the same kind of education I received. It was rich, diverse, interesting, rigorous, and relevant.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to college students pursuing an education career?

Understand that teaching is both an art and a science, and you cannot have one without the other. Science is the pedagogy. Art is the creativity used to engage students. Be fluent in both.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS Chief Academic Officer Warren Morgan chosen to lead Cleveland schools

2023-05-10T14:18:44+00:00

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has tapped Warren Morgan, chief academic officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, to lead its district of roughly 36,000 students next school year.

The announcement in a press conference on Tuesday means IPS will need to find a new leader to manage issues such as graduation, state test results, and curriculum.

Morgan joined IPS in 2020, and has overseen the district’s attempts to help students rebound from learning loss during the pandemic. He previously served as executive director of Teach For America St. Louis and as a principal at a turnaround school in Chicago. He also worked two years in the Cleveland district as an academic superintendent from 2014 to 2016.

Morgan was one of two finalists in the Cleveland schools CEO search.

In the press conference Tuesday, Morgan said “it felt great to be home.”

“Thank you for trusting me with this incredible task,” he said. “I know [there] is a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m ready, and I’m so excited.”

IPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Morgan will start as CEO of Cleveland schools in July.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS announces new principals at eight schools as part of Rebuilding Stronger plan

2023-05-04T22:20:04+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools announced on Thursday new principals for eight schools as the district prepares to adopt specialized academic programs under its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization plan.

The district’s leadership announcement for 12 schools indicated that three principals and one interim principal will continue to serve as principals in their current school, while eight others move to new leadership positions.

Most of the schools listed in the district’s announcement will adopt Montessori, STEM, or International Baccalaureate (IB) programming in 2024-25 as part of Rebuilding Stronger.

Principals at three school buildings slated to close at the end of this school year, Raymond Brandes School 65, Francis W. Parker School 56, and Paul Miller School 114, are becoming principals at other IPS schools.

The schools with newly announced leaders, who will begin in the 2023-24 school year unless otherwise indicated, are:

Carl Wilde School 79: Brandon Warren, current principal at Raymond Brandes School 65.
Robert Lee Frost School 106: Dwayne Lucas, current principal.
Eleanor Skillen School 34: Krista Douglass, current principal.
Northwest Middle School: Nichole Morrow-Weaver, current assistant principal.
Arlington Middle School: Iesha Billups, current interim principal.
Henry Longfellow School 28: Keisha Odom, current resident in the IPS Principal Residency Program.
James Garfield School 31: Amanda Faulkner, current principal at Carl Wilde School 79.
Anna Brochhausen School 88: Carmen Sharp, current principal.
James Russell Lowell School 51: Christine Rembert, current principal at Francis W. Parker Montessori School 56.
Frederick Douglass School 19: Daria Parham, current principal at Paul Miller School 114.
George W. Julian School 57: Camille Haley, current principal resident at Paul Miller School 114, joining current Principal Chante Campbell in 2023-24 for planning purposes and becoming the school’s sole principal in 2024-25.
William Penn School 49: Phil Shults, current principal at Northwest Middle School, joining current Principal Jessica Barnes in 2023-24 for planning purposes and becoming sole principal in 2024-25.

“We know each school community is unique, as is each leader, and it is important that we map the needs of each program and school community to the strengths and experiences of each leader,” Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a statement.

The district is launching a search process to fill principal positions at T.C. Howe and Broad Ripple middle schools, which will reopen to students in 2024-25 as IB schools, according to the announcement.

IPS has also been working with the James Whitcomb Riley School 43 community to find a new principal there.

The district has created “district administrators at large” to help school principals prepare for the programmatic shifts taking place in 2024-25. Those administrators will perform day-to-day administrative tasks as principals plan for the academic changes.

Stacy Bottley, current principal of Longfellow Middle School, will also serve as an executive director of schools to ensure middle schools receive support based on their new academic programming, the district said.

The district previously named Adrienne Kuchik, the former principal of Garfield Elementary, as an executive director of schools.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Voters pass Indianapolis Public Schools, Speedway, and Warren school ballot measures

2023-05-03T02:30:52+00:00

Voters on Tuesday night approved property tax increases or renewed existing referendum funds for Indianapolis Public Schools, the School Town of Speedway, and the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township.

Unofficial results for the IPS ballot question showed that roughly 59% of voters supported the $410 million measure, compared to 41% who opposed it. The largest of the three ballot measures, the IPS tax increase will fund upgrades to 23 school campuses.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson thanked voters in a statement released shortly after the results.

“Their support of our capital referendum means IPS can Rebuild Stronger and immediately get to work on projects across more than 20 schools — from design to construction starting this year — so that every student who walks through our buildings feels valued and loved, knowing that something joyful and important happens inside those walls,” Johnson said.

Voters in the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township narrowly passed that district’s ballot measure with roughly 52% supporting it and 48% opposed, while the ballot measure from the School Town of Speedway succeeded handily, with roughly 79% in favor and 21% against.

Polls closed at 6 p.m. with a total of 78,237 voters casting ballots. That turnout represents a 45% increase over the last municipal primary election in 2019, according to the Marion County Election Board. The number of early voters also rose dramatically, increasing by 306% from the 2019 municipal primary.

Tuesday night’s election results are unofficial until the Marion County Election Board certifies them on May 15.

Johanna Dix, 29, casts her vote with her “almost” 2-year-old daughter on her lap at the Indianapolis City-County Building on May 2.

Indianapolis Public Schools ballot question focuses on buildings

IPS officials have stressed the need for building improvements, which vary by school and include new HVAC and plumbing systems, roof upgrades, new athletic fields, and classroom additions.

“We need to update those things so that students have a safe and welcoming place to spend their day,” Deputy Superintendent Andrew Strope previously told us.

Approval of the $410 million question will allow the school district to issue bonds that the district will pay back over 30 years, using revenue from increased taxes. IPS officials estimate that residents with a home valued at the median value of $138,500 will see an extra $3.18 per month on their property tax bill.

Roughly $66 million of the proposed $410 million will fund a two-story addition to Arlington Middle School as it transforms into a STEM school in 2024-25. The money will also establish science labs and a “makerspace” — a collaborative area for creative projects — and upgrade the school’s athletic fields.

At George Washington Carver School 87, funding will support a building addition, new art and music rooms, a larger parking area, and more green space for the play area.

David Spencer, chief operating officer for KIPP Indy Public Schools, stands in the gym of the elementary and middle school building, which will receive about $800,000 in upgrades after voters approved the $410 million ballot question for Indianapolis Public Schools on Tuesday, May 2.

And at KIPP Indy, one of the school district’s Innovation Network charter schools, funding will help fix the roof, upgrade the gym, and replace old flooring. KIPP officials estimate that replacing the floors will save roughly $30,000 annually in maintenance costs.

Warren Township proposal will fund COVID-era initiatives

Warren Township asked voters for an extra $88 million over eight years to cover the school district police department, 24 school counselors, and a few programs launched with the help of federal coronavirus relief funds that expire in 2024.

The ballot question will raise the property taxes that support the district’s operating expenses from 21 cents per $100 of assessed value to 30 cents.

Eastridge Elementary in Warren Township received a family engagement liaison with the help of federal coronavirus relief funding. On Tuesday, May 2, voters approved The Metropolitan School District of Warren Township’s ballot measure for a tax increase to continue funding that position and other initiatives supported by federal COVID relief funding.

The additional money will help the district pay bus drivers after the district increased the starting wage by $4 per hour last year. It will also help cover support staff pay, which the district boosted to $15 per hour using federal coronavirus relief.

“It’s just simply more expensive to run a school district in 2023 than it was in 2018,” when the last referendum was passed, Matthew Parkinson, the district’s chief financial officer, previously told us.

Speedway schools hope for third renewal of operating referendum

The School Town of Speedway sought a third renewal of its operating referendum, which Superintendent Kyle Trebley previously said will help pay for staff in the small district of roughly 1,850 students.

The approval of the ballot question maintains the current operating tax rate passed in 2016 of 59 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Inflation, lack of vocal opposition key for $410 million Indianapolis Public Schools ballot measure

2023-04-21T11:00:00+00:00

Voters will soon decide whether to support a property tax hike to pay for improvements at 23 Indianapolis Public Schools buildings — and factors ranging from economic headwinds to a lack of organized opposition could be crucial.

The IPS ballot question, which goes before voters on May 2, seeks $410 million in extra property tax revenue to upgrade and repair school facilities. Rejuvenating buildings and campuses is part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization, which aims to consolidate schools and strengthen academic and extracurricular activities amid declining enrollment.

Political science and economic experts say there are a variety of factors that could help or hinder the measure’s passage.

On the one hand, the ballot question comes after months of sharply rising inflation and rising property values that ultimately lead to higher property taxes, both of which could make the referendum a tough sell.

The district estimates that the referendum would generate an extra $3.18 per month in property taxes for a resident whose home is valued at $138,500, what officials estimate as the median home value within IPS boundaries.

“I can’t say whether one would think that bad economic times would have an impact,” said Larry DeBoer, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at Purdue University who has studied school referenda at length. “But the evidence is pretty darn murky from our own history.”

At the same time, powerful political actors that might have tried to defeat the ballot question have so far stayed on the sidelines. Meanwhile, those who want voters to pass the measure appear to be more active.

IPS referendum gets campaign fundraising help

Community members have formed a political action committee called Yes4IPS to drum up support for the referendum. The PAC has raised nearly $69,000 so far, according to campaign finance records.

That includes $12,500 from the Indiana Political Action Committee for Education, the political arm of the state teachers union, and $50,000 from the PAC for Stand for Children, a parent advocacy group that supports charter schools.

If passed, the $410 million IPS referendum would help fund roughly $40 million in improvements at Thomas Carr Howe Middle School, including a renovated space for 80 early childhood seats through a partnership with Early Learning Indiana.

RISE Indy, another advocacy group that’s friendly to charters, has also said it supports the ballot measure for capital expenses, although the latest campaign finance filing shows it hasn’t contributed to Yes4IPS.

History might be on the ballot question’s side. Despite current challenges in the overall economy, DeBoer noted that voters approved 16 out of 18 Indiana school ballot measures in June 2020, during the sharp economic downturn caused by COVID.

And the amount that IPS is proposing — roughly 21 extra cents per $100 of assessed value — is also lower than the 25-cent threshold that DeBoer said appears to separate referendums in the state that pass from those that fail.

Still, the money Yes4IPS has raised so far is well below what the Vote Yes for IPS PAC was able to raise in 2018 for the district’s two ballot questions projected to raise a total of $272 million. That PAC brought in roughly $249,000, including $52,500 from the Indy Chamber PAC and $327,803 from Stand for Children, according to campaign finance records.

Previous IPS ballot questions have passed with comfortable margins. In 2018, both ballot questions proposed by the district passed with the support of more than 70% of voters. In 2008, a ballot question for capital expenses passed with roughly 78% of voters in favor.

But past successes should be seen as evidence of IPS officials’ political skills and not proof that the current ballot measure will pass, said Andy Downs, professor emeritus of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Meanwhile, the influential Indy Chamber of Commerce announced in January it would not support the ballot measure for capital expenses. But it does not appear to be actively campaigning against the measure either. A chamber spokesperson said its PAC has not done any campaigning with respect to the referendum.

And the Mind Trust, which incubates charter schools in Indianapolis, has previously said it will not take a stance on the $410 million ballot question.

The timing of the question during a primary election (when turnout is often lower than in general elections), as part of a municipal election cycle, may also give IPS a boost.

“Oftentimes with these low-salience [elections] it’s just a gut feeling for people,” said Aaron Dusso, associate professor and chair of the political science department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “I think generally in Indianapolis, most people [say], ‘Yes I want my schools to be better.’”

Ill will over charter funding doesn’t spill over

The lack of significant public opposition marks a contrast to a separate ballot measure IPS has hoped to put to voters next month.

For months, IPS worked on a ballot measure for May to pay for the academic, extracurricular, and other operational expenses associated with its Rebuilding Stronger overhaul. Yet groups like Stand for Children mobilized vocal pushback to the ballot measure, on the grounds that it did not share money equitably with charter schools.

After the Indy Chamber of Commerce announced it would not support the draft ballot measure, the district pulled the plug, although it later announced it would still move ahead with elements of Rebuilding Stronger.

Stand for Children’s contribution to Yes4IPS comes after parent advocates met in March to discuss the organization’s position on the capital referendum, the group said in a statement.

“Kids 30 minutes away attend schools that are luxurious in comparison and give them huge advantages solely based on their ZIP codes,” Sherry Holmes, a parent at George Washington Carver Montessori School 87, said in a statement via Stand for Children. “Those advantages equal opportunity. I support the IPS capital referendum because our kids deserve an upgrade, and they even deserve more.”

Arlington Middle School Principal Iesha Billups stands in the school’s planetarium, which is currently used as storage space but will be restored if voters approve the $410 million ballot question in May.

Recent financial relief Indianapolis provided to property owners might mitigate hostility to the prospect of new taxes.

Property owners throughout the city are getting a tax credit to their upcoming bills, an initiative the mayor’s office and city-county council approved using funds with the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The credit is listed as $150 for people with homes valued at $250,000 or less.

“However, that $150 is also just eaten up by inflation and increases in the valuation of property,” Downs said. “Forget inflation at the grocery store — just the value of your property has gone up.”

Early voting at the City-County Building ends on May 1. Eight other sites offer early voting from April 22-30.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS chief academics officer one of two finalists for Cleveland schools CEO

2023-04-20T21:01:42+00:00

The chief academics officer for Indianapolis Public Schools is one of two finalists in the search for the next chief executive officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Warren Morgan, who joined IPS in May 2020, oversees curriculum and instruction for the district as a member of the executive leadership team. He previously worked in Cleveland as an academic superintendent supervising the city’s turnaround schools.

“There’s just an amazing opportunity to return home and to be able to connect and work with so many great people that have invested in me, and we’ve invested in each other,” Morgan said in a video introduction on the Cleveland school district’s website.

Rocky Torres, the assistant superintendent of student support services for Seattle Public Schools, is the other finalist. Morgan directed questions to a spokesperson for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Morgan was also a finalist in the superintendent search for New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut last month. The district finalized the selection of its new superintendent, Madeline Negrón, this week.

The Cleveland school district, with about 36,000 students, plans to have a new superintendent announced by this month, according to a timeline on its website.

Morgan has overseen academics for IPS as it recovers from pandemic learning loss — the district’s gain in statewide ILEARN testing scores for 2022 has brought students back roughly to pre-pandemic proficiency levels.

Before landing in Indianapolis, Morgan served as a high school principal in Chicago Public Schools and as the executive director for Teach for America in St. Louis. He also was selected as a White House Fellow and previously taught science in St. Louis through TFA.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Many IPS schools are losing nurses staffed through IU Health, prompting parent concerns

2023-04-18T11:00:00+00:00

Nineteen schools in Indianapolis Public Schools will lose their nurses provided through Indiana University Health when this school year ends, prompting concerns from parents about schools’ ability to respond to emergency health situations or oversee other health care needs.

The announcement from IPS last month means IU Health will end its three-year pilot with the district prematurely. The district, meanwhile, has said that it will search for other nursing providers to fill in at those schools — although four of the 19 are slated to close at the end of this school year.

The partnership with IU Health was meant to last from 2021 to 2024 with funding from federal coronavirus relief dollars. But Indiana University officials cite the nursing shortage as a ubiquitous challenge that has worsened since the start of the pandemic. IU Health officials did not detail why staff shortages prompted it to pull the plug on the nursing program in IPS, but said in a statement it is investing in its workforce to ensure it can meet patient demand and “provide the best clinical care possible.”

The end of the IU Health partnership could leave a large number of IPS schools without a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse to dispense medication or respond to health emergencies, such as hypoglycemic shock. IPS board documents from April 2022 show that 49 buildings out of the district’s 76 school programs (a figure that includes traditional district schools and those in the IPS Innovation network) had either a nurse employed by IPS, a health professional staffed through IU Health, or a school-based health center.

“We understand the vital role that school nurses play in ensuring the health and safety of our children and we are working in close partnership with IPS to find alternative solutions and ensure a seamless transition for student care,” Melissa Cash, vice president of retail and employer health solutions at IU Health, said in a statement.

The district did not respond to several requests for comment, but said in its March statement that it is exploring other potential ways to keep nurses at the schools.

“We have begun early conversations with other community partners who are eager to come alongside IPS to continue this invaluable service,” the district said.

The news has left some parents concerned about whether their children will have their health needs properly addressed while at school.

Krista Searles, whose daughter at Butler Lab School 55 has asthma and a condition known as ketotic hypoglycemia, said having a qualified nurse at the school provides an extra layer of protection for her if she becomes hypoglycemic.

But there are other students at her daughter’s school who have even greater health care needs, said Searles, who is a nurse herself.

“I think it’s really important that we’re providing those resources in the community because those kids are already working hard enough just to get through the day,” she said.

Searles also worries that the lack of nurses at some schools — particularly those that offer special programming such as Butler Lab — could also exacerbate educational inequities.

“It really creates a lot of disparities for kids with more significant health care needs and it really limits their educational options,” she said.

COVID fallout, salary disparities affect school nurses

School nurse shortages have been a perennial issue in Indiana and across the country. Indiana Administrative Code recommends a ratio of one registered nurse for every 750 students, but does not impose any penalty on districts that don’t meet that ratio.

A November 2018 report from the Indiana Department of Education found that 1,017 nurses responding to a statewide survey reported a ratio of roughly one nurse per 917 students.

State code does require, however, that school districts hire at least one registered nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing to coordinate all health services.

In the absence of a school nurse, state law allows school staff to administer certain medications or health care services to students with immunity from any damages in a potential civil lawsuit that may follow. Registered nurses can also delegate certain tasks to those without nursing credentials.

School nurses were often receiving the brunt of parent anger over health rulings during COVID, said Deb Robarge, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Nurses.

“There’s been a lot of older nurses saying, ‘I don’t need this, I was doing this because I loved doing it for the kids,’” she said. “And they had a pretty good relationship with their families and stuff. But just as the U.S. in general has descended into so much incivility to each other, I think school nurses and teachers and administrators have more of the brunt of a lot of that.”

School nurses also generally make less than nurses in a hospital setting, Robarge said.

A 2022 report from the Indiana Governor’s Public Health Commission recommended implementing policies to improve the student-to-nurse ratio and to address low pay.

Board documents show that registered nurses provided through IU Health had a maximum pay of $57 an hour working 37.5 hours per week, while licensed practical nurses had a maximum pay of $33 an hour.

Parents at schools slated to lose nurses through IU Health hope the district will be able to keep nurses at their schools.

“She does so much for our students and helps our teachers focus on their job: teaching,” Megan Alderman, a parent at Center for Inquiry School 70, wrote in a public comment to the school board last month. “Without our school nurse, medical care will once again be relegated to our teachers who do not have medical training and are busy in the classroom.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

‘I need a plan.’ As NRA convention begins, Indianapolis teens share fears about gun violence.

2023-04-14T16:59:48+00:00

Raina Maiga looked out her school’s windows from the second floor on Thursday, trying to imagine what she would do in a school shooting.

“I’m hopeless. I can’t jump out the window,” said Maiga, a sophomore at Purdue Polytechnic High School’s Englewood campus on Indianapolis’ east side. “There’s nothing to do. Our school is exposed with windows. If someone walked in here with a gun, I mean, it’s over.”

These are the conversations that Raina and her classmates have on an almost weekly basis.

But this week, those conversations are happening with the backdrop of the National Rifle Association’s three-day annual convention, which is expected to bring tens of thousands of attendees to downtown Indianapolis beginning Friday.

The convention for the powerful lobbying organization — and the warm reception from some Indiana lawmakers — feels tone deaf to Indianapolis-area teens who say gun violence in their schools and communities is their reality and fills them with anxiety on a regular basis.

Ryan Evans, a Purdue Polytechnic junior, remembers the day in 2013 that his sister survived the Arapahoe High School shooting in Colorado. His classmate Huma Moghul recalls the night she heard gunfire in her neighborhood and woke up to a bullet hole in her living room wall. And they all remember the lockdowns they have experienced this year — anxious moments that they try to ease with dark humor about whether they’d survive if a shooter was outside their door.

So far this year, eight people age 18 and under in Indianapolis have been killed by a firearm, per the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Sixteen people age 18 and under in the city died by firearms in 2022, up from 14 in 2021.

Among those who died was a 17-year-old Purdue Polytechnic High School student James Johnson III, who was killed in February.

“Nobody ever thinks that it’s going to happen to them,” said Evans. “And I definitely think that James Johnson didn’t think that as well. Because it’s not a thought that somebody should have.”

Students prepare for school shootings

The NRA annual meeting comes roughly three weeks after a person shot and killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville. Their deaths sparked outrage during Tennessee’s legislative session, and students rallied for tougher gun laws at the Tennessee State Capitol.

Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill to provide state funding for firearms training for teachers. Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican from Seymour and the bill’s author, said in February his legislation is a response to mass school shootings across the U.S., according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

But to students like Evans and Maiga, that legislation is not the solution. Instead, they say, legislators should stop and think about how the situation is affecting students in schools.

And the onus should not be on schools to arm teachers, or transform buildings into iron fortresses, some students argue.

“We shouldn’t have to be wanding children into schools to prevent guns from entering schools or teaching them how to evacuate to mobile bomb shelters that can be built in schools,” said Evans.

(The convention also starts on the same day that dozens of Indiana school districts received a bomb threat, prompting the closure of school buildings.)

Katie Bolduc, a freshman at Westfield High School, said she’s only known a world with gun violence in schools, where active shooter drills are as commonplace as fire and tornado drills.

“There’s a lot of complacency, it’s something that’s normal and accepted that you have to prepare for,” she said.

But it leaves her feeling unsafe.

“There are weapons that can cause mass casualties in a few minutes, and all I have is a pencil pouch or a water bottle to throw at the shooter, best-case scenario,” Bolduc said.

Lucy Rutter, a junior at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, said she first started to hear about school shootings in middle school. At that time, it seemed like it wouldn’t happen to her. That’s changed.

“The more I see it, the more I feel like it is going to happen to me, and I need a plan,” she said. “It’s so hard to hear about it in the news every day and feel like I can’t do anything about it.”

NRA convention in town prompts disappointment from students

Having the NRA convention in their backyard only exacerbates the disconnect between lawmakers and the students who spoke to us.

“I do wonder what the conversations are like when talking about actually caring about the lives of people, but then choosing to be a public face at this convention,” said Maiga, who lamented the scheduled presence of Gov. Eric Holcomb and former Vice President Mike Pence at the convention.

Students said that having the convention so close to home is a reminder of how tense and politically charged the topic of gun violence prevention is — and of the sway of organizations like the NRA.

Salsabil Qaddoura, a North Central High School sophomore, leads her school’s chapter of Students Demand Action, a national group of high school and college students that aims to end gun violence and is affiliated with Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action.

She said the NRA convention has her thinking about gun industry accountability, and how it can profit off of young people. The access to guns is there, she said.

“It’s disgusting and insensitive,” she said of the NRA coming to Indianapolis.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.

Students consider how to change views on guns

Being a high schooler means having pressures to fit a certain standard, Qaddoura said. That means students are influenced by what they surround themselves with, and there’s a thought of “if you have guns you have that tough-person persona,” she said.

Students said they want to shift the narrative around guns with their classmates to make having a gun less of a status symbol, and to know that it’s OK to ask for help and to talk about gun-violence prevention.

In all the years of doing active shooter drills, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a teacher or school officer talk about how we feel, get under the desk and find what you’re going to throw and prepare,” Bolduc said.

She hopes to start a Students Demand Action chapter to change that.

As leaders of their own Students Demand Action chapters, Qaddoura and Rutter have worked to start a discussion about gun violence. They’ve registered voters, signed petitions, and attended protests and other events.

“A lot of people assume that my only goal is to ban guns, but there are so many other solutions besides banning guns outright,” Rutter said, listing gun safety education, safe storage, background checks, and red flag laws.

Students at Purdue Polytechnic, meanwhile, are organizing a walkout for April 20, the 24th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

Students said they know change can be slow.

“I always hear that change is gradual,” Qaddoura said. But she added that when it comes to gun violence prevention, “We can’t wait.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief and covers higher education. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis neighborhood calls for a community-run school after years of instability and discontent

2023-04-14T11:00:00+00:00

James Whitcomb Riley School 43’s future changed merely by chance.

Edison School of the Arts was slated to take over the school in the fall. It would have been yet another change for the school that community members say was enacted by Indianapolis Public Schools without their input.

But Edison fell into chaos earlier this year, when parents accused its executive director Nathan Tuttle of using a racial slur, while students and staff said he created a hostile working and learning environment. Last month, IPS and Edison nixed the plan for Edison to run School 43 as an autonomous school in the district’s Innovation network.

Over the past decade, the major storyline of School 43 has been one of instability, high staff turnover, low test scores, and declining enrollment. But the collapse of Edison’s plan has left community members in the tight-knit Butler-Tarkington neighborhood with an unexpected, albeit small window of opportunity to change the trajectory of its K-8 school.

And this time, they say, it will be different: Instead of waiting for the district to drum up its latest fix for School 43, they’re making demands for exactly what they want for the school — and explaining how they plan to bring change themselves.

A group of advocates known as the Butler-Tarkington Education Committee have also submitted to the district their vision for School 43, and are working with the district on a memorandum of understanding about how to overhaul the school for at least the 2023-24 school year.

A James Whitcomb Riley School 43 parent speaks at a town hall at the MLK Center about the school’s future on April 5, 2023.

Essentially, their plan is to create a community-led school with a neighborhood school advisory committee and a coordinator in charge of community partnerships that already exist — such as tutoring, literacy efforts at the local community center, and the neighborhood’s mental health support center. Their plans, which they’re still developing and discussing with neighborhood residents, are similar to a model used by another IPS school community that banded together in 2017 to help run its own school without a charter operator.

“We’ve been patient,” said Sabae Martin, who graduated from School 43 more than 50 years ago and has worked for years to revive it. “And we’ve worked with them long enough to learn that unless we take the bull by the horns, we’re going to continue to get gored.”

The district did not respond to a request for comment about School 43. But IPS school board member Hope Hampton, whose District 3 includes the school, told community members that they have her ear at a recent public meeting about the school.

Neighborhood seeks organized effort for community-run school

One window into the school’s troubles is its decline from an A rating with the state in 2012 to an F by 2016, a grade it retained through 2020, the last year the state used A-F letter grades for accountability. It cycled through five principals in a five-year period from 2014 to 2019.

Just 1.5% of students were proficient in both English and math on the state’s 2022 ILEARN test.

But the school has also enjoyed a strong web of neighborhood support for years. Butler University College of Education students help staff the library. A mentoring program through the National Council of Negro Women has helped middle school girls believe in themselves. Another alumna, Brenda Vance Paschal, helped launch a journalism program.

The community itself is anchored by a number of churches, the MLK Center, and lifelong residents.

The school has plenty of partnerships and caring organizations, said Jim Grim, a member of the committee who helps run the Indiana Community Schools Network, at a recent meeting.

“The missing ingredient,” he said, “is the coordination.”

Community schools across the country are based on the idea that the schools serve as neighborhood hubs for a variety of educational, family, and social services. The federal government’s Full Service Community Schools grant program, among other efforts, supports such schools.

In addition to its long-term plans for the school, the Butler-Tarkington Education Committee has a seat on the interview committee for the school’s new principal, which should be placed by the end of May, said Allison Luthe, executive director of the MLK Center.

The model that School 43 advocates are envisioning closely resembles the community-run model at Thomas Gregg School 15. There, community members and the John Boner Neighborhood Centers stepped in six years ago to take their neighborhood school into their own hands. Today, School 15 is one of the few Innovation schools in IPS that isn’t a charter.

Getting to that point took many community meetings and hard work.

But James Taylor, the CEO of the John Boner centers, said that process led the School 15 community to realize it could not only influence the school, but take ownership of what it provides to students and families.

Now, Taylor says, the school has community support embedded in the school that can direct families to services such as housing assistance or tutoring. The school itself has also become much more open to assistance from the community, Taylor said.

But the Thomas Gregg model might not work for School 43 and the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood, he added.

“We looked at our ingredients, and we ended up at Thomas Gregg,” Taylor said. “Their community needs to explore what kinds of ingredients they have and make their own recipe.”

And some Butler-Tarkington community members bristle at the mention of becoming an Innovation school, a term that for many means becoming a charter. Notably, Thomas Gregg is not run by a charter operator.

How the community gets IPS on board with its desires, however, is “the $64,000 question,” said Vance Paschal, who like Martin graduated from School 43 over 50 years ago.

“We first want them to be accountable and to listen and to just trust us, since we have trusted them and they have failed,” she said. “We’re on the ground. They’re like the generals out in D.C., we’re the troops out here who are fighting.”

Staff need help with student behavior, parental involvement

The school’s challenges inside classrooms underscore community concerns.

Staff at the school said they’re dealing regularly with behavioral issues among students and need more people in the building.

Endia Dunner, the school’s assistant principal, said at the recent meeting that teachers are running themselves ragged. Having more people in the short-staffed school to provide more support would boost teachers’ own mental health and morale, she noted.

”They just need a little bit of time so that they can make sure they stay healthy for themselves, for their own families, so that they can continue to come back day after day after day,” Dunner said.

Staff from James Whitcomb Riley School 43 listen to a community member speak at a town hall at the MLK Center on April 5, 2023.

Johnnie Rivera, a parent at the school, said his son struggles in class because of distractions.

“He says the teachers have to keep pulling the kids out of the classroom because of the kids behind him keep acting up,” he said after the community’s first town hall. “And he’s like, sometimes, I can’t learn nothing because they have to keep stopping.”

Rivera said he’s thought about transferring his son to a different school if it doesn’t get any better.

Hampton told community members at the meeting that she hoped to hear from them so she could be an advocate for the school as well.

“It’s sad to hear some of the things that you’re dealing with, but the commitment and the passion means everything,” she said.

Residents hope efforts to restore School 43 will help more than the school itself.

“It’s possible it can come back,” said Martin. “And you know what, we’re going to end up with a better neighborhood because of it.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Science labs, athletic fields, and a planetarium: An IPS school waits on voters for funding

2023-04-07T18:30:07+00:00

The planetarium at Arlington Middle School has been left unused for years, collecting dust as a storage space full of chairs, keyboards, and boxes.

But if voters say yes to a $410 million ballot question in May, the abandoned gem — which was the first high school planetarium in Indiana when it was dedicated in 1965 — will be restored.

Indianapolis Public Schools’ proposed tax increase would pay for building improvements at Arlington and 22 other schools as the district rolls out its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization.

The plan also aims to create a more efficiently run district with better academic offerings, close six schools, and offer specialized academic programming at others.

Arlington Middle School’s planetarium has sat unused for years. If voters approve a ballot question in May, new funding will bring the space back to life.

It also breaks up the district’s K-8 schools, creating distinct elementary and middle schools, so that students can receive better academic and extracurricular offerings — from band and world languages to softball and baseball.

Arlington Middle School will receive $66 million if the ballot measure is successful, making it the single largest beneficiary among the 23 schools. Arlington would transform into a STEM school in 2024-25 and integrate the planetarium into the curriculum. The school would also add sixth grade to its existing seventh and eighth grades.

It would also add an 81,000-square-foot, two-story addition, create a new media center and family resource center, and establish science labs and a makerspace.

“The next chapter of Arlington is exciting because we get to write a new narrative,” said Principal Iesha Billups.

The ballot measure’s revenue would also revive the school’s athletic fields, which were critical when the school served grades 7-12 but which students don’t use much now.

The upgrades will transform those fields into high-quality, competition-ready fields.

“When it’s done, kids will be able to practice six sports simultaneously across this space,” said IPS Chief Operations Officer Bill Murphy on Thursday morning, as he stood behind the school and looked over the fields.

IPS Chief Operations Officer Bill Murphy explains proposed upgrades to Arlington Middle School’s athletic fields. Although the school has a softball field and tennis courts, middle school students don’t currently use them. Officials hope a $410 million capital referendum will change that.

A key goal of the tax increase is to bring all elementary and middle schools into good condition within the next eight years, so that those buildings only require routine maintenance instead of massive investments involving HVAC or roof repairs.

Officials say that more than 30% of the district’s are in “poor” condition, meaning the cost to renovate the building is between 30% and 40% of the cost to replace the entire building. A 2020 analysis commissioned by IPS reported that Arlington was in “good” condition, meaning that the cost of upgrades the school needs is only between 10% and 20% of the cost to replace the entire building

But Arlington, built in 1961, would still get upgrades to its roof, interior lighting, fire alarms, and cameras and security, Murphy said.

“If you think about the student experience every day, showing up at a school that is too hot or too cold, that doesn’t have water that runs clean, clear, and quickly, is a real downer,” he said. “And these are the sorts of preconditions that set students up for success.”

Improvements at other schools include upgrades to enable Thomas Carr Howe Middle School to enroll students once again, and a new building at the site of Joyce Kilmer School 69.

Early voting is currently available at the Indianapolis City-County Building, with additional sites opening on April 22.

Election day is May 2. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s voting centers.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Push to change Indiana property taxes to benefit charter schools triggers alarm in IPS

2023-04-06T11:00:00+00:00

Indiana’s 2023 legislative session is under way, and state legislators have introduced more than 100 new education bills and bills impacting schools and students. For the latest Indiana education news, sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free newsletter here.

Republican lawmakers are advancing major changes to the state’s school funding system to benefit charter schools and districts with relatively low property tax values.

The proposed Republican House budget, along with a newly amended GOP Senate bill, would rework Indiana’s property tax system to pump more funding into charters and level what lawmakers say is an unfair playing field for charters and traditional public schools. Lawmakers also might create a dedicated funding stream for charters’ capital expenses that would replace the so-called “$1 law.”

But the proposals have been sharply criticized by Democrats and traditional public school leaders, who argued that the changes would come at the expense of thousands of students in traditional public schools.

The bills channel issues at the heart of a recent dispute over tax revenue in Indianapolis Public Schools. The district withdrew its plan to ask voters for new property taxes on the May ballot, amid criticism from charter school supporters that the draft ballot measure did not provide charters enough money. If the proposals become law, they could change the long-term balance of fiscal power within the state’s public education system.

Together, House Bill 1001 and Senate Bill 391 would do the following to boost funding for charters and school districts with low property values:

Provide $1,400 per charter school student from the state in fiscal year 2024 and $1,500 in fiscal year 2025, replacing a state program that provides $1,250 per student to compensate for a lack of property tax revenue.
Provide $20 million in next year’s budget for charter schools’ capital needs.
Require school districts in Marion, Lake, St. Joseph, and Vanderburgh counties to share with charter schools any revenues from ballot measures passed to support operating or school safety expenses after June 30, 2023. Virtual charters and adult high school charter schools would not receive such funding. A fiscal analysis says the revenue would be shared “proportionally.”
Provide state funding for school districts that are unable to raise at least $1,400 per pupil from its operating fund in 2024 and $1,500 in 2025. The funding would supplement existing property taxes to get to those baselines each year.

In addition, the budget bill would require traditional school districts to reduce their maximum tax rate for operation expenses to 40 cents per $100 of net assessed value by 2031.

Unlike Indiana’s traditional public schools, charters generally do not receive property tax revenues. The one exception is for those considered part of Indianapolis Public Schools, which has opted to share some property tax revenue with its affiliated charters.

Nevertheless, Indianapolis charter school leaders have repeatedly said that the gap between funding for traditional school students and charter students is over $7,000 per student.

“What the House is trying to do is trying to look at charters in parity with the other public schools,” Rep. Bob Behning, the Republican leader of the House education committee, told Chalkbeat. “How do we get them closer to parity with the traditional public schools in terms of funding?”

The proposals would mean significant changes for IPS, where there are over 25 charter schools in the district’s Innovation network and just over 30 other independent charters within district boundaries.

Indianapolis Public Schools would lose $30 million over the next three years under the proposals, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told lawmakers last week at a hearing on Senate Bill 391. That loss would increase to $220 million by 2031, equivalent to about 500 teaching positions, she said.

Johnson testified that it would harm taxpayers “whose schools will see less dollars as a result of the passed House budget, and who ultimately will be asked to take on an even greater tax obligation on behalf of even more schools because of the system that this state has created.”

Most Marion County districts, including IPS, have an operating tax rate of more than 40 cents that officials would need to cut by 2031.

Charter proponents support sharing

Janet McNeal, president of the Herron Classical Schools charter network, said Senate Bill 391 would alleviate costs that its schools currently face.

When Herron High School moved into the Herron School of Art building, the network had to cut expenses “in every way we could” to prepare the building’s interior, McNeal told the House education committee last week. Nearly two decades later, the school is facing millions of dollars worth of badly needed upgrades to its roof and HVAC system.

“We can’t afford it — we just can’t,” she said. “Thus, we are forced to continue patching the roof, which leaks into our classrooms during heavy rains, and continue to make repairs on our HVAC system — and the repairs are, individually, costly.”

But Democrats in the statehouse say charter backers want more money without the responsibility that should come with it.

“We have groups that don’t want the authority of the school board,” Rep. Ed DeLaney told Chalkbeat. “They don’t want to be tied to the district where the property is located, but they want the money.”

Operating tax rate capped

The Republican budget also caps the rate at which school districts may tax property for operating expenses.

That means four Marion County school districts would collect less than they are currently projected for 2024, according to projections from the Indiana Legislative Services Agency.

Indianapolis Public Schools, for example, would receive $2.5 million less in property tax revenues in 2024, and by 2026, it would receive $16.5 million less.

At the same time, the proposed budget gradually reduces the amount of property tax revenue that is restricted under the state’s property tax cap. This would allow districts to collect more in property taxes each year.

Lawmakers ‘give up’ on $1 law

The Senate bill would also eliminate the state’s $1 law by July 2025.

The law requires school districts to offer “vacant or unused” school buildings to charter schools or state educational institutions for the sale or annual lease price of $1. Enacted in 2005, it was meant to provide charter schools easier access to buildings without the support of property tax revenue.

But the law’s vague wording has led to legal battles between charter schools that want those buildings and traditional school districts that argue they are still in use.

The state attorney general’s office, which is responsible for investigating claims that school districts are not following the $1 law, has ruled against traditional school districts in just one of the nine individual complaints publicly documented so far.

Behning said he does not think the law has worked as anticipated.

“I’m saying I give up,” he said at the House education committee meeting last week. “You are seeing a white flag.”

Instead, the budget bill includes a $20 million fund that would support capital needs for charter schools.

The proposed House budget is making its way through the Senate. Senate Bill 391 is now in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Using charters to fix ailing IPS schools yields instability and inconsistent academic results

2023-04-03T14:51:14+00:00

Early in the 2022-23 school year, Morrise Harbour walked the hallways of a school that he had completely rebranded.

The “Liberty Grove” sign outside the Elder Diggs School 42 building and the new interior paint job marked the latest effort to turn around the K-6 school with roughly 230 students.

But Harbour isn’t the first charter leader who has tried to change School 42’s trajectory. The other one’s tenure didn’t go so well.

In 2017, Ignite Achievement Academy took over School 42 as part of the Indianapolis Public Schools so-called “restart” initiative to improve its academic performance. But five years later, just 4% of students were proficient in English and 4% were proficient in math on Indiana’s ILEARN tests.

Indianapolis Public Schools ended its agreement with Ignite at the end of 2021-22, following a decline in student performance and enrollment. Harbour’s group took over the school last August.

“It’s surprising, to a certain extent, that there are so many students that are just not meeting the expectation,” Harbour said. “And then I also think about, ‘Well, where as the adults did we let the families and students down?’”

Liberty Grove Schools became the new charter operator to take over Elder Diggs School 42 in August 2022 after another charter operator, Ignite Achievement Academy, failed to turn the school around.

Since 2015, IPS has brought on 10 charter operators to turn around nine of its chronically low-performing schools, categorizing them as restart schools within its Innovation Network of schools that are part of the district but have greater autonomy than traditional schools. But their test scores, even when COVID’s disruptions are accounted for, have for the most part improved only slightly or not at all. Two restart operators have been replaced. One restart school has closed. And no school has actually exited restart status.

As local charter schools increase in number and size, the district’s restart model is one way to examine whether the autonomy provided charter schools truly does turn around poorly performing schools. And the 2023 state assessments — which are ramping up in March and April — will provide another stress test for these restart schools.

Before the pandemic hit, passage rates on the state’s third grade IREAD test for the four restart schools that had operated for more than one year increased in some years and decreased in others. The share of students reaching proficiency in both English and math on state exams increased at most restart schools from 2021 to 2022, although the same is true in general for schools statewide as test scores rebounded from pandemic-driven declines.

The state’s switch to a new ILEARN test in 2019, along with the pandemic, affected schools too much to allow for straightforward answers about whether restart schools are working, said Joshua Glazer, associate professor of education policy at George Washington University. Yet he said some things about the effort, like the “vast majority” of students who aren’t proficient on state tests, are clear.

“I don’t think it would be responsible to say, ‘Oh look, these guys have failed,’” said Glazer, who has studied Tennessee’s initiative to pair low-performing schools with charter operators. “But I think what is right to do and what is fair is to ask them [is]: What are you doing to respond to these numbers?”

IPS has no uniform set of goals to decide whether to renew Innovation Network agreements for its restart schools. Instead, the district relies on factors like enrollment and staff turnover when making recommendations about their status to the school board. Innovation agreements for these schools generally include a section on accountability metrics — yet those also vary from school to school.

Reaching a sweeping conclusion about the success of restart schools is complicated, IPS officials say. They argue that each turnaround effort brings its own challenges that might not neatly fit one narrative or set of objectives.

And the Mind Trust, a nonprofit which has helped incubate restart charter operators, argued that restart schools are collectively still outperforming the district’s internal turnaround effort for its lowest-performing schools known as Emerging Schools.

At Liberty Grove, Harbour is trying to change the experience dramatically for students.

“What we want is for the students to know what good teaching and learning feels like, looks like,” he said. “And when they’re going on to high school — or middle school in this case — they’re informed about those things.”

Measuring success varies between schools

IPS has been using the Innovation model as a turnaround strategy since 2015, when it reached a restart agreement with Phalen Leadership Academy to run Francis Scott Key School 103.

‘Restart’ charter schools in IPS

Below is a list of the district’s restart charter schools and the year each operator took over.

Phalen Leadership at Francis Scott Key School 103 (2015-16)
Global Prep Academy at Riverside School 44 (2016-17)
Kindezi Academy at Joyce Kilmer 69 (2016-17 to 2021-22): Not renewed.
Ignite Achievement Academy at Elder Diggs School 42 (2017-18 to 2021-22): Not renewed.
Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63 (2018-19)
Urban ACT Academy at Washington Irving School 14 (2018-19 to 2022-23): Not renewed. A non-charter operator will take over School 14 in 2023-24. It’s unclear if the school will be classified as a restart school.
Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School (2020-21): Replaced Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) as operator. From 2015-16 to 2019-20, CSUSA ran Emma Donnan Elementary, which was created to complement the Emma Donnan Middle School that had been taken over by the state and was also run by CSUSA. Emma Donnan was not technically classified as a restart school but constituted a unique turnaround effort. The Innovation agreement for the elementary school was not renewed due to poor staff retention, declining enrollment, and a lack of instructional rigor.
Phalen Leadership Academy at Louis B. Russell School 48 (2020-21)
Path School at Stephen Foster School 67 (2020-21)
Liberty Grove at Elder Diggs School 42 (2022-23): Replaced Ignite as the operator.

Each decision to start or renew an agreement with a restart charter school looks different.

When the school board approved the Innovation agreement with Phalen Leadership Academy to run Louis B. Russell School 48, IPS did not yet have performance goals for the school finalized. Its agreement with Global Prep, however, referenced performance goals set forth in the school’s charter.

When staff recommended the renewal of Kindezi Academy, which became a restart school in 2016-17, they highlighted below-average attendance and staff retention, but also a “strong building culture.” After Kindezi backed out of the district’s one-year renewal option, the district closed the school.

When the district chose not to renew its agreement with Urban Act Academy in 2022, which ran Washington Irving School 14, the percentage of students proficient in both math and English on the ILEARN had risen to above pre-pandemic levels. Even so, just 1.6% of students were proficient in 2022.

Each school has unique factors that officials must consider, said Brian Dickey, the district’s director of Innovation schools.

“All these pieces come together to inform a recommendation that is not just one resolute data point,” he said.

To some, the disparate fates of these schools demonstrate that the restart charter process hasn’t worked as well as it could.

The renewal process has been inconsistently applied from school to school, said Brandon Brown, the CEO of the Mind Trust.

“There needs to be a comprehensive process that is well articulated and consistently used,” he said. “Because if not, there is less trust in the consistency of the renewal decisions if they’re not using a common process each time.”

A bill in the legislature may make the renewal process more uniform. House Bill 1591 would require Innovation agreements to include the process by which the board would follow when determining whether to renew an agreement.

For some restart schools, though, success amounts to more than just numbers.

At Phalen 103, the district’s oldest restart school, Principal Matt Rimer oversaw a culture shift, a change that district staff highlighted when they recommended renewing the agreement with Phalen in 2019.

Yet the percentage of students reaching proficiency in both English and math stood at just 2.1% in 2019, four years after Phalen became a restart school. And Phalen’s IREAD test scores over the years have been up and down.

Still, among the restart schools, Phalen 103 had among the highest growth rates in IREAD pass rates and combined reading and math ILEARN scores from 2021 to 2022.

This year, the school has a new motto: “Never be satisfied.”

“Obviously our goal is to be the same academically as our counterparts in every part of the state,” Rimer said.

Parents attend an open house at Phalen Leadership Academy at Francis Scott Key School 103 before school starts in August 2022.

Navigating the changes new school operators can bring

When Mariama Shaheed talks to Global Prep Academy students, she switches easily between English and Spanish.

The dual-language school joined the Innovation Network in 2016-17, and its test scores have improved recently.

IREAD pass rates are the highest they’ve been in four years at 63%. And the percentage of students scoring proficient in both English and math has inched above pre-pandemic levels, rising from roughly 5.6% to 7.3%.

But that progress hasn’t been easy.

Global Prep took over Riverside School 44, a pillar in the primarily Black community of Riverside that generations of residents had attended.

“When you talk about Spanish immersion, there’s all these fears associated with: What does that mean for the history and culture of Riverside 44?” Shaheed said. “And so a lot of listening was a part of that process.”

Amid the mistrust, Shaheed had to turn around a school that frequently had been rated F on the state’s A-F accountability system.

“It was the hardest work I’ve ever done as an educator,” she said. “You’re changing culture, you’re changing mindsets. The only thing that was stable was the student body — We were all new. They were not.”

Elementary school students walk in the halls of Global Prep Academy in December 2022. Global Prep was tasked by Indianapolis Public Schools with turning around Riverside School 44.

Shaheed attributes the school’s success to a mission-driven approach and a focus on recruiting the right people.

“It was the first time I felt like I had the real freedom to recruit for mission,” she said.

Since Global Prep’s launch, the demographics at School 44 have shifted from a majority of Black students to about 62% Latino and 35% Black, she said. Shaheed hopes to still attract more Black families to the dual-language school through community outreach, letting families in the area know that this school is still open to them despite a change in programming.

Seven miles away, on the district’s south side, Adelante Schools took over Emma Donnan as a K-8 restart school in 2020-21, during the middle of the pandemic.

But Eddie Rangel, Adelante’s executive director, also had to rebuild community trust in the school following problems with the previous operator. Eighth graders, for instance, did not have any foundation in basic math operations, such as multiplication or division, he said.

Two and a half years later, Rangel feels Adelante has established the trust it was seeking.

Ja’Quan Keys, center, reviews science work with eighth grade English language learner students at the Emma Donnan K-8 school on Feb. 15, 2023.

Academic results on IREAD and ILEARN have also improved. Rangel attributes the growth to teacher and professional development, not just a good curriculum.

“It started with the foundations of selecting high-quality instructional materials, but then it also went to developing teachers and then progress monitoring,” he said.

Getting parents and teachers to believe

The data on restart charter schools, though somewhat limited, can provide different conclusions for charter allies and critics.

Restart schools are still outperforming Emerging Schools on state tests, the Mind Trust said: Roughly 3% of students in all Emerging Schools reached proficiency in both English and math last year, compared to about 5% of students in restart schools, according to the group’s analysis.

Dickey of IPS said he hopes that there will be more clarity going forward as the pandemic’s effects recede.

”We are now hopefully in a state where we are now moving out of that and need to be able to ascertain where our schools are trending in that regard,” he said.

At Liberty Grove, Harbour wants longer class times and uses what he calls a “highly vetted curriculum” that he has adopted in the past. He’s also focused on hiring well and monitoring progress throughout the year.

Like other restart schools, Liberty Grove is starting from a place of struggle. But some parents and staff are sticking with Harbour because they’re impressed with his experience.

Makeba Averitte, an art teacher, worked at Ignite for five years but chose to stay on through the transition to Liberty Grove.

“Definitely the relationships with the kids and family is very important,” said Averitte, whose fifth grade daughter attends the school. “They see someone who is there for them.”

Harbour has a clear plan to create a successful school at Liberty Grove. Whether the restart charter model is the surefire panacea for underperforming schools, though, is not so clear to him.

“Is the solution to bring in a whole bunch of new charters to change?” Harbour said. “I think that’s still to be determined.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Your guide to 2023 school tax referendums in Marion County

2023-03-31T11:00:00+00:00

Update May 3: Here are the election results for the IPS, Warren Township and Speedway Schools school tax referendums.

Voters in three school districts in Marion County will decide if their schools will get property tax funds through ballot questions on the May primary election ballot.

If approved, Indianapolis Public Schools will use the funds for construction and renovation projects, while the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township and the School Town of Speedway will use the funds for operating expenses.

For Speedway schools, the referendum would renew an existing property tax, and in Warren, the ballot question amount replaces the rate from 2018. For IPS, the capital referendum is new.

Indianapolis Public Schools seeks funding for building upgrades

IPS will ask voters for $410 million to fund athletic fields, new windows, fresh sidewalks, and a new 650-student elementary school. Twenty-three schools will get improvements, which vary based on the building’s need.

This referendum is in addition to the district’s 2018 capital referendum which was for safety and security upgrades. The 2023 ballot question is part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization, a sweeping overhaul that aims to address declining enrollment, looming financial instability, and educational inequities for students of color. In January, the school board delayed a vote on a separate referendum for operating expenses that would pay for Rebuilding Stronger’s academic programming changes.

The referendum is projected to increase property tax rates by up to about 21 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Speedway schools seek tax renewal for staffing

The School Town of Speedway is asking voters to renew an existing property tax for operating expenses that would help the small district continue funding its staff, including teachers, paraprofessionals, and custodians.

The referendum would renew the previous tax rate of 59 cents per $100 of assessed value, which voters passed in 2010 and again in 2016.

Warren Township seeks tax increase

The Metropolitan School District of Warren Township is asking voters for an $88 million property tax increase over eight years, in part to continue efforts funded with federal COVID stimulus dollars, which the state says must be spent by the end of 2024.

The money would fund the district’s police department, school counselors, bus drivers, support staff, and family engagement liaisons, as well as teacher training programs.

The ballot question would replace the rate voters approved in a 2018 referendum for operating expenses by increasing it from 21 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 30 cents.

When and where to vote

Early voting starts April 4 at the Indianapolis City-County Building. Additional early voting sites open April 22.

On Election Day, May 2, polls are open 6 a.m to 6 p.m., and Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s voting centers.

To find voting center locations for early voting and Election Day, apply for an absentee ballot and to see a sample ballot, visit vote.indy.gov.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief and covers higher education. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Major takeaways from the $428 million budget for Indianapolis Public Schools in 2023-24

2023-03-30T11:00:00+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will have a $428 million operating budget for next year that funds an increase for Innovation schools and projects an increase in state per-pupil funding.

The district’s spending plan for 2023-24 that the school board approved last week is an increase from its $411 million budget in 2022-23; the actual spending for this year will likely increase to $418 million, according to the district.

Planned increases in compensation and payments to the district’s Innovation Network of autonomous schools are the major contributors to the budget increase between 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The district’s cash balance — the amount of money left over at the end of the school year — remains in line with school board policy, which recommends reserving between 8% and 25% of annual expenditures in reserves, or one to three months of expenses. IPS projects it will end 2023-24 with an $87 million cash balance, or 20%.

But officials continue to warn that IPS will face tough financial decisions in the future, once current referendum funds and federal coronavirus relief expire.

The $428 million excludes any debt that the district pays on an annual basis for capital expenses.

Here’s what to know:

Breakdown of the operating budget

Expenditures are split into seven buckets: general education, special education, funding for Innovation Network schools, educational support, capital projects, transportation, and administration.

Funding for the district’s Innovation Network, which contains roughly 30 autonomous schools primarily run by charter operators, makes up the largest slice of the pie at $114 million, an increase from the $108 million IPS is expected to spend this year. Another $101 million is reserved for general education, and $60 million for capital projects.

Administration costs are the smallest part of the budget at $22 million.

The district is allotting less money overall for general and special education than it did in the 2022-23 budget due to vacant positions. Special education costs will decrease from $40 million approved for 2022-23 to $36 million for 2023-24. General education spending will dip from $103 million to $101 million.

State funding per pupil expected to increase

The exact amount of state funding per pupil won’t be established until the end of the legislative session.

But IPS is assuming the amount will increase from $7,699 to $7,888 for 2023-24. (In 2024-25, the district is estimating $8,080 per pupil from the state.)

Employee raises must be bargained

IPS has consistently said it wants to continue offering pay that’s competitive with other schools in the region. The district’s starting teacher salary for this school year is $50,400.

The district is currently projecting raises of 3% for employees, officials said. But collective bargaining set to occur between September and November will determine the actual pay increase, if any, for 2023-24 and potentially 2024-25.

Students in district-run schools have decreased

Overall enrollment in IPS is projected to grow from 31,332 this school year to 31,418 in 2023-24. Student enrollment figures are critical, as the state funding that districts receive is linked to the number of students enrolled.

Recently, population growth in IPS has mainly come from the district’s Innovation Network schools, which are considered a part of the district but are run separately. Most Innovation schools are charter schools.

The number of Innovation students is projected to grow from roughly 12,551 in 2022-23 to 13,119 in 2023-24.

The number of students in traditional IPS schools, meanwhile, is projected to decline from 18,781 to 18,299.

Expiration of COVID relief, referendum funds poses challenge

IPS officials stress that the district will need to address declining revenues in the future, as one-time federal coronavirus relief funds expire in 2024 and the district’s existing operating referendum, projected to raise a little over $50 million in 2023-24, expires in 2026.

The district is asking voters in May to approve a $410 million referendum to pay for building needs.

And if lawmakers decide to require IPS to share more property taxes with charter schools — which do not typically receive property tax revenue — the district will have to make up for the funding loss somehow, Chief Financial Officer Weston Young has cautioned.

An amendment to Senate Bill 391, which is making its way through the House, would require districts in four counties to share referendum funds for operating or security expenses with charter schools: Marion County, Lake County, St. Joseph County, and Vanderburgh County.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

The $410 million ballot question on upgrading IPS school buildings: We answer your questions

2023-03-29T11:00:00+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will ask voters for $410 million to fund athletic fields, new windows, fresh sidewalks, and a brand new 650-student elementary school when they head to the polls in May.

District officials say the tax increase is also needed to keep district buildings up to date. On average, the district’s buildings are 61 years old.

The referendum for capital expenses is part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger reorganization. In addition to upgrades at 23 schools, the plan resurrects standalone middle schools throughout the district, beefs up academic offerings such as arts and computer science, and expands athletic offerings for middle school students.

In January, the school board delayed a vote on a separate referendum for operating expenses that would pay for Rebuilding Stronger’s academic programming changes.

The request for $410 million is about one-third of the district’s total $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance needs.

In 2018, voters approved a $52 million referendum for building safety upgrades. In 2008, voters approved a much larger upgrade when they passed a $278 million referendum for capital expenses to update 32 schools.

Now, some of those upgrades from 2008, such as HVAC units and windows, are in need of repair, said Deputy Superintendent Andrew Strope.

“We need to update those things so that students have a safe and welcoming place to spend their day,” Strope said.

For many homeowners, the tax increase would add a handful of extra dollars to their monthly tax bill.

Here’s what you need to know:

Why does IPS need $410 million?

A 2020 district analysis concluded that more than 30% of its buildings are in “poor” condition. That means the cost to renovate the building is between 30% and 40% of the building’s entire replacement cost.

IPS, like other school districts and public agencies, borrows money for facility investments in cycles. The district pays off that debt over decades.

Facility needs, such as plumbing, roofs, or HVAC systems, need to be replaced at the end of their life cycle. Putting off those necessary upgrades, however, can make things more expensive down the road.

The goal is to try not to leave the next generation with a big price tag, said CFO Weston Young.

“Right now we’re working with a big price tag because of the significant investments that were mad in the 2000s,” he said. “Very little has been done because all of it was new at that time. Now we’re getting to the point of the cycle where a lot of stuff is coming due.”

Which schools will get improvements?

The district has listed 23 schools for improvements, which vary based on the building’s need.

At William Penn School 49, for example, that means better plumbing, new sidewalks, and classroom upgrades so the school can become a STEM school as proposed under Rebuilding Stronger. The school is slated to receive $9.5 million in improvements, the district says.

At Thomas Carr Howe Middle School, which closed in 2020, $39.8 million will prepare the school to welcome students once again in 2024. That means improvements to its softball and baseball fields, and fixes to its interior lighting, plumbing, fire alarm system, roof, and windows.

Five of the 23 schools are schools within the district’s autonomous Innovation Network. These schools are in district buildings and are mostly run by charter operators.

See the full list of schools and their improvements here.

Why is the district asking for more money after voters approved a capital referendum in 2018?

The district’s $52 million capital referendum from 2018, which 76% of voters approved, was strictly for safety and security upgrades.

Those upgrades, which will be completed by the end of 2023, include improved door locks and outdoor lighting.

This much larger $410 capital referendum addresses outdated building needs beyond safety and security measures, which the 2018 referendum did not address.

How much will the referendum cost homeowners?

The district estimates that residents with a home value of $138,500 — the median value of homes within IPS borders — will see an extra $3.18 per month on their property tax bill.

You can estimate your monthly tax increase using the district’s calculator by entering the gross assessed value of your home here.

Your gross assessed value is the value of your home before any deductions, such as a homestead deduction. You can find your gross assessed value online by entering your property address on the city’s website here.

How does this affect the district’s total debt?

The district’s current tax rate for debt is roughly 52 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Some of that stems from debt issued through previous ballot questions that voters approved in 2008 and 2018. Debt from the 2008 referendum will be paid off in 2029. Debt from the 2018 referendum will be paid off by 2043.

The proposed referendum is set up to replace that older debt as it expires, while still maintaining a total debt rate of no more than 52 cents per $100. The district anticipates paying off debt from the proposed 2023 referendum by around 2046.

What will the ballot language look like?

Changes to state law in 2021 requires the school district to describe the tax increase as a percentage increase on the ballot question.

The ballot question for May says that the “average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence would increase by 20.4%.”

The language means the portion of the average property tax bill dedicated to IPS will increase by 20.4%. It does not mean that a homeowner’s total property tax bill will increase by 20.4%. Many other taxing units aside from Indianapolis Public Schools, such as the city’s public transportation system or the Indianapolis Public Library, also receive a portion of the total amount shown on your tax bill.

What if the capital referendum doesn’t pass?

If the proposed referendum fails, it may take longer for these 23 buildings to receive upgrades.

The district estimates it would take eight years to bring all elementary and middle school facilities to “good” condition, meaning the buildings only require routine maintenance.

But if voters reject the referendum, officials would have to use a few other funding mechanisms that would likely take 14 to 15 years to bring those buildings up to date, Strope said.

“It will just take a lot longer to make some very much needed investments in some of our facilities,” he said. “This $410 million is a really big deal when it comes to making a pretty substantial investment that our students deserve.”

When and where do I vote for the IPS 2023 referendum?

Early voting starts April 4 at the Indianapolis City-County Building. Additional early voting sites open April 22.

On Election Day, May 2, polls are open 6 a.m to 6 p.m., and Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s voting centers.

To find voting center locations for early voting and Election Day, apply for an absentee ballot and to see a sample ballot, visit vote.indy.gov.

For more details on the referendum, visit the IPS referendum website here.

Have a question that we did not address here? Reach out and let us know.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org. MJ Slaby contributed to this story.

IPS taps new operator for Washington Irving School 14, nixes Edison School of the Arts expansion

2023-03-24T01:39:03+00:00

Washington Irving School 14 will come under the control of a current Innovation Network school operator in 2023-24 through an agreement that Indianapolis Public Schools commissioners approved on Thursday.

The unanimous vote to approve the Near Eastside Innovation School Corporation to run the school follows the district’s decision to drop Urban Act Academy — the charter operator that has run the school since 2018-19 — from its Innovation Network.

Innovation schools are considered a part of IPS, but are given more autonomy over leadership, staffing, and other school operations. Most Innovation schools, but not all, are charter schools. School 14 will become one of the few Innovation schools not run by a charter operator.

The Near Eastside Innovation School Corporation, or NEISC, has run the Thomas Gregg School 15 as a non-charter Innovation school since 2017-18, experience that district and NEISC staff stressed at an earlier board meeting on Tuesday.

The school’s previous operator, Urban Act, was tasked with turning the school around as part of the district’s portfolio of “restart” Innovation schools. Last year, IPS said that it planned not to renew Urban Act’s Innovation agreement, citing School 14’s poor academic performance.

The school will receive roughly $420,000 in federal COVID relief funding over roughly 18 months, which will help fund one administrator and one school support specialist for the first year of the agreement.

School 14 will also receive roughly $5 million in capital improvements if voters approve a $410 million referendum in May.

School 14 will serve grades K-8 in 2023-24, but will move to K-5 in 2024-25 in a change that mirrors the district’s planned grade configuration in its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization.

Innovation schools director Brian Dickey touted NEISC’s successes at School 15 as a reason for putting it in charge of School 14.

NEISC, a nonprofit registered to the John Boner Community Center, has increased enrollment at School 15 by about 20% since 2016-17, according to a presentation given to the board Tuesday.

School 15’s proficiency rate on the state’s ILEARN test across white, Black, and Latino student subgroups were at or above proficiency rates for the district’s underperforming Emerging Schools cohort. English proficiency rates for Black students more than doubled from 2021 to 2022, as did math proficiency rates for Latino students in that time frame, according to the district presentation.

Brandon House, a former IPS and Wayne Township teacher who later led a charter school network in New Orleans, will head the new School 14.

The John Boner organization, which has provided integral community support at School 15, plans to expand that network of support to families at School 14.

That includes preserving 22 units of affordable housing for School 14 families, offering an onsite family navigator and community school coordinator to connect families with resources and engagement opportunities, and providing a student support specialist to monitor academic and behavioral interventions.

House said the partnership will help provide stability for students — a key goal for a school that has grappled with high student transiency rates.

“Since we have a lot of that stability externally, we want to make sure that we bring that stability within our schools,” he said.

The school board also voted to terminate its agreement with Edison School of the Arts, which had been tapped by IPS to take over James Whitcomb Riley School 43 as an Innovation school in 2023-24. The move follows backlash against Edison’s former CEO, who was accused of using a racial slur and subsequently fired.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS will implement Rebuilding Stronger overhaul without new taxes for operating costs — for now

2023-03-24T01:10:10+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will implement all of its overhaul known as Rebuilding Stronger without a May referendum for operating expenses, a tax increase the district had touted as key to its plan to provide a quality education to all students.

The overhaul approved in November reconfigures grades, closes six schools, and expands specialized academic programs in an effort that officials say will create more great schools and prioritize equity. The district initially indicated that the plan would require two tax increases — a referendum for operating expenses and one for capital expenses.

The plan was temporarily thwarted when the board withdrew its plan to place a $413.6 million referendum for operating expenses on the May ballot, following significant pushback from the charter school sector. Charter schools sought more funding from the operating referendum, while IPS said it would only share revenue with charters considered a part of its autonomous Innovation Network.

But in an announcement on Thursday, the district said it will cut costs in central services and operations to implement the entire Rebuilding Stronger plan, which requires grade reconfigurations for elementary and middle schools to begin in 2024-25.

The district did not specify how much it would save. But Superintendent Aleesia Johnson estimated that fully funding investments in academic programs would amount to roughly $9 million.

The operating referendum was meant to fund the expansion of academic programs and offerings such as art and music. It was also meant to fund teacher pay amid a highly competitive hiring environment.

IPS has enough funding to fund the plan temporarily, but not for the long term, the district said in its announcement.

“We’ve been doing the detailed work over the past several weeks to figure out if we could execute our full Rebuilding Stronger plan given our budget realities — and without seeking an operating referendum this May,” Johnson said in a video posted on Thursday. “And, while we know there are number of factors at the state level that can ultimately impact this timeline, my goal then remains my goal today — to deliver on what this community most values for our students, our teachers, and our families, while also making sure we have the money we need to stay on a sustainable path.”

But the district still stressed that it needs a solution for funding by 2026, when the district’s current referendum for operating expenses will expire.

In her remarks, Johnson expressed an urgency to implement the plan for high-quality options for all students.

“I refuse to ask any student to wait any longer than necessary for Algebra or computer science or art or music. I refuse to keep sending students to schools in buildings that are so overdue for upgrades,” Johnson said. “And I refuse to lose the genius and talent of any more of our students to neighboring districts or schools while we wait to make ours excellent.”

The district said it will make teacher and support staff pay a priority in order to maintain competitive salaries in Marion County.

“We’re going to be prudent and intentional with every dollar from the state to value the people in our schools,” the district said in a statement. “But if we want to sustain our ability to be competitive in the long-term, and keep our almost 90% employee retention, we’re going to need an operating referendum.”

The district hopes the plan will ultimately help the district run more effectively as it loses students and the charter sector grows. Traditional K-8 schools will separate into elementary and middle schools, a move that officials say will help bring more offerings to middle school students.

The reconfiguration will provide band and orchestra, world language, and Algebra I to all middle school students. Less than half of middle schoolers currently have access to those offerings.

Rebuilding Stronger will also double the number of seats in specialized programs that produce strong academic outcomes or are in high demand, such as International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and Butler Lab.

In 2018, the district postponed a referendum after criticism from the business sector, then lowered its proposed tax increase, which voters approved on the November ballot.

The district’s $410 million referendum for capital expenses is on the ballot for May.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Edison School of the Arts board terminates Executive Director Nathan Tuttle

2023-03-14T23:50:48+00:00

This story was updated on July 12, 2023 to reflect personnel updates following the March 14, 2023 meeting.

The school board for Edison School of the Arts voted on Tuesday to terminate the employment of executive director and CEO Nathan Tuttle immediately, following allegations that he used a racial slur when speaking with students earlier this month.

The board also voted to terminate its agreement with Indianapolis Public Schools for the arts school to expand by running James Whitcomb Riley School 43, a move that was part of the district’s massive reorganization plan known as Rebuilding Stronger.

Tuttle faced allegations that he used a racial slur against a student earlier this month. Tuttle previously told Chalkbeat he has never used a racial slur toward a child, but was speaking to a student who had used a racial slur and told that student not to do so.

But parents and staff claimed in the board meeting last week that Tuttle repeated the slur back to Black students as he was trying to explain to them what they should not say.

The meeting to address the allegations last week boiled over into an hourslong public comment session with parents, students, and staff describing a hostile working and learning environment under Tuttle and two members of his administration.

School employees alleged many teachers had left the school, while students claimed the administration created a culture of fear and silence.

In one of four resolutions passed at the meeting on Tuesday, the board determined that Tuttle “observed a student using racially inappropriate language and repeated the racially inappropriate language while trying to discipline the student.”

The board also determined in its resolution that under Tuttle’s leadership, “a significant divide has developed among the students, parents, faculty, and staff of the school.”

The board voted 4-0 to terminate Tuttle. Members Keesha Dixon and Ted Givens abstained but did not state in the meeting their reasons for doing so.

Tuttle did not respond to a request for comment.

The board made little comment about the resolutions during the meeting, instead reading each one into the record for a vote.

The board also unanimously voted to appoint elementary school Principal Amy Berns as the interim building administrator who will report directly to the board. Sheena Roach will serve as middle school principal.

In a fourth resolution, the board voted to conduct a review of all school policies and procedures regarding the use of racially inappropriate and offensive language, employee and student discipline, and procedures for guests on campus.

Edison is an autonomous school within the IPS Innovation Network. It is one of the few Innovation schools not run by a charter operator. Instead, it is run by a nonprofit and its own school board.

IPS signed an innovation agreement earlier this year for Edison to operate a second Innovation campus at James Whitcomb Riley School 43.

In a statement, IPS said it agrees with the decision not to move forward with Edison’s expansion to School 43.

“We believe Edison’s Board has responded to the feedback and concerns from staff and families and has taken the appropriate and necessary steps to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for its students, staff, and families,” the statement said. “As an IPS Innovation partner school, the district will continue to walk alongside the Edison community to provide support where needed.”

IPS administration will work closely with School 43 staff, families, and community members to determine a “new path forward” for the 2023-24 school year, the district said.

Some parents and students claimed at the meeting last week that two members of Tuttle’s administration, Principal in Residence James Hill and Director of Operations Vionta Jones, also contributed to the school’s hostile environment.

Board member Greg Wallis said that the board will review the organizational chart for the school. He said after the meeting that concerns about other administrators will be handled through a grievance process the school has with a third-party human resources firm.

Hill and Jones declined to comment through a spokesperson at last week’s meeting and did not respond to an email request for comment.

In July, the school told Chalkbeat in a statement that its investigation was focused solely on Tuttle and no formal human resources complaints were filed about other staff members before or after the March meeting. Per the statement, the board did not renew its contract with Hill because his role was to lead School 43 in an expansion that was no longer happening. Jones remains as director of operations.

The school said its board is considering next steps for the CEO position.

The board will also create an “Edison Empowers” parent committee to hear from parents in the school, Wallis said at the meeting. The board also plans to listen to staff and student reports at every board meeting.

“The nature of these reports hopefully will move to things of a positive nature celebrating the successes and the great work that our students and that our staff do,” Wallis said.

The board also will conduct a monthly personnel review of new hires, resignations, terminations, and reassignments “so that the board has visibility to those types of things that are happening that were raised at our last meeting,” Wallis said.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

How one middle school teacher grew his students’ math scores despite pandemic challenges

2023-03-14T12:00:00+00:00

As a senior at Indianapolis’ Ben Davis High School, Jacob Gregory enrolled in an Exploratory Teaching program. He thought of it as an easy way to leave school for a few hours, but it ended up sparking “an unknown interest in teaching,” he said.

Today, the sixth grade math and science teacher at McKinley Elementary School is a quiet rock star. The school’s sixth grade growth scores in math are at nearly 58%, meaning more than half of the students met their individual growth targets on the state’s ILEARN test.

That kind of growth is well above the state average, and it’s one reason why McKinley Elementary had among the highest improvement rates in state test scores last year.

Throughout the pandemic, Gregory held his students to high expectations, whether they were learning in person or virtually.

“I never looked for ‘gaps’ or ‘learning loss.’ I never changed my teaching style or ‘geared it down’ just because we were sitting behind 12-inch screens,” he said. “I knew I could deliver quality instruction to my virtual and in-person students; it was just a matter of how I was going to pull it off virtually.”

In an interview with Chalkbeat, Gregory shared his insights on the challenges of middle school math, his advice for his younger self, and how he uses basketball to get kids excited to learn.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How do you engage middle schoolers or get them excited about math?

I stress the importance of every little thing we do in our classroom — every lesson, every assignment, every test — understanding that we are all building toward our end goals and being fully prepared for the next school year. We really build a “rally cry” and celebrate the successes of everyone. It’s that buy-in that drives each sixth grader to want to do their best in math. Without calling it “competition,” they want to not only meet their goals but to do as well, if not better, than their peers.

When one of Jacob Gregory’s students realized they would both be at the same wrestling event, he created this sign. “Instead of taking a sign for his favorite wrestler, he took the sign you see,” Gregory said. “Always been special to me.”

Your principal has noted your math growth scores. How did you achieve that?

I cannot pinpoint one thing that would be the root of our growth. I’ve always wanted to meet each student exactly where they are academically and build on that. I’ve said it often: Everyone starts a marathon at the same spot, but not everyone runs at the same pace or finishes at the same time. Just like in our class, we all must get to the finish line somehow.

I’ve immersed myself in our Eureka Math program and have been able to become an expert (with still plenty to learn) in where it begins and where it wants our students to finish.

We use a program called Plickers every morning for our spiral review. It is five questions I’ve constructed that allow us to both review previous content and continue to work on current classroom content. I think sixth grade math students have so much to learn over the course of 180 days it becomes very difficult for them to remember what they learned in August to answer a standardized test question in April. Our Plickers allows us to never forget our “old friends” and keep them fresh throughout the year.

You lead an NBA Math Hoops club — can you tell me more about that?

NBA Math Hoops is our math club. It’s a board game and mobile app curriculum that allows students to learn fundamental math skills through basketball using current NBA and WNBA players. Math Hoops improves important math and social-emotional skills.

We recently had the opportunity to take some of our Math Hoops MVPs to a Pacers game and had a great experience. We will be heading to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 15 with our sixth grade to play NBA Math Hoops LIVE with the STEM nonprofit Learn Fresh and Pacers/Fever special guests.

What best describes your teaching method?

Everything has structure, a place, and a purpose in my classroom. There is no wasted motion or opportunities for learning. My students could tell any guest exactly how my class is run and in what order we do things.

What was the hardest moment on the job for you in all of your career – and how did you overcome it? What advice would you give to other teachers facing challenges?

Not finishing our 2020 school year. Period. Nothing else. That group of students I had was very special and will always be dear to my heart because we never got to the finish line together. I feel COVID took something special away from us.

I was once told in a curriculum training that it was “one day, one lesson,” which sounds bad when you think about “What if a student didn’t learn in that lesson?” or “What if there is something we didn’t get to?” But I started to think about that as a whole, and no matter how bad you think that day and that lesson went, there’s always tomorrow and that next lesson.

What part of your job is most difficult?

Keeping my job at my job. I have a tough time detaching from work. My wife gets to hear all the stories, all the successes, the failures, and the struggles.

It has taken 17 years, and I’m sure I still can’t quite grasp it, for me to understand that these are children who are often dealing with adult-type issues. A lot of time, their biggest concern that day is not how to divide fractions or find the surface area of a rectangular prism.

If you could go back in time to your first year of teaching, what would you tell yourself then, knowing what you know now?

“Back To The Future” is my all-time favorite movie, so don’t tempt me with getting in a DeLorean and going 88 miles per hour. I would tell myself: Don’t sweat the little things; there will be strikes and gutters, ups and downs. At the end of the day, if a student learned one new thing, you did your job.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Stalled tax plan to revive Indianapolis Public Schools pushes charters and district further apart

2023-03-09T12:30:00+00:00

In the end, nobody got the money they wanted.

The months-long effort to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes for Indianapolis Public Schools had adversaries from the start.

The money was meant to fund the district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, a massive reorganization to expand academic offerings, reconfigure grades, and make IPS schools more attractive to students as the district loses students to charter schools.

But perhaps unsurprisingly, charter schools, which typically don’t receive property tax revenue, wanted a greater portion of that money than what the district was willing to offer. And opposition to the Rebuilding Stronger plan from parents and other community members lingered.

As a result, school board members hoping to put the tax measure to voters in May faced a formidable challenge: vocal parents and community members mobilized by well-funded groups that support charter schools — the same groups that supported the majority of those board members with hefty campaign contributions.

Then in January came additional and influential opposition: The Indy Chamber — a powerful ally in the district’s successful 2018 referendum that also donated to several campaigns for sitting school board members — also announced it would not support the proposed ballot measure.

Board members subsequently postponed their vote on the tax proposal, and are now working to salvage some kind of tax increase to put to voters in a different election. But the fallout from the last few months could hamstring the district’s long-term strategy to improve opportunities and outcomes for students.

It also points to something many advocates and officials say is worrisome: a house divided.

The district’s unique portfolio of charters and traditional public schools, created nearly a decade ago by IPS leaders and state lawmakers, has left both populations fighting for funding. And as state lawmakers push to expand school choice in Indiana, that competition might be for a shrinking financial pie.

“If they both end up being under-resourced, they will both fail,” said Tony Mason, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League. “And as we see an expansion of vouchers, ultimately what could happen is that parents will choose to take their vouchers and take their children to private and parochial schools.”

Those backing charter schools who criticized the board’s approach to the tax measure say their focus is ensuring that all students benefit equally from revenue earmarked for public education.

EmpowerED Families, a group that spent more than $5,000 on radio ads opposing the tax measure, said in a statement this month that it supports those who “advocate for fairness and equal distribution of funds amongst all public schools.”

“This referendum could have been a win for ALL Indianapolis public school students in IPS’ district … but unfortunately, it left students out, many of whom are Black and Latino,” the group said.

But such arguments have frustrated some school board members, particularly when their critics have insinuated that the district doesn’t want to treat students of color equally with white students.

“I wake up every day and my child is Black, and I’m Black, and I’m a first-generation college graduate,” said board President Venita Moore.

“People do those things when they try to divide a community,” she added. “And I feel like they were trying to divide a community.”

Two types of schools compete for funding

Throughout December and January, school board members sat silently through hours of public comment as they took the brunt of the charter sector’s ire.

Charter advocates packed school board meetings and argued that commissioners would hurt Black and brown students if the operating referendum were passed.

“My students have dreams just like any other students,” one parent and educator told the board. “Fund them all, and if you do not, it will be another betrayal of Black and brown families that I know everyone on the board cares about.”

The discord between the two types of schools stems from a taxing setup that leaves both school systems fighting over limited resources.

Property tax revenues are capped in Indiana, but can be raised beyond the cap with the passage of a public ballot question. That means many school districts must seek voter approval to raise funding for initiatives like Rebuilding Stronger. Meanwhile, charter schools do not get property tax revenue, although they receive state grants to fund capital and operating needs.

“In one relatively small geography, you have two school systems operating and targeting similar populations in a world where there just are not enough resources — either financial or human resources — to sustain two systems,” said IPS board member Will Pritchard.

Unlike other districts, IPS has shared money from its previous operating referendum with charters in its Innovation Network — schools that are considered a part of IPS but are autonomous. But in the proposed 2023 referendum, IPS was not willing to share funding with charters that are independent from the district.

Other groups have been more sympathetic to IPS, coming to its defense against the charter sector.

The African American Coalition of Indianapolis denounced efforts to cast the referendum as an effort that would harm Black children. The group instead questioned the proliferation of charter schools within IPS boundaries, arguing that equity does not mean IPS children receive less so charter schools receive more.

“The periodic haggling by some institutions in this community over what IPS and the Black and Brown children that matriculate in the district should have is not only shortsighted and counterproductive to workforce development, but also borders on paternalism,” the coalition said in its statement.

(As a whole, independent charters as well as charters in the district-affiliated Innovation Network have a higher proportion of Black students than traditional IPS schools. Students of color make up a majority in all three sectors.)

But the AACI, as well as the IPS Community Coalition, only shared sentiments of support several weeks after it became clear that the tax proposal to support Rebuilding Stronger wouldn’t make it onto the May ballot.

Charter leaders, however, moved much more quickly. At a December press conference, for example, charter school supporters said the funding gap between independent charters and traditional public schools would grow to over $10,000 per student if voters were to approve the ballot measure for operating costs.

Mariama Shaheed, founder of the Global Preparatory Academy charter school, joined other leaders in calling on Indianapolis Public Schools to share more of its potential referendum funds with charters.

Charters see potential statehouse funding wins

State education policy shifts could deepen the divide between charters and IPS.

Charters have so far had good news at the statehouse, where House Republicans have proposed more money per pupil to make up for the property tax revenue they generally do not receive.

And as the charter sector mobilized at IPS meetings, it has mobilized at the statehouse, too.

In a public statement last week, Black charter school leaders called for a long-term solution to close the funding gap between charter school students and traditional public school students, which they estimated at over $7,000 per child in Indianapolis.

“Yes, our families chose to attend our schools. But the reality is that we lead public schools,” the statement read. “Our students are public school students and they deserve to be valued and provided the funding necessary to thrive.”

Ads from a group calling itself the Indiana Student Funding Alliance have pushed a similar message.

The proposed budget from House Republicans would give charter schools a set amount per pupil for operating costs: $1,400 in 2024 and $1,500 in 2025. This would replace a current state grant for charters of $1,250 per student annually.

But the budget would also limit the tax rate that districts could set to pay for operating expenses, which could harm larger school districts.

Another bill would allow charter schools to petition for school buildings in traditional districts that are operating at less than 60% capacity.

And public education advocates worry that the proposed legislation to expand vouchers could endanger state aid to public school students, whether they’re in a charter school or a traditional public school.

“They’re giving more money to vouchers,” Moore said. “And we still don’t have anything.”

Shoring up support to improve school facilities

Despite the setbacks, IPS is making the rounds on selling its capital referendum to voters, which the school board passed in a unanimous vote in December.

The $410 million ballot question would help fund building needs for 23 school campuses. Some of those include Innovation charter schools in district buildings.

The referendum will improve buildings that are on average 61 years old, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a Fox 59 interview last month.

“If there’s a building that’s in need, we want to be sure that that building is getting what it needs to be a great environment for students,” Johnson said.

The district estimates the tax increase would equate to an additional $3 per month for homeowners with a median value home.

Groups that were critical of Rebuilding Stronger and called for both independent and Innovation charters to receive referendum funding have had a mixed response to the referendum for capital costs.

RISE Indy, an education nonprofit that supports charter schools, said it supports the ballot question for capital projects. The Mind Trust, an influential organization that has incubated charter schools in Indianapolis, said it will not take a stance on the question. Stand for Children, which mobilized parents in support of charter schools at multiple board meetings, said it would not oppose the question.

The Indy Chamber stands by its decision not to support the referendum for capital projects. The group referred to its statement in January that the district should explore other revenue sources. Whether IPS can surmount that political obstacle and pass the capital referendum, given the chamber’s key role in the successful 2018 referendum, will be watched closely.

“It’s a question of how actively is the Chamber going to campaign against it,” said Andy Downs, professor emeritus of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Moore, meanwhile, maintains her hope that the district will work out funding to expand academic opportunities under Rebuilding Stronger. The district plans to enact parts of the plan that will take effect in 2023-24, including the closure of several schools.

“I just want IPS to continue to give the children who look like me an opportunity to be successful,” Moore said. “To be able to do things.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Edison School of the Arts staff, students call for resignation of executive director

2023-03-08T05:22:10+00:00

Dozens of students, parents, and staff members at Edison School of the Arts assailed the independent public school’s executive director and administration for allegedly maintaining a culture of fear and toxic work environment, in an emotional meeting Tuesday night.

Several staff claimed that fear and mistreatment by the administration have driven away their colleagues. Students said the administration silenced their voices. And parents and students called for the resignation of Executive Director Nathan Tuttle.

Allegations that Tuttle used a racial slur against a student Thursday had prompted the Edison board to call a public meeting. The board has placed Tuttle on administrative leave and contracted with the law firm Barnes and Thornburg to investigate. The board didn’t respond to allegations about the school’s environment during the meeting.

Edison is one of the few Innovation schools in Indianapolis Public Schools not run by a charter operator. Instead, it is run by a nonprofit and is overseen by its own board.

In a phone call with Chalkbeat ahead of the meeting, Tuttle denied the allegations and said multiple witnesses will prove they’re false. He said he was speaking to a student who used a racial slur and told that student not to do so.

“I did in no way ever, nor have I ever, used a racial slur toward a child,” he said.

But on Tuesday night, parents and staff claimed that Tuttle said the slur repeatedly to Black students when trying to explain what they should not say. They said he should not have repeated the word.

The incident has prompted dozens of students and staff to speak up about what they described as longstanding climate and culture problems.

“I have watched members of this staff walk out of offices, women, in tears. Tears,” said teacher Cinnita Sayles, who said staff members have been afraid to come to board meetings.

After the meeting, Tuttle did not respond to requests for comment about allegations by speakers. Principal Amy Berns, whom several staff at the meeting described as supportive, also declined to comment about the remarks made at the meeting.

Some students Tuesday called for Tuttle’s resignation or at least a public apology.

“When Mr. Tuttle is around this school, it is like everyone is being silenced and walking on eggshells trying not to start problems by accident or even hurting his feelings,” said Zaria Perry, the eighth grade student body president.

Eighth grader Zaria Perry addresses the board of Edison School of the Arts in Indianapolis in a meeting on Tuesday.

Parents, students, and staff also expressed concern with the administration.

“I have my daughter’s best friend in tears. Tears. Teachers, in tears,” said parent Michelle Johnson. “Are you not seeing this? Everybody is fearful in this school.”

Kitty Clemens, a seventh grade teacher, said she left the school two years ago, blaming treatment by Tuttle that caused her to doubt herself. She said she came back because of the students, Berns, and her colleagues.

“Accountability requires not just an apology but an action to show the apology was sincere and that it will not happen again,” Clemens said. She called for the board to press Tuttle to resign.

It’s unclear how long the school’s investigation may take.

Edison’s arts program is key to the district’s Rebuilding Stronger initiative, which seeks to expand specialized academic offerings — particularly to more students of color.

The IPS school board in December approved an agreement for Edison to run James Whitcomb Riley School 43 as a visual and performing arts school.

In a statement, IPS said it was aware of the allegations that Tuttle used a racial slur. The district did not respond to a question on whether the incident would affect the planned expansion of Edison to School 43.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana school districts may have to turn over underused buildings to charters. Here’s what to know.

2023-02-24T20:31:23+00:00

Legislation that would allow charter schools to acquire underused traditional public school buildings that are still serving students heads to the Senate floor after passing out of committee along party lines on Wednesday.

The bill makes it easier for charter schools to take advantage of the so-called $1 law, which currently requires school districts to offer unused, closed school buildings to charter schools or state educational institutions for the sale or annual lease price of $1.

Sen. Linda Rogers, a Republican from Granger who wrote the bill, has said in hearings that the intent of the bill was to clarify the existing $1 law, which a judge characterized as ambiguous in a recent ruling in favor of Carmel schools. But critics of the law, which has faced opposition from Democratic lawmakers and could have a significant impact on Indianapolis Public Schools, say it spurs the forced turnover of buildings to charter schools.

The initial version of the bill would have forced districts with declining student populations to shutter school buildings operating at less than 60% capacity.

But after Republicans on the Education and Career Development Committee amended the bill, the legislation now states that school districts “may” close such schools, placing the responsibility on charter schools to identify underused buildings and first work with the district to try to acquire one.

But Senate Bill 391 still allows charters to petition the Indiana Department of Education if those negotiations do not work, ultimately allowing the attorney general to enforce the sale or lease of the building. The bill also expands the $1 law to allow education nonprofits to acquire buildings.

The bill offers districts some reprieve by requiring charter schools that no longer have a use for an acquired district building to offer it back to the school district.

Rogers declined to comment this week when contacted about the bill by Chalkbeat.

The bill passed 8-4 out of committee. It will head to the House if it passes the Senate by Tuesday, but further amendments could still change the bill.

Here’s what we know about Senate Bill 391, inspired by questions from our readers.

How does the bill define an underutilized school?

The bill defines an “underutilized” school building as one where student enrollment has averaged less than 60% of the building’s capacity for the current school year and the previous two school years.

If the building’s capacity is unknown, then its capacity is determined by the average maximum full-time enrollment in any of the last 25 years.

The bill only applies to school districts where enrollment has dropped by at least 10% within the past five years. The district must also have more than one school building serving the same grade levels as the one that is subject to closure.

And schools can only close if there is another suitable building with “sufficient capacity” to take students from the closing school that is no more than 20 minutes away.

School districts could also keep buildings open if they demonstrate that they are being used for alternative education, administrative offices, or storage. In order for districts to use this provision, at least 30% of the building must be used for alternative education, and at least 50% must be used for offices or storage.

What would this bill mean for IPS?

The bill could have huge implications for Indianapolis Public Schools, which had an average utilization rate of 60% for its buildings in the 2021-22 school year, according to a facility condition analysis.

Paul Miller Elementary School 114 is one of six buildings that IPS will close at the end of this school year. Charter schools have expressed interested in occupying some of these buildings.

Sen. Andrea Hunley, an Indianapolis Democrat and former IPS principal, authored a failed amendment to the bill on Wednesday that would exempt districts like IPS where charter or innovation schools already occupy 10% of school buildings.

“Collaboration is already happening in Marion County in unique ways,” Hunley previously told Chalkbeat. “I’m perplexed by trying to create a solution on the state level when this is a very localized issue.”

Hunley’s amendment was one of several that Democrats on the Education and Career Development Committee tried but failed to pass.

What’s the difference between an underused building and a school with small class sizes?

Unless lawmakers amend the bill, it might not be possible to distinguish between a school that’s “underutilized” and one that has purposefully small class sizes. The latter is often a selling point for families who choose charter and private schools.

And it’s possible that a school is “underutilized” but using all of the space, critics said.

What happens to kids who attend a school that’s declared underused?

The bill says a building can only be closed if there is an available school within 20 minutes that can serve the same grades, meaning district students would likely go there if they didn’t attend the new charter school.

But the bill does not say whether the 20 minutes of travel would be via car, public transit, biking, or walking.

Would the law apply to charter schools?

Neither the $1 building law nor the new bill to expand it apply to charter schools. Without changes to the legislation, charter schools would not have to report and turn over their underused buildings.

How does the law apply to a building with debt?

Generally, under the existing law, the school district remains responsible for any debt attached to the building before it was leased, while the charter school is responsible for any expenses to the building during the term of the lease. Co-located schools share expenses.

Expanding the law to cover underused buildings, rather than just vacant ones, could in theory create situations in which districts carry capital debt for buildings they are leasing to charters.

When can a district sell a building for market value?

Typically, a district can sell a building for market value if it offers the facility to charter operators and gets no takers.

Indianapolis Public Schools recently sold the John Marshall building under this provision to create a community hub.

Can a charter school make a profit off of a building acquired for $1?

Current law states that if a charter sells the building to a third party, it must pay the district the amount by which the property’s value increased, minus any adjustments made to the property that may have increased its value.

The amended bill advanced by the committee would require charters to first offer an acquired building back to the school district before selling it. If a school district declines the building, the charter may sell it.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Attorney general finds Indianapolis Public Schools did not violate $1 law

2023-02-15T23:41:52+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools did not violate a controversial state law that requires school districts to offer unused classroom buildings to charter schools for $1, the state attorney general’s office concluded on Tuesday.

The complaints from the Indiana Charter School Network argued that IPS failed to inform the state of six school buildings slated for closure at the end of this school year, making them available to charter schools: Floro Torrence School 83, Frances Bellamy Preschool Center, George Buck School 94, Raymond Brandes School 65, Francis Parker School 56, and Paul Miller School 114.

But the attorney general’s office found each complaint unsubstantiated, noting that IPS had provided “sufficient documentary evidence” to show that the district intends to use each of the six schools even after it closes to classroom instruction.

The attorney general’s office did not elaborate on the district’s planned future uses.

In a statement, IPS said that it is pleased with the findings and noted that the school board passed a resolution that listed a number of potential uses for the buildings, including for charter schools that are part of the district’s Innovation Network.

“Our focus remains on the students and teachers who are still in all our proposed consolidated buildings, and ensuring they are well-supported through this time,” the district wrote. “The district and Board of School Commissioners are committed to transparent communications and decision-making about our buildings that will occur prior to the end of the school year.”

The school closures are part of the district’s broader reorganization plan known as Rebuilding Stronger, which seeks to offer more specialized academic programs and consolidate schools losing enrollment as IPS struggles to compete with charter schools. The district, however, is only implementing some parts of the plan after delaying a vote on an operating referendum needed to fund it.

“The district is currently completing an internal space needs assessment that will inform Rebuilding Stronger implementation and long-term facilities planning efforts,” the district wrote.

Marcie Brown-Carter, executive director of the Indiana Charter School Network, said the finding was disappointing and shows that the law always has been challenging to implement.

The findings signal a win for the school district, but one that may be temporary — state lawmakers are seeking to tweak the law to leave less room for various interpretations.

At least three charter schools signaled interest in occupying one of the six buildings, although IPS expressed hopes to maintain ownership of them.

The attorney general’s findings follow a January ruling from a Hamilton County judge who concluded that Carmel Clay Schools did not violate the law when it closed an elementary school and partnered with the local parks department to explore future uses for the building.

The state law — commonly referred to as the $1 law — requires school districts to notify the state Department of Education if classroom buildings are left “vacant or unused.” Charter schools and state educational institutions can then buy or lease those buildings for $1 to use for instructional or academic purposes.

Anyone may file a complaint with the attorney general if they believe school districts did not follow the law.

Since the law’s inception in 2005, the attorney general’s office has investigated at least nine complaints and found in favor of the school district in eight of the cases.

But the law’s lack of definition of what an unused building is has generated varying interpretations, multiple complaints to the attorney general, and at least one lawsuit.

A bill by Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, would require districts to close schools that are underutilized, or operating at less than 60% capacity for the current school year and two previous years. That would make the buildings available to charter schools.

Senate Bill 391 would only apply to districts whose enrollment has dropped at least 10% over five years and that have more than one school serving the same grade span as the school targeted for closure.

Shuttered schools also must be able to redirect students to another building within 20 minutes of the closed school. Districts could avoid closing underused schools by showing how a space would be used instead for offices, storage, or alternative education, but must meet certain requirements to fall under that exemption.

The bill could have sweeping implications for IPS, which has an average building utilization rate of 60%, according to a districtwide 2020 assessment. Twenty-two of those buildings had rates below 60%, including some charter schools within the district’s Innovation Network.

The bill was slated to be heard in a Senate education committee on Wednesday but was later pulled from the agenda. Committee chair Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, said author Rogers wasn’t present and was considering amending the bill next week.

Next week is the last opportunity for the bill to be heard in committee.

Reporter Aleksandra Appleton contributed to this report.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Legislation would require Indiana districts to share property tax revenue with charters

2023-02-14T21:45:12+00:00

A long-awaited bill to require Indiana school districts to share property tax dollars with charter schools has attracted attention and scrutiny from groups that disagree about which schools should benefit from public funding.

The proposal is the latest sign that lawmakers might direct more public dollars to support school choice this budget session. Proponents characterize this strategy as funding students instead of systems, while opponents argue it leaves fewer resources for the nearly one million students in Indiana’s traditional public schools.

Under current state law, charters do not receive a portion of the funding that districts can collect from property taxes, and can’t put their own referendums to raise operating revenue to voters.

Senate Bill 398, authored by Republican Sen. Linda Rogers of Granger, would require districts to share some of that tax revenue, though Rogers made changes that significantly pare down the scope of the proposal.

Beginning in 2024, districts would need to share any revenue from local property taxes earmarked for operating expenses that’s above the average they received from 2021 to 2023 with charter schools in the same or contiguous counties.

Rogers’ bill would require charter schools to hold public hearings on their budgets, and to set up operations funds to receive referendum dollars, which would only be available for a list of qualified expenses related to buildings, transportation, and technology.

The Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy committee did not vote on the bill Tuesday. Rogers said she would be open to meeting with the members of the public who came to testify to discuss the bill further. House lawmakers are considering a similar bill.

“To me, it’s simply unacceptable that a student who chooses a different public school than the one they are geographically assigned to should receive thousands less in education funding annually,” she said during Tuesday’s hearing.

Charter supporters argued during the hearing that the current local tax system leaves them with less. Furthermore, it means that parents who send their children to charter schools don’t benefit from the property tax dollars that they might pay.

But opponents of the bill said it would be inappropriate to direct more public money to schools that don’t have measures of accountability like publicly elected school boards. They also said charter schools have access to funding sources that are unavailable to traditional public schools — such as federal and state grants, philanthropic support, and assistance from the city of Indianapolis, for example.

One such source of funds, the state Charter and Innovation Network School Grant Program, provides grants of $1,250 per charter student, lawmakers noted. Meanwhile, two federally funded grants are earmarked for charter schools’ expansion and facilities.

“If a taxpayer is not satisfied with how their tax dollars are being spent, they have an opportunity to provide input at school board meetings, or through the voting process,” David Marcotte, executive director of the Indiana Urban Schools Association, told lawmakers Tuesday. “The prospect of losing these funds to charter schools … will be a burden on many school districts in my association.”

IPS superintendent opposes ‘zero sum’ funding

The legislature has repeatedly presented “zero sum” strategies that move money from one group of students with high needs to another, Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said at the hearing.

Johnson said that under the bill, the district would expect to receive around $2 million less in funding annually. She also noted that charter schools with small populations — a selling point for families — often have a higher per-pupil cost than other schools.

Independent charter schools received around $7,326 less than IPS in per-pupil funding in 2019, according to a report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education. Statewide, that gap is around $3,800, according to testimony from Kristin Grimme, senior vice president of strategy at The Mind Trust, a group that supports charter schools in Indianapolis.

But IPS was the first district in the state to share its latest 2018 operating referendum money with the Innovation Network charters considered part of the district, giving $500 per pupil to those charters.

The district has also noted that it pays more than $40 million in in-kind services to support charters within its Innovation Network.

IPS also covers facilities and transportation costs for 15 of its 24 Innovation charters, most of which comes from the district’s operating fund, Johnson noted on Tuesday.

Still, charter school leaders and pro-charter organizations have argued that a meaningful disparity exists.

In Indianapolis, the IPS school board’s decision last month to delay a vote on a new operating referendum came after high-profile lobbying from the charter school community that charters should benefit more from the referendum. The latest IPS referendum pitched by district officials would have shared more of the additional revenue with Innovation charters than the district initially offered, but none with independent charters.

Other proposals for funding on the table

The legislature is considering several other proposals that would affect local funding and resources for schools.

House Bill 1498 would place a one-time cap of 5% on operating referendum revenue for 2024.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 391 would compel districts to make their underused school buildings available to charter schools. The bill is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education and Career Development Committee Wednesday.

Other proposals would direct more state money to vouchers and similar programs. One such bill seeks to open the state’s Education Savings Accounts to more families, allowing them to use state tuition support dollars to attend private schools.

And House Republicans’ signature education bill this session would create career scholarship accounts for students to be used for job training with organizations other than their high schools. House Bill 1002 will be heard by the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS moves ahead with parts of Rebuilding Stronger plan despite lack of operating referendum

2023-02-06T19:10:53+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will implement only part of its massive Rebuilding Stronger overhaul after the school board failed to place an operating referendum on the upcoming May ballot.

In a speech released Friday, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson called the postponement “an unfortunate delay.” In the meantime, the district will move forward with the changes meant to take place in 2023-24, including preschool expansion and the closure of schools.

Rebuilding Stronger aimed to expand popular academic offerings, such as visual arts programming and Montessori, to all students throughout the district as part of a push for equity. Rebuilding Stronger also reconfigures grades to provide more operational efficiency for the district, which for years has slowly lost students to charter schools as enrollment in traditional, non-innovation schools has declined from 27,988 in 2015-16 to 19,596 in 2022-23, according to district and state records.

The plan called for two ballot questions to increase taxes — one totaling $51.7 million annually for eight years to support operational expenses that would fund program expansion and teacher compensation, and another $410 million referendum for capital expenses that would fund building improvements and new buildings.

The capital referendum will still be on the May ballot.

But the school board didn’t vote on a referendum for operating expenses last month amid significant pushback from the charter school and business community. It’s unlikely the board would vote on the measure before the Feb. 17 deadline for placing it on the ballot.

Charter school proponents and powerful groups behind them — such as Stand for Children Indiana and the Mind Trust — called for more referendum funding for charters. The Indy Chamber also voiced concerns with the district’s plan, and said it could not support it at this time.

Other changes slated for the 2024-25 year are on hold as officials figure out next steps. Those changes include enacting four simplified enrollment zones and the expansion of academic programming such as International Baccalaureate throughout the district.

“It profoundly saddens me that there are those in our community who question if and what our children deserve,” Johnson said. “I’m left to wonder why, time and time again, IPS is asked to wait on behalf of our students — to be more creative with already strained resources.”

The $410 million referendum for capital expenses still planned for the May ballot will equate to an extra $3 per month for a median home value of $138,500, Johnson said Friday.

She still called on voters to support the capital referendum.

“This is a really big deal and I don’t want to lose sight of just how much good we will do with your generous support and investments,” she said.

In her video statement, Johnson said that changes slated for 2023-24 will still occur. She specifically mentioned:

The closure and consolidation of several schools. Under the Rebuilding Stronger resolution the board passed in November, these schools are slated to close: Francis Bellamy PreK Center, Floro Torrence School 83, Paul Miller School 114, Raymond Brandes School 65, George Buck School 94, and Francis Parker Montessori School 56. Students at these schools will receive priority in the districtwide enrollment lottery when choosing new schools for that year, according to the resolution.
The expansion of preschool from Francis Bellamy to additional schools across the district. The Rebuilding Stronger resolution lists six schools that will receive preschool in 2023-24: Carl Wilde School 79, Charles Fairbanks School 105, Brookside School 54, Daniel Webster School 46, James Garfield School 31, and James Russell Lowell School 51.

Other parts of Rebuilding Stronger slated to occur in 2023-24 are:

The ending of two innovation agreements with SUPER School 19 and Urban Act Academy, a charter operator which took over Washington Irving School 14. Students at SUPER School 19, which is an innovation school but not operated by a charter, can choose to remain there or may be given priority in the districtwide enrollment lottery, according to the Rebuilding Stronger resolution the board passed in November. The district has said it is exploring an innovation agreement with a new school operator, the Near Eastside Innovation School Corporation, for Washington Irving School 14.
The transformation of James Whitcomb Riley School 43 into a visual and performing arts school. The school will join the district’s Innovation Network, but will not be run by a charter operator.

Johnson said her team will discuss other components of the Rebuilding Stronger plan, particularly those scheduled for 2024-25, over the next few weeks.

“I will not see the vision that this community came together around diminished by the politics of zero-sum games and either-or thinking,” she said. “That’s a game that no one wins, and kids lose.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

IPS partners with National Education Equity Lab to bring Harvard, UPenn classes to students

2023-02-02T21:24:22+00:00

Students in Indianapolis Public Schools can now take courses at Harvard University or the University of Pennsylvania without leaving their high school classrooms.

Indianapolis Public Schools is the first district in the state to partner with the National Education Equity Lab to allow Crispus Attucks High School students to enroll in college-level courses at the country’s top universities.

The partnership with the education justice nonprofit will allow students to enroll in college courses offered at prestigious universities throughout the country, such as Howard University, Princeton University, Spelman College, and Wesleyan University.

Those college courses could later count as college credits, depending on where students matriculate.

The program began this semester at Crispus Attucks. Twenty-five students are participating virtually in one of two courses: a psychology course titled “Grit Lab 101” at the University of Pennsylvania taught by author and professor Angela Duckworth, and “Poetry in America” at Harvard University taught by Lisa New, creator of the PBS series by the same name.

IPS hopes to eventually expand the program to its other high schools, partnering with other universities such as Stanford and Georgetown.

“We know the potential that all of our students have,” said Crispus Attucks Principal Lauren Franklin. “Opportunities like this allow them to reach their full potential after high school and for all of their future endeavors in life.”

The partnership means students like Shaheem Woods — who hopes to be among the first in his family to attend college — can experience a college-level course.

Woods said his guidance counselor recommended he sign up for “Grit Lab 101.”

“I wasn’t prepared to take any type of college class,” said Woods, a junior who wants to study business in college. “But I was like, ‘If he picked me, then there’s gotta be something that he sees in me.’”

The National Education Equity Lab recommends that participating students have at least a 3.0 GPA, but does allow guidance counselors to advocate for students who may not hit that threshold, said Alexandra Slack, the nonprofit’s chief operating officer.

The partnership, which costs $250 per student, is paid for through the school’s budget. IPS students do not have to pay to paricipate.

The new program marks the National Education Equity Lab’s first partnership with an Indiana school district. The nonprofit partners with a number of top universities and public school districts throughout the country to offer credit-bearing college courses at no cost to students.

Students watch pre-recorded lectures from university professors while undergraduate teaching fellows also lead classroom discussions — an experience similar to the one found in traditional college courses.

The program expands the dual-credit offerings that IPS already provides through Ivy Tech, Vincennes University, IUPUI, and Martin University. In 2021-22, students earned 105 credits through Vincennes University and 989 credits at Ivy Tech. A typical college course carries three credits.

“For me the power of this experience for our students is not just the credit that they can earn, but also the confidence that they will be able to have knowing that they can be a student taking a Harvard class, that they can be a student taking a UPenn class,” said Superintendent Aleesia Johnson. “That means something as they think about their futures.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

This article has been updated to clarify the funding source for the program.

IPS test scores have rebounded close to pre-pandemic levels, but remain far from 2025 goal

2023-01-31T12:30:00+00:00

Like many teachers, Indianapolis Public Schools teacher Jacob Gregory returned to in-person learning in 2021 facing an uphill battle.

His sixth grade math students at McKinley School 39 had been through a disruptive mix of learning models since the pandemic hit in 2020 and closed schools.

When IPS went to a hybrid model in the 2020-21 school year, for example, Gregory would at times look up to see only three kids sharing the same classroom with him.

Predictably, IPS students’ proficiency on the 2021 ILEARN test — the state exam in grades 3-8 used for federal and state accountability purposes — declined. But the 2021-22 school year, when all students returned to in-person learning, marked a fresh start.

“That was the year that I really just said, ‘Okay we’re not online anymore. It’s time to get back to what we’ve been doing,’” Gregory said.

That determination by Gregory and his colleagues paid dividends. On last year’s ILEARN test, 21.3% of McKinley’s students were proficient in both English Language Arts and math, compared to just 9.7% the year before. That’s one of the best improvement rates for any school in IPS, excluding Innovation Network charter schools.

The school’s results reflect a districtwide academic recovery from the pandemic, as measured by the ILEARN test. In fact, IPS had among the highest ILEARN growth rates in Marion County from 2021 to 2022.

In IPS last year, 22.3% of students in grades 3-8 were proficient in English, and 19.5% were proficient in math.

But that growth has only taken students’ scores back to roughly what they were in 2019, the first year for ILEARN. IPS remains far from its goal of having half its students proficient in English and math on the state test by 2025.

As students in grades 3-8 prepare to take the ILEARN again beginning in April, the district is focusing on tactics to continue its progress and reach that goal, with the help of federal COVID relief funding.

In IPS last year, 22.3% of students in grades 3-8 were proficient in English, and 19.5% were proficient in math.

But at McKinley, like the rest of the district, Black and Latino students still have not reached pre-pandemic achievement levels on the ILEARN.

While Black and Latino students grew in proficiency in both subjects last year, proficiency rates for white students grew significantly more. And unlike their white peers, whose ILEARN scores in 2022 exceeded their 2019 results, test scores for Black and Latino students still have not recovered.

The improvement in the district’s test scores stem from several efforts made throughout the pandemic, including those supported with $14.3 million in COVID relief funds IPS has set aside specifically for English and math improvement. That’s a small share of the $217.5 million in federal COVID funding IPS received through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program for its non-charter schools.

But even with last year’s improvement and millions of dollars in one-time funding, is the district’s 2025 goal for test scores feasible?

“I’ll say it’s ambitious,” said Warren Morgan, the IPS chief academic officer. “We’re just continuing to track towards it.”

The district has a long way to go to reach 50% — but even increasing proficiency rates by just 10% to 12% by 2025 would be a major accomplishment, said John Kuykendall, associate professor and dean for the University of Indianapolis School of Education.

“I think to get there … in two years, you’re going to also have to focus on the basic needs of kids, too,” Kuykendall said. “What do they need to be ready to be able to come to school and learn?”

Officials credit new curriculum for score boosts

At McKinley, staff attribute the school’s successful rebound in part to solid teamwork and strong staff retention rates. IPS has increased its districtwide teacher retention rate from 71.3% in 2018-19 to 83.9% in 2020-21, according to state data. Retention rates for individual schools are not available.

“I’m going to keep saying, ‘You can do this. We’ll get it done. We’ll figure out a way to do it one way or another,’” Gregory said, recalling his mindset through the 2021-22 academic year.

Throughout the pandemic, McKinley Principal Deana Perry tried to maintain a semblance of a school community. The school made drive-through versions of school events, like a carnival and winter wonderland celebration, when classrooms were closed. Perry went to the downtown Panera each week to bring extra baked goods for staff and families on “carb days” every Friday.

This book vending machine at McKinley School 39 encourages students to read by buying books with a token. Students earn a token when they complete their monthly reading log and get a token for their birthday.

But districtwide, a variety of other efforts may have played a part.

Morgan attributes much of the ILEARN improvement to an overhaul in curriculum that began in 2020.

“We were not using high-quality texts across the board,” he said, adding that in some cases, curriculum hadn’t been updated for years.

The district spent $3 million in federal COVID aid for a “rigorous, aligned curriculum” and $1.4 million to train staff and offer other professional development for the curriculum changes.

At McKinley, math scores rose from 23.8% to 37.6% from 2021 to 2022, a feat that Perry attributes to the school’s early exposure to the new Eureka Math program before the rest of the district.

IPS taps tutoring as key improvement strategy

The school’s staff aren’t content just to point to last year’s progress.

In her office, Perry has her ILEARN goals for this school year written on a whiteboard.

She hopes 27% of her students at McKinley reach proficiency in English on the ILEARN when they take it in just a few months, and 41.4% hit proficiency in math. She hopes her school reaches that 50% mark by 2025 along with the district.

“We’re committed to supporting that goal,” Perry said.

Gregory is certainly energized. By the time he returned from the winter break in early January, he had been ready to return to work for a week.

In Gregory’s eyes, the 50% proficiency goal for IPS might be ambitious, but it’s still an F — he’s aiming for even higher passing rates.

The school’s English Language Arts scores haven’t quite rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. But Perry said that in professional development sessions, her staff are still working on mastering the new English curriculum that the district introduced during the pandemic.

“While we do discuss math, we really put a lot of emphasis on ELA,” Perry said.

Just as IPS relied on COVID relief to help test scores rebound from 2021 to 2022, the district is hoping that a variety of districtwide initiatives launched during the pandemic will help McKinley and other schools continue to improve and reach its 2025 goal.

The district has allotted $2.4 million in federal aid for several tutoring programs, the largest of which is Tutoring for All. The program, which IPS launched districtwide in the fall, allows students to voluntarily sign up for virtual tutoring outside of school hours.

Last semester, weekly student attendance ranged from 482 to 1,127, according to the district. Roughly 1,500 students attended at least one session.

“This is our first year really doing it,” Morgan said of Tutoring for All. “And so we’re monitoring things as things go along. Of course, we want to see how we can get more people to know about it.”

Even though IPS has been back to in-person learning for some time, virtual learning has played a large role in the district’s plan for post-pandemic recovery.

Eleven schools also have in-class virtual tutoring. This program at chronically underperforming IPS schools — known as Emerging Schools — allows students to receive individualized attention and get them back to grade level.

Keith Utter, a fifth grade teacher at Charles Warren Fairbanks School 105, said the program has helped provide one-on-one instruction from tutors from all over the country during the school day. Utter provides additional help to students as they need it.

“In the morning when you come into my room, you’ll see the kids eating their breakfast, but as soon as 9:15 comes around they’re all logged in. Their eyes are glued to their teachers, because they do enjoy it,” Utter told the IPS school board at a meeting last month. “There’s 100% engagement, which is a great way to start the day.”

Adopting such virtual teaching models is one way Kuykendall says districts can recover from pandemic learning loss.

“We’re going to have to encourage our teachers to have different kinds of instructional methods and pedagogy to engage these students in different ways, because they were off for so long and they were comfortable in a Zoom format,” he said.

Making school staff aware of racial disparities

Despite the improvements, the district still has to contend with gaps that persist among racial and ethnic subgroups. A pillar of the district’s strategic plan is to reduce those disparities.

Along with its 2025 goal for all students, IPS aims to have 50% of Black and Latino students meet or exceed grade-level performance in English and math by the same year. Those groups combined represent roughly 73% of the IPS non-charter student population.

Those disparities exist at McKinley, too. While 28.8% of white students at the school were proficient in both English and math, only 17% of Latino students and 8.8% of Black students were proficient on last year’s ILEARN.

Increasing parental involvement and ensuring that students have the necessary support to do well in school are some of the ways the district can try to close those academic disparities, which have persisted in education for decades, Kuykendall said.

“For IPS, the challenge will be in ensuring that marginalized populations have the adequate resources to meet that goal,” he said.

Morgan said IPS has instituted training about implicit bias for leaders, and has shared academic and disciplinary data on Black and Latino students to make staff mindful of the disparities.

Emerging Schools have also adopted a coaching tool for teachers called CT3 that provides real-time feedback from teacher coaches watching from the back of the classroom, Morgan said.

“CT3 actually gives teachers the tools to actually be aware of being in a classroom — how are you responding to students? Are you calling on certain groups of students and not others?” Morgan said.

Meanwhile at McKinley, staff on the school’s racial equity team are reading a book, “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” with a plan to present its takeaways to the whole staff, Perry said.

As McKinley’s students prepare to take the ILEARN in a few months, Perry leans on her staff — which she calls her “dream team” — just as she did during the pandemic.

“They really are an amazing group of educators,” she said. “We all share the same common goal, which is to grow our students to be independent learners and thinkers, and to be successful in life.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools tables operating referendum vote amid pushback

2023-01-28T19:12:36+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools will delay its plan to place a $413.6 million referendum for operating expenses on the May ballot after mounting public pressure to give more funding to charter schools and the recently announced lack of support from the influential Indy Chamber.

The school board needed to approve the referendum by Feb. 17 to have it on the ballot in May, and that’s now unlikely to happen, board members said at Saturday’s school board meeting. The district planned to use the operating referendum to fund its vast revitalization effort, known as Rebuilding Stronger, so the delay was a blow to those plans.

The change, however, came with the most comprehensive public comments yet on the matter from IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, who in a nearly 10-minute speech expressed concern that organizations within the city’s educational landscape have sown discord at the expense of its students.

“Right now in Indianapolis we have lost sight of the concept of a village, when organizations can publicly declare that they cannot support funding for well documented and much overdue improvements needed for our children’s schools, and question if they really need that expanded access to algebra and music,” she said at the school board meeting. “That is concerning.”

A second ballot question, one to raise $410 million for capital expenses, is still moving forward and will be on the ballot for voters to decide in May.

The district must now assess which parts of Rebuilding Stronger it can still implement without the operating referendum funding, IPS board president Venita Moore said after the meeting.

Delaying the operating referendum came with voiced frustration from both Johnson and board members after weeks of pushback from influential groups within the educational ecosystem, including Stand for Children Indiana, the Mind Trust, and RISE Indy — organizations that are supportive of charter schools. Those same organizations issued statements praising the delay after it was announced, but not addressing Johnson’s concerns.

IPS board member Diane Arnold noted her disappointment with individuals she later clarified as these groups, arguing that the fight for charters to receive more funding devolved into accusations.

The fight for more funding had become in recent weeks focused on race and equity, as parents and students packed board meetings and argued that charter schools have high proportions of students of color. While IPS has agreed to share its funds with charters within its Innovation Network, it has declined to share with independent charters over concerns of oversight.

“I’m disappointed that individuals I had previously respected resorting to accusing myself and other commissioners of caring more for white students than students of color — that narrative that was fueled and repeated by specific organizations to support their agenda,” said Arnold, the longest serving member on the board.

The two proposed ballot measures were meant to help the district upgrade crumbling buildings, consolidate campuses, and expand academics — particularly for students of color — as it downsizes and also competes with charter schools for students. The operating measure would have also maintained competitive salaries amid an acute shortage of teachers and other school workers.

District officials have long projected that IPS will reach a fiscal cliff by the end of 2026, when both federal COVID relief funds and the current operating referendum will have expired.

IPS estimated that the two proposals together would have raised taxes by about $6 per month for the owner of a home assessed at $138,500, the estimated median value of homes in the district.

Supporters of charter schools packed the IPS school board meeting at the Madam Walker Legacy Center on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

Charters, business interests oppose the referendum

Pushback from the charter sector continued on Saturday as over 50 people packed the Madam Walker Legacy Center for the board meeting. Some carried signs reading “$0 for charter students is not fair” and “Delay the vote.”

Charter schools will largely be unaffected by the changes outlined in the district’s Rebuilding Stronger effort and will not be adopting the policies and the specialized academic offerings outlined in the plan, such as Montessori or dual-language programs.

On Saturday, Moore said the board was prepared to share equally with its Innovation Network charters based on the needs of each school’s population — a higher amount than the district’s last offer, which stood at a little over $1,000 per Innovation student, compared to roughly $1,900 for each traditional IPS student.

“Unfortunately we still could not make or reach a decision that it was something that could be supported,” she said. “Again I also want to say that I am very disappointed with that decision.”

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson outlines concerns of divide

In her comments, Johnson argued that the district’s current setup creates a divide.

The city’s charter sector has grown year after year as the district has slowly lost enrollment, forced to stretch resources more thinly across the board and close underutilized buildings. While IPS has embraced some of these schools as part of its own within its Innovation Network, others have no ties to the district.

“The reality is that we have created an educational system and landscape in this city that goes against the idea of the village — it is every person for themselves,” she said. “It is, ‘how do I make sure my school gets the resources?’ It is, ‘I only need to be accountable to the people I directly serve.’”

Johnson’s remarks also nodded to the many groups and organizations involved in the educational landscape in the city, arguing that some within the community intentionally sow discord. She did not name any specific groups.

“There are those in our community who are incentivized by cultivating dissension to position one group of people against another— who are incentivized by schools failing kids because it helps to prove their point, be it a charter school that closes in January or a district school that is restarted,” she said.

Brandon Brown, CEO of the Mind Trust nonprofit that helps start charter schools in Indianapolis, and Stand for Children Indiana, which has rallied charter parents to speak at meetings for weeks, said in separate statements that they applauded the district’s decision to delay the vote. The statements didn’t comment on the concerns of divisiveness outlined by the superintendent.

In a statement, RISE Indy president and CEO Jasmin Shaheed-Young also thanked the district for the delay.

“There have been some tense moments, and I want to recognize that these conversations aren’t easy, especially when we are talking about money,” she said, also noting that Arnold is an “incredible asset” that RISE looks forward to working with.

Arnold also argued that the funding fix could instead be taken up by the state legislature.

“I don’t dispute there are funding disparities,” she said. “However, we did not create that disparity. If our state legislature can find money to expand vouchers for private schools, perhaps they could also better support public charters as well.”

Capital referendum to fund facilities

IPS has just over three months to convince voters to approve the capital referendum before the primary election on May 2.

The $410 million capital referendum would fund improvements and new construction at 23 school campuses.

A 2020 analysis of building conditions found that about 21% of the district’s buildings were in poor or worse condition. It would take about $466 million to bring all district buildings to a condition of good or better.

The ballot measure would increase property tax rates by up to about 21 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indy Chamber says it can’t support Indianapolis Public Schools tax increase as proposed

2023-01-27T12:55:13+00:00

The powerful Indy Chamber business group says that it cannot support a proposed tax increase for operating and capital costs from Indianapolis Public Schools, just one day before the school board is set to vote on placing the operating proposal on the May ballot.

The statement from the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, released Friday, acknowledged that the district needed funding for its capital and operating needs.

But it questioned how the effort would improve academic performance, and why students in the district’s Innovation charter schools won’t receive an equal portion of the funding.

“We believe that more time and engagement are required to allow the community to fully vet the current proposal, build support for a path forward, and work with state lawmakers to address inequities in the school funding formula that disadvantage IPS and many other schools across the state,” the statement read. “The Indy Chamber looks forward to assisting district leaders in this work and remains committed to the success of IPS and its students.”

The Chamber’s refusal to back the tax measure as proposed could be a significant setback for IPS, which says the additional tax revenue is crucial for its massive reorganization plan known as Rebuilding Stronger. The plan expands popular academic offerings to all students, as the district competes with charter schools for students.

IPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Chalkbeat. The IPS board will vote on whether to place the operating referendum on the ballot at a board retreat on Saturday.

The referendum for operating expenses is expected to generate roughly $51.7 million annually over eight years. In December, the IPS board agreed to move a $410 million referendum for capital expenses onto the May ballot.

The Indy Chamber was a critical partner to the district in its successful ballot measures for operating and capital expenses in 2018, which represented the last successful tax increase that voters granted to IPS.

But getting that support took months of negotiation. IPS initially floated a roughly $1 billion tax increase for May of that year, but after pushback from the Chamber, the district delayed the vote to November and whittled the total figure down to $272 million.

The parties also embarked on a three-year partnership in which the Chamber agreed to help IPS realize cost savings outlined in an August 2018 report.

The report concluded the district could realize up to $328.2 million in potential cost savings over eight years through a variety of cuts. Those savings would be reached through cutting transportation, discarding unused buildings, reducing central office staff, and cutting teaching positions left vacant through attrition.

The Chamber agreed to fund two executive positions over three years — at the cost of up to $1 million — to help IPS with this goal. Its political action committee later gave $52,500 to a “Vote Yes to IPS” campaign to help pass the tax increase.

But in its Friday statement, the Chamber said IPS must explore other revenue and efficiency alternatives, such as utilizing remaining federal relief funding, creative reuse of facilities, and accounting for surplus revenues from the existing 2018 ballot measures. (The operating referendum passed in 2018, projected to generate roughly $27.5 million annually, has generated anywhere from $29.2 million to $35.4 million annually since 2019 due to increasing property values, according to records from the state Department of Local and Government Finance).

“IPS’ facilities currently have capacity for 46,000 students, while district enrollment has declined to its current population of 28,000. Will constructing three new buildings and closing six effectively right-size IPS to the appropriate facilities footprint?” the Chamber asked in its statement. “What facility utilization rate is IPS targeting?”

The Chamber also questioned the timing and amount of planned tax increases, and whether that could exacerbate economic challenges as property values within IPS district boundaries increase.

In an Indianapolis Star op-ed published in November, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the district has acted on 90% of the Chamber’s fiscal recommendations since 2017.

The pushback from the Chamber comes as IPS has faced increasing pressure from the charter school sector, which has called on the district to share more of any potential operating referendum funds with charter schools. Charter backers have said the district’s latest proposal for revenue sharing is inadequate.

The ballot proposals from IPS have also caught the attention of the state legislature, which has at least two bills pertaining to operating referendum expenses.

One would require school districts to share a portion of any operating referendum revenues with charter schools. Another would cap districts’ revenue from ballot measures for operating expenses by limiting their annual revenue growth to no more than 5% from the previous year.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools offers more referendum funding for Innovation charters amid pressure

2023-01-20T22:17:26+00:00

A revised revenue-sharing plan from Indianapolis Public Schools to increase the amount of funding affiliated charter schools would receive from a potential tax hike is still inadequate, charter friendly groups say.

District officials unveiled the new plan during an IPS board meeting Thursday, when they announced the district would share $9.7 million annually with 18 charters in the district’s Innovation Network, instead of the $6.4 million annual figure that officials initially proposed.

The new figures would provide a little over $1,000 from the ballot measure for each charter school student, compared to roughly $1,900 for each traditional public school student.

“We have constantly continued to work with our Innovation partners to try and talk about what we feel will work best for them as we go through the process,” said board president Venita Moore at Thursday’s meeting, referring to charter schools in the Innovation Network.

Yet influential groups that support charters say the bigger number from IPS still treats charters unfairly. Independent charters, which aren’t a part of the Innovation Network, would still not receive any potential referendum funding due to concerns about accountability and oversight.

IPS has yet to finalize the ballot measure, which would support more than $400 million in operating expenses — although the district hopes to place the measure on the ballot in May.

The tension between the district and the charter community could make the tax increase a tougher sell than the 2018 referendum ballot questions, the last time IPS sought to raise property taxes for district costs. That year, voters approved a $272 million tax increase for the district.

IPS says additional tax revenue is crucial for Rebuilding Stronger, a sweeping district overhaul that aims to improve academic offerings, keep teacher pay competitive, and reconfigure grades. Rebuilding Stronger also offers a way for the district to compete with charters, which have grown as IPS enrollment has declined in recent years. (The IPS board has already advanced a separate $410 million ballot question for capital costs to put on the May ballot.)

But charter school advocates and families say that the updated proposal from Thursday still falls short of equitable funding.

“The newest iteration of the operating referendum funds students in direct-run IPS schools at twice the rate as students in Innovation Network schools,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of the Mind Trust. “Students in independent charter schools still receive nothing. Because of this, the operating referendum is still completely unacceptable,”

Charter-friendly groups, meanwhile, have ramped up efforts in recent weeks to sway public opinion against the ballot measure in its current form. They stress that the proposal as it stands does not adequately account for racial equity.

“There’s a plan out there right now that would give more money to white students in some public schools at the expense of black students in schools like mine that also need resources,” one student at Believe Circle City High School (a charter school) says in a radio ad paid for by EmpowerED Families, a group that advocates for underserved communities that was launched with funding from the Mind Trust.

On average, both independent and Innovation charters within IPS boundaries have a higher percentage of Black students and students receiving free or reduced-price lunch than the district. The district, however, has a higher percentage of Latino students.

District officials, however, counter that the goal of the ballot measure they’re working on is to help fund Rebuilding Stronger, and not necessarily to level the playing field for charter schools.

The district also pays for a variety of in-kind services to its Innovation charters. In the 2021-22 school year, the district spent more than $40 million to support those charters, according to chief financial officer Weston Young.

Another prominent group that supports charters, Stand for Children Indiana, has so far withheld support from the ballot measure. By contrast, in 2018, the organization contributed more than $200,000 in support of the tax increases for schools, said Justin Ohlemiller, the group’s executive director.

The updated figures for Innovation schools are a step in the right direction, but still create a sizable funding gap between traditional public school and charter school students, Ohlemiller said.

Some charter-friendly groups have noted that the 2018 tax increases are generating more revenue than originally anticipated, and have questioned the need for another ballot measure to raise taxes when the 2018 tax hike will be in effect for another four years.

But IPS officials have noted that the excess revenues from the successful 2018 ballot measures have allowed the district to share that funding with its Innovation Network charters.

The deadline for the two ballot measures to be certified and put on the May ballot is Feb. 17.

The ballot measure that IPS is considering would increase the tax rate from 19 cents per $100 of assessed value to 25 cents, a rate officials estimate would generate an additional $51.7 million annually.

In a separate potential win for charter schools, state lawmakers introduced a new bill this week that would require districts to share a portion of any extra tax revenue for school operating costs that voters approve through ballot measures. But that provision would not apply to the ballot measure IPS is working on.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

New Indianapolis school board could mark unprecedented era for charter supporters

2023-01-11T19:22:47+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools is starting 2023 with seven school board commissioners who, for the first time since 2012, have all garnered support in recent elections from groups promoting charter schools and other policies associated with education reform.

The shift in the board’s makeup comes at a critical moment, right as the district implements its Rebuilding Stronger revitalization plan adopted unanimously by the board last year. One of the goals of that blueprint: competing with charter schools supported by those same groups, and which have been siphoning off the district’s students for years.

New board members Nicole Carey, Hope Hampton, and Angelia Moore took office on Monday, replacing outgoing members Evan Hawkins and the board’s last two union-backed candidates, Taria Slack and Susan Collins.

They join members Kenneth Allen, Diane Arnold, Venita Moore, and Will Pritchard, who collectively raised over $280,000 in in-kind and direct donations from political action committees for RISE Indy and Stand for Children Indiana in the 2020 election alone. Both groups also endorsed Carey, Hampton, and Moore.

To some, the new board makeup is inevitable, the result of the hundreds of thousands of dollars from PACs that first entered Indianapolis school board campaigns in 2012.

Those PACs are typically linked to groups that support policies often associated with education reform, such as principal autonomy and school choice, including charter schools.

The new board could mark the start of a regrettable era, said Jim Scheurich, president of the IPS Community Coalition, which is a strong critic of groups such as RISE and Stand for Children. Just one of the three board races was contested last year, which he attributes to the amount of money pumped into school board races, making a run for office less attractive.

“They’ve got all the money,” Scheurich said. “They have way too much money.”

But current and former board members say the reality is much different, and that decisions on the board’s decisions don’t boil down to simple pro-charter or anti-charter opinions.

“When you’re running for office and when you’re campaigning for candidates, these issues can seem a lot more cut and dry, a lot more simple, than when you’re on the board,” said board member Will Pritchard, who received more than $72,000 in direct and in-kind 2020 campaign support from Stand for Children’s PAC.

Members of the new board say their decisions will be based on what’s best for students, not ideology.

New board member Nicole Carey, elected without opposition to represent District 5, said that there has not yet been a school system that has served students of color really well since the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision.

“I don’t believe that charter schools are the answer, and I don’t believe that the traditional way that we’ve served kids is the answer,” Carey said. “I think we still have to continue to look to do better for our kids.”

The limits of campaign cash

Campaign support from PACs may appear to influence school board members. But decisions made once candidates are on the board tell a more intricate story.

Board members are looking at the real world situation and not just arguing over ideas and ideology, said Jeffrey Henig, professor of political science and education at the Teachers College at Columbia University and co-author of the book “Outside Money in School Board Elections.”

“Ideas and ideology can be important, and in these national debates what’s driving a lot of the funding is these big war battles, Republican versus Democrat, red versus blue, reform versus non-reform,” Henig said. “But at the local level, especially in communities that built up charters and innovation schools of one kind or another over time, there’s a range of variation.”

Susan Collins, for instance, had a firm anti-charter platform when she ran for school board in 2018. She also opposed the concept of closing traditional district-run schools, following strong backlash to the IPS decision to close schools in 2017.

“My concern was the closing of schools and the encroachment of charter schools in the district that was pulling enrollment away from the district,” said Collins, who served one term on the board from 2019 to 2022.

But once elected to the board – with the help of $15,000 from the PAC linked with the Indiana State Teachers Association — her views shifted.

“In a way, I was a little more iconoclastic than I became over time,” she said. “I realized that the reality is that schools have to sometimes be closed — we’re top-heavy. And also the reality is that the charters are here, and you can’t kick them out, so that’s not going to happen.”

Collins has also served on a board that, even though most of its members have been backed by charter-friendly groups, has not always seen eye to eye with those groups.

Perhaps the most significant of those disagreements has been about the board’s biggest initiative, Rebuilding Stronger. While the Mind Trust, RISE Indy, and Stand for Children all voiced concerns about the sweeping IPS overhaul, the board still approved it.

And in recent months, dozens of charter school parents and students have packed school board meetings to argue that charters should get a greater share of a proposed $413.6 million operating referendum. But so far, board members haven’t publicly supported them.

Candidates endorsed by Stand for Children Indiana are not always going to agree with the organization, said Justin Ohlemiller, the organization’s executive director.

“We expect commissioners to listen and to ask good questions and to authentically engage with parents and make sure that there’s a respectful dialogue, back-and-forth. I think to that extent, that’s happened,” Ohlemiller said. “But to say that we expect commissioners to go along with every request parents are making — I don’t think anybody expects this.”

Black women now school board majority

In one important respect, the new school board has already made its mark: Four of the seven members are Black women, and five of the seven are people of color. In IPS, 80% of the students are nonwhite or multiracial.

That’s something Jasmin Shaheed-Young, the founder of RISE Indy, is quite proud of.

The group funds candidates who agree with its policy priorities, including increased school autonomy and school choice.

The nonprofit also runs a Circle City Leaders program that trains people interested in bettering the city’s education by running for office. Four of the seven members of the board have been through the program.

“So much of this is demystifying the political process,” Shaheed-Young said. “It has been something that has been reserved for really white men.”

The new board members have nuanced hopes of their own for the future. And while they have expressed concerns about Rebuilding Stronger — after initially opposing the first draft of the plan — they are still tasked with ushering in the overhaul.

Carey sees herself as a bridge-builder, and wants to help create a vision of what IPS will look like in 10 years that has community support. She understands the charter school community’s push for more funding from the operating referendum, noting that it seems unfair for charter school parents to pay a property tax increase that won’t go to their child’s school.

She also thinks the two ballot measures voters could consider this year, which seek a total of $823.6 million over several years for IPS capital and operating expenses, aren’t big enough. At the same time, she understands inflation is a growing concern for families.

“We have to find that middle ground of how do we properly fund an equitable education and what’s too much?” she said. (New board member Hope Hampton could not be reached for comment.)

Angelia Moore, meanwhile, said she will always prioritize equity and communication with her constituents.

Being supported by certain groups does not mean a board member will always agree with those groups, Moore noted.

“We’re still individuals,” she said. “We still each have one vote.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Charter school group files complaints against IPS with attorney general’s office over $1 law

2022-12-22T22:59:32+00:00

A statewide charter school group has filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office against Indianapolis Public Schools alleging that the district failed to comply with a state law requiring it to offer unused school buildings to charter schools for $1.

The complaint stems from the district’s passage of its reorganization plan, known as Rebuilding Stronger, which closes six schools at the end of 2022-23 and leaves a seventh building empty when another school moves locations in 2026-27.

At least three charter schools have signaled their intent to occupy some of these buildings, but IPS officials have said they hope to keep the facilities by lobbying state lawmakers to give the district flexibility under the law.

The Indiana Charter School Network said on Thursday that it filed complaints regarding Floro Torrence School 83, Frances Bellamy Preschool Center, George Buck School 94, Raymond Brandes School 65, Francis Parker School 56, and Paul Miller School 114, all of which will close in 2023.

Marcie Brown-Carter, executive director of the network, said the group is also considering a complaint for the Sidener Academy for High Ability building. Sidener students will relocate to a new building at the site of the former Joyce Kilmer School 69 in 2026-27.

The complaints claim that the school board failed to alert the state Department of Education of its available buildings slated for closure within 10 days of voting to close the schools on Nov. 17, as required by law. The network also alleges that the board failed to seek a certification that the district complied with the law within 15 days of the vote, as required by state statute. The law requires such certification if a school board passes a resolution to “sell, exchange, lease, demolish, hold without operation, or dispose of a school building.”

“If the law were being followed, charter schools would currently be able to publicly request to use those buildings for future classroom use,” Brown-Carter said in a statement. “We look forward to the attorney general’s review of the complaints. All we are seeking is compliance with the law.”

IPS said in a statement that the buildings may have a number of future uses, including administrative offices, training facilities for professional development, or emergency response training, as outlined in the Rebuilding Stronger resolution approved by the board.

Innovation schools, which are autonomous schools within the district, could also use the buildings under an innovation agreement, the district said.

“We want to be very clear that until the end of the school year, there are students and teachers in all of our proposed consolidated buildings, and we will remain focused on ensuring they are well-supported through that time,” the district said.

The $1 law is one of two heated topics the district is contending with as it faces pushback from the charter school community amid its Rebuilding Stronger plan. Charter schools are also pushing for the district to share more of the money it will receive if voters approve a $413.6 operating referendum in May.

The state law — commonly known as the $1 law — requires school districts to offer “vacant or unused” buildings previously used for classroom instruction to charter schools or state educational institutions for sale or lease at $1.

Within 10 days of passing a resolution to “close, no longer use, or no longer occupy” a school building, the district must notify the state, which must then alert charter schools of the building’s availability.

The attorney general’s office can investigate complaints against school districts that fail to comply with the law.

The state Department of Education spokesperson confirmed earlier this month that it had “not received notification from [IPS] of any plans to close, no longer use, or no longer occupy a school building.”

“The Board has committed to a transparent decision-making process that will occur prior to the end of the school year and consider the input of our community,” the district said in a statement. “In all matters, our students and families are our priority. We will continue to work in partnership with our community to determine how we can best meet the many needs that exist.”

Attorney general has had other complaints

Rulings from the attorney general on previous complaints over the $1 law have varied.

A charter school hoping to open in Carmel sued the Carmel Clay School Board in April, alleging the district violated the law by planning to partner with the city parks department to explore the potential reuse of a closing elementary school building.

But the attorney general’s office had already concluded that the district was not in violation of the law since the building was still occupied by the district.

In December 2021, the South Bend Community School Corporation also faced two complaints alleging that the district failed to list its Brown Intermediate Center and Hamilton Elementary School with the state as available for acquisition.

The attorney general’s office concluded that the district was using the Brown building and did not have to give it up, but must list the Hamilton building.

Funding questions could dominate session

The $1 law and referendum funding could play heavily in discussions in the upcoming legislative session, which begins in January.

The district hopes voters will pass two ballot questions, totaling up to $823.6 million, to fund Rebuilding Stronger — which also expands prekindergarten and specialized academic programs throughout the district.

Charter schools are hoping to get a bigger slice of that funding. While the district has said it will share those funds with charter schools in its innovation network, it will not share with independent charters over concerns of accountability.

A bill that would have given IPS an exemption from the $1 law while requiring school districts to share referendum tax dollars with charter schools failed to pass in the last legislative session.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Tension over ballot measure to fund Rebuilding Stronger could get Indiana lawmakers involved

2022-12-22T11:00:00+00:00

If Indianapolis Public Schools declines to change its position about how much potential referendum money to share with charter schools, state legislators might just push the district to reconsider that view.

IPS heads into the new year amid public disagreement between district officials and some charters over how much funding from the referendum — worth up to $413.6 million over eight years for operating costs — should be split up between different schools, if voters approve it.

That referendum is crucial to the district’s Rebuilding Stronger revitalization plan. It would help fund everything from competitive teacher compensation to expanded academic programs, and is in part designed to make IPS more attractive to families as the district loses students to charters.

But state politics complicate that position. In the legislative session that begins in January, the district hopes to seek relief from a state law that forces the district to offer closed school buildings to charter schools for $1 sales or annual leases, district officials have previously said.

Any flexibility IPS obtains from lawmakers from the so-called $1 law could entail a tradeoff: an agreement by IPS to share more referendum funding with charters than it wants to.

Rep. Robert Behning, an Indianapolis Republican who chaired last session’s education committee and will likely do so again, has connected the two issues in the past, at least in general terms.

He previously told Chalkbeat Indiana that there may be some sort of solution over the $1 law this session. Behning also noted that parity in funding has been an important issue for the charter community. (Through a spokesperson, Behning said Tuesday that there are no updates regarding potential legislation over the $1 law or sharing referendum funding.)

A bill that failed to pass the last legislative session would have exempted IPS from the $1 law, while also requiring all school districts to share referendum funds with charter schools.

The school board delayed a vote in December about whether to move forward with placing the referendum on the ballot in May. That postponement followed vocal criticism from the charter school community, which for weeks has argued for a bigger slice of the funding from the operating referendum.

Among other things, charter advocates have noted that students of color make up a majority of their enrollment, and that not giving charter schools more of the money would undermine racial equity in local schools.

Charter-friendly groups Stand for Children Indiana and RISE Indy praised that delay.

“We remain hopeful that changes can be made that will allow our organization to eventually get behind this major investment in IPS. The dialogue over the next few weeks will be crucial,” Stand for Children Indiana Executive Director Justin Ohlemiller said in a statement last week.

Tension between fair funding, school transparency

While IPS has said it will share referendum funding with charter schools that are part of the district’s innovation network, it won’t share funding with non-innovation schools, due to concerns of accountability.

Sharing that money with all charter schools within the IPS borders would also not be financially sustainable for the district, Chief Financial Officer Weston Young previously told Chalkbeat.

“The specifics of the operating referendum are still under consideration as we continue conversations with our partners,” the district said in a Dec. 13 statement. “We remain committed to continued transparency and to delivering on our Rebuilding Stronger plan and earning our community’s support.”

Another potential factor in the debate: In January, the school board will welcome three new members, all of whom have all received endorsements from charter-friendly organizations. All three also opposed the first draft of Rebuilding Stronger.

The operating referendum is one of two that the district hopes to put on the May ballot to fund Rebuilding Stronger. In early December, the board passed a resolution backing a $410 million referendum to fund capital expenses.

The two proposals would raise a combined maximum of $823.6 million in new revenue for IPS if voters approve them, although IPS has estimated the total to be closer to $810 million. If voters reject the ballot questions, the district would not be able to implement certain aspects of Rebuilding Stronger, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson previously told Chalkbeat

Meanwhile, the district’s innovation charter schools have had ongoing discussions with IPS regarding sharing operating referendum funds, said Andy Seibert, executive director of KIPP Indy Public Schools, which runs three innovation charter schools.

“We’ve really appreciated the conversations with IPS,” Seibert said on Monday. “And I think those conversations are set to continue when we come back from break.”

How much referendum money the district could ultimately share with charter schools in its innovation network is still unclear.

But both innovation and non-innovation charter schools have called for fair funding from the referendum. Charter supporters have said that, based on financial figures district officials have publicly presented, innovation charters would receive $1,650 less per pupil than traditional public schools from the operating referendum if voters approve it.

Independent charters, meanwhile, would receive no new funding, and have said that the referendum would increase the gap in public funding between their students and traditional public students to more than $10,000 per student.

Officials estimate that the two ballot questions combined would increase property tax revenue by about $72 a year for a house valued at $138,500, the median value of homes within IPS boundaries.

The certification process for both ballot questions must be completed by Feb. 17 in order for them to appear on the ballot in May.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

From teaching about race to COVID and Rebuilding Stronger, here are our 5 most-read stories of 2022

2022-12-21T13:00:00+00:00

From Indiana Statehouse bills grabbing the national spotlight and a sweeping overhaul of Indianapolis Public Schools, to a high-stakes midterm election, 2022 was a full year for education news.

So as we look ahead to 2023, we’re also looking back at our top stories from 2022 to find the five topics that Chalkbeat Indiana readers were most interested in this year.

Below is a list of our most-read articles this year, plus a few related stories that you should check out too.

Statehouse debate on teaching about race

Several of our most popular stories were articles about bills in the 2022 legislative session, especially those that addressed how teachers approach race and racial issues in the classroom.

Most-read stories:

If you liked those, read:

What happens to my school under Rebuilding Stronger?

Rebuilding Stronger is an overhaul of IPS that aims to address pressing issues of enrollment, finances, and inequities for students of color. The school board approved the plan in November, and now district leaders are turning to a pair of referendums to help fund the overhaul’s changes.

Most-read stories:

If you liked those, read:

Election 2022: Voters chose school board members

For this year’s school board elections, Chalkbeat Indiana collaborated with WFYI to create voter guides for districts across Marion County, and also co-hosted a candidate forum for IPS candidates. Victorious candidates will start their terms in January.

Most-read stories:

If you liked those, read:

COVID learning recovery and virtual attendance changes

Nearly three years after COVID shuttered school buildings, data is showing the impact the pandemic has had on students and their learning. Plus, a state law changed how often students can learn virtually and guidance on COVID exposures continued to change.

Most- read stories:

If you liked those, read:

Accountability for state lawmakers

Aside from the legislation they proposed, lawmakers themselves made news too as they discussed race and education.

Most-read stories:

If you liked those, read:

How Indiana’s curriculum bill about racism motivated a new wave of statehouse candidates

Bonus: Charter troubles, special education staffing, and more

While the above topics were the most popular this year, there were a few more prominent stories that didn’t fit into a category. Read those and a few more below.

Most-read stories:

If you liked those, read:

MJ Slaby is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis school board updates map of districts that members represent

2022-12-21T11:00:00+00:00

The districts that Indianapolis Public Schools commissioners represent have changed ahead of the 2024 elections.

The IPS Board of Commissioners approved a new district map at their December meeting, ensuring that the populations of those districts are as equal as possible as required by state law. Per a presentation to the board, no school building switched districts and no commissioners were displaced from their districts.

The IPS school board has seven members, with five representing specific geographic districts and two occupying at-large seats. In 2024, District 1, District 2, District 4, and an at-large seat are on the ballot.

The changes are largely in the middle of the city and include a portion of downtown shifting to District 4, parts of Martindale-Brightwood moving to District 3, and changes along the boundary between Districts 1 and 2 on the east side of the city.

The now approved new map of Indiana Public Schools board member districts.

Throughout the process, the aim was to minimize changes for voters and to keep neighborhood boundaries as intact as possible, said Tim Moriarty of the law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, who was part of the team that worked on the new district map. (While it is up to the board to establish the boundaries, the IPS board members did not directly participate in adjusting the boundaries.)

Changing the district map keeps IPS in compliance with state law that says it is up to school boards to establish the boundaries of the districts members represent, and those districts are evaluated after each federal decennial census to make sure the largest district is no more than 5% bigger than the smallest.

Under the previous district map, that gap was nearly 13,000 residents, or a 21% difference, Moriarty told the school board. That disparity prompted the changes to the map.

Normally, IPS would have changed its district map in 2021. But due to “administrative delays caused by the pandemic,” lawmakers extended the deadline for redistricting to Dec. 31, 2022, according to Moriarty’s presentation.

Not every school board goes through this process, only those that have seats where a member lives in and represents a specific district. Some boards have all at-large members who represent everyone, or have members who are required to live in a specific district even though all voters can vote for them.

The board will file the new districts with the Marion County Clerk and Marion County Election Board by Dec. 23.

MJ Slaby is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

These IPS school buildings would get upgrades if $410 million capital referendum passes

2022-12-16T13:00:00+00:00

Twenty-three school campuses are set to get upgrades or new buildings if voters approve a $410 million Indianapolis Public Schools capital referendum in May.

Earlier this month, the IPS board approved a resolution to begin the process of putting the capital referendum on the ballot. If approved by voters, it will authorize the district to issue bonds, which will yield an estimated $410 million for construction projects.

The request comes four years after voters approved property tax increases for operating and capital expenses that would generate up to $272 million.

District officials are asking for more funds after an assessment revealed that 21% or 14 of its buildings were rated in poor or worse condition in a 2020 assessment.

The referendum is projected to increase property tax rates by up to about 21 cents per $100 of assessed value. Officials note, however, that the overall tax rate for the district’s debt would remain about the same because the district is expected to pay off old debt.

Combined with a separate operating referendum that the district is planning to place on the ballot, officials estimate property taxes for a house valued at $138,500 — what IPS estimates as the median home value in the district — will increase by $72 annually.

Five innovation charter schools on IPS property would collectively receive $57 million from referendum proceeds for building work: Liberty Grove, Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan, KIPP Indy, Urban Act, and Enlace Academy.

IPS has not publicly outlined details of improvements at every school, but has publicized dollar amounts and upgrades at certain schools.

Arlington Middle School would receive the largest investment of $66.4 million. Roughly $61 million of that would address issues such as plumbing, lighting and mechanical deficiencies, Chief Operations Officer William Murphy previously told the board.

The school also would receive $5.7 million for outdoor athletic facilities.

George Julian School 57, which will become a K-5 Center for Inquiry school, would receive $9.2 million to transform its green space and create safer walkways to school — an investment important to the community following the death of 7-year-old Hannah Crutchfield, who was struck and killed by a car in a crosswalk while walking home from school last year. The district also plans to upgrade the buildings.

At Daniel Webster School 46, most of the $12 million would help improve windows, exterior walls, athletic fields, and classrooms, Murphy said.

George Washington Carver Montessori School 87, which will become a preK-5 school, would receive about $27.7 million for projects, including a building addition.

The funding also would expand parking to alleviate a situation that has become “untenable,” Murphy previously told the board. The district has not publicly provided further details.

Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School, run by Adelante Schools as an innovation charter, would receive $18.9 million to upgrade the roof and security, mechanical, utility, and plumbing systems.

“The building is in generally good condition but the infrastructure needs to be upgraded to address the needs of the student population’s increase,” Murphy said.

The IPS school board is also expected to consider a separate operating referendum, but has not yet brought that for a vote as it irons out specifics, per a statement from IPS. Charter schools have pushed for the district to share more of those proceeds with them.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

James Whitcomb Riley School 43 joins Indianapolis Public Schools innovation network as arts school

2022-12-16T02:13:12+00:00

James Whitcomb Riley School 43 will become a visual and performing arts school starting in fall 2023. It is the latest school to join the Indianapolis Public Schools’ innovation network under an agreement the school board approved on Thursday.

The four-year agreement will allow Edison School of the Arts to run School 43 as an innovation school, which has operational autonomy from the district and an exemption from union contracts under state law. The school board approved the new agreement unanimously.

Both Edison and School 43 will be K-8 schools through at least June 2027.

Most innovation schools in IPS are run by charter operators, but a few — such as Edison — have become innovation schools without inviting in a charter operator. School 43, as a sister school to Edison, will also not have a charter operator.

The school board also unanimously approved the renewal of a five-year agreement with Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63. The preK-8 charter school joined the district’s innovation network in 2018-19 as a restart school — an underperforming school in need of academic improvement.

Matchbook still had proficiency levels below statewide and districtwide averages for English and math on the state ILearn test. District officials noted, however, that the school has increased its enrollment, and staff retention rates mirror the IPS average.

The new agreement between Matchbook and IPS includes mandatory school visits from IPS as well as a data review, and allows the district the opportunity to implement a performance improvement plan.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

School 43 may become a visual and performing arts school

2022-12-14T20:51:43+00:00

James Whitcomb Riley School 43 could transform into a visual and performing arts school next year under an innovation agreement with Edison School of the Arts that Indianapolis Public Schools commissioners will consider on Thursday.

Under the agreement, Edison School of the Arts would operate School 43, which would gain innovation status that gives it autonomy from some district and union rules.

The vote would change the direction once more for School 43, which has cycled through multiple principals, faced staffing challenges, and reconfigured its grades.

If approved, School 43 will be led next year by James Hill, whom the Edison school has been preparing to head its next campus. Hill recounted his previous experience as principal improving academic performance at the struggling Andrew J. Brown Academy in Indianapolis.

“They call me a turnaround principal, but I don’t believe any school should have to be turned around,” Hill told the IPS board on Tuesday. “I think if we just do the job, we’ll get rid of that term someday.”

The change is part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, which seeks to improve educational equity by expanding specialized academic programs to reach more students of color.

State law gives innovation schools operational autonomy and an exemption from union contracts. Most innovation schools within IPS are run by charter operators, which are independent entities but receive public funds to run schools. Edison was a district-run school that became an innovation school without inviting in a charter operator.

The school serves students in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood and will keep its neighborhood boundaries in 2023-24. Beginning in 2024-25, it will open to students in a broader area, known as Zones 1 and 2 in the district’s new Rebuilding Stronger plan. Zones 1 and 2 encompass the western and northern parts of the district.

School 43 will remain K-8 through June 2027. The Rebuilding Stronger plan will break up other K-8 schools into separate elementary and middle schools next school year.

Thursday’s vote would place School 43 under the direction of Edison, which runs one of the district’s most popular schools. It has received more than 2½ applications for every seat available, officials said Tuesday.

Like other schools, Edison saw a drop in proficiency levels in both math and English on the state ILearn test from 2019 to 2021. Even so, its proficiency levels mostly have remained above the districtwide average. Now 12.7% of Edison students score proficient in both math and English.

By contrast, School 43 had among the lowest combined proficiency rates in the district — just 1.5%.

Officials are banking on arts programming to engage more students of color and help boost academic outcomes. This school year, roughly 79% of School 43’s students are Black, according to state data.

Officials noted that Edison’s academic performance for students of color outpaces the district’s. A higher percentage of Hispanic and Black students passed the English and math sections on the latest 2022 ILearn than in the district as a whole.

School 43 is also in line to receive roughly $5.5 million in capital referendum funding — if voters approve a district ballot measure in May — that would help renovate the school for arts and academic programs. Those improvements would include a black box theater, sound booth, and a science lab.

Board to consider renewing Matchbook as restart school

On Thursday the school board also will consider renewing its innovation agreement with the Matchbook Learning charter school at Wendell Phillips School 63. Matchbook is one of nine innovation “restart” charter schools assigned to improve academics at underperforming schools.

The school has had mixed academic scores. Students in all racial and ethnic subgroups performed below IPS and statewide average on the English section of last spring’s ILearn tests.

But in math, Hispanic students and English language learners performed above the IPS average. Pass rates for Black students, white students, and students receiving subsidized meals, a measure of poverty, fell below the district and statewide averages.

The proposed five-year agreement with Matchbook would include stronger accountability measures, including the district performing mandatory school visits and reviews of data.

District officials pointed out that the innovation school increased enrollment and has a staff retention rate similar to the IPS average.

“It’s a really positive school culture environment. You feel it when you walk in there,” Innovation Schools Director Brian Dickey said. “It’s a school where the [English language learner] population has increased over time, and I think we saw evidence of really consistent bilingual outreach between families and school staff.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools board moves to put $410 million for capital upgrades on ballot

2022-12-07T02:11:23+00:00

The Indianapolis Public Schools board of commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday that will allow the district to begin the process of placing a $410 million referendum for capital projects on the May ballot.

The vote came after lengthy pleas from charter school advocates to share more of the potential referendum funding with all charters within IPS boundaries.

The capital referendum question — along with a referendum for new operating costs that the school board is due to consider next week — will help fund the district’s massive reorganization known as Rebuilding Stronger, a plan the district adopted last month to more efficiently run a district that has been losing students to charter schools.

Both ballot questions, if placed on the ballot and passed, would generate over $800 million in new taxes.

But dozens of charter school parents and students packed the board room before the vote and called on the board to share more of the referendum money.

IPS plans on sharing part of potential referendum funding with charters within its innovation network. But IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson has said the district will not share referendum funding with independent charters due to concerns about accountability and transparency.

Charter leaders estimate that the current referendum funding plan would create a funding gap of $1,650 per student each year between innovation charter students and students in traditional IPS public schools, and a gap of more than $10,000 between traditional public school students and independent charter students.

“I’m here because you’re actively robbing me of equal opportunities, just as IPS wishes to do to the other scholars that attend my school and many others,” said Elazia Davison, a junior at Believe Circle City High School, an independent charter.

The vote came after parents affiliated with Stand for Children Indiana — which has criticized Rebuilding Stronger for expanding programs such as International Baccalaureate but not the Paramount Schools of Excellence charter program that has high achievement rates for children of color — urged the superintendent to delay any votes on property tax increases.

“These are very difficult economic times. Inflation continues to impact the very families that IPS serves and many residents face a housing crisis due to increased costs,” the 18 parents and community members said in the letter to Johnson. “Whether families own their home or rent, the financial burden from this potential referendum will have a disproportionate impact on low-income households.”

District officials estimate that the two referendum questions combined would mean a $6 monthly tax increase for a resident with a home value of $138,500, which IPS estimates is the median home value within IPS boundaries. The increase would take effect in 2024.

Capital referendum would fund improvements at 23 schools

The $410 million capital referendum would fund facility improvements and new building additions outlined in Rebuilding stronger, including improvements to 23 schools, according to documents officials presented to the school board.

That list of schools includes Arlington Middle School, which will receive one of the largest investments, and George Washington Carver Montessori School 87, which will receive a building addition.

The capital referendum seeks to increase the district’s debt property tax rate by no more than approximately 21 cents per $100 of assessed value. But that increase will largely be canceled out by older debt that the district says will soon be paid off.

The district hopes to keep the overall debt tax rate to around 52 cents per $100 of assessed value, officials have said.

Operating referendum would cover teacher pay, programs

The referendum for the district’s operating budget, meanwhile, would raise $51.7 million per year for eight years, according to board documents. It would cover the cost of expanding specialized programs such as International Baccalaureate or Montessori.

The referendum proposes an operating tax rate of no more than 25 cents for each $100 of assessed value, which will replace the current rate of 19 cents.

The operating referendum would help fund roughly $9 million to expand academic programs such as dual language, Reggio, International Baccalaureate and Montessori programs in each of the next two school years, according to board documents from Oct. 27.

It would also offer roughly $5.6 million to provide elementary schools with staff to enhance the student experience — such as a music teacher and dean — over the next two years, according to the documents. Middle schools would receive roughly $5.7 million.

And roughly $1.6 million each year would fund increased compensation to staff.

The Rebuilding Stronger plan closes six underutilized schools while also expanding various academic programs at its remaining elementary and middle schools to offer attractive educational options that could compete with charter schools.

The district has publicized that the two ballot questions would generate $810 million altogether, although exact figures in board presentations put the number closer to $824 million.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Clarification: This story was updated to include clarify the types of parents affiliated with Stand for Children Indiana who wrote a letter to the superintendent, and the Paramount school that they support.