Chalkbeat

Why the Indianapolis teachers union opposes a proposed tax increase for city public schools

2026-08-28T19:18:09+00:00

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A who’s who of Indianapolis community and education leaders gathered Tuesday at the Shepherd Community Center for a campaign kickoff event in support of a tax referendum to raise money for the city’s public schools.

But the absence of Indianapolis Public Schools on the campaign signs at the event served as a reminder that this referendum is like no other.

For the first time, IPS is not in control of the push to ask voters for a tax increase to support schools. And unlike with past ballot measures, the district would receive just half of the expected $95 million in annual revenue.

The Indiana General Assembly gave taxing powers this year to the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC, a new school oversight body. If voters approve the tax increase proposed by IPEC in November, the revenue will be split between IPS and roughly 60 participating charters.

Should it pass, the referendum revenue would be enough to keep IPS from reaching a level of financial insolvency that could lead to state takeover, said Superintendent Aleesia Johnson. But even if it passes, IPS expects to make around $20 million in further cuts — a step that has spurred opposition to the measure, including from the Indianapolis Education Association. That unusual stance taken by the local teachers union could make it harder for the measure to pass.

Opponents like IEA say it’s unfair to ask voters for a tax increase while their neighborhood schools face cuts anyway.

“We’ve already seen one round of cuts that have hit classrooms and programs and it’s scary to know that we could be going through another set that could be even worse than the last,” said IEA Co-Vice President Monica Shellhamer. “It’s hard to support something and say you’re OK with being cut.”

According to the tax measure’s ballot language, the owner of an average Indy home worth $150,000 could expect to pay around $221 more per year in property taxes. The referendum would last for four years.

Opponents seek a reallocation of revenue

Opponents of the referendum hope to persuade IPEC to allocate more referendum funding for IPS in order to reduce the need for further budget cuts.

Shellhamer said one of the key arguments in favor of creating IPEC was that it would stabilize district finances.

“IEA wants to support a referendum that would positively affect the schools, I don’t think this one does,” said Shellhamer, whose union supported the 2018 referendum.

IEA has appealed to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office for help in convincing IPEC to change the allocation of the referendum. Hogsett appointed the members of IPEC.

Newly appointed IPEC Executive Director Karega Rausch said IPEC has not received a proposal to reallocate the funding. He said such a change wouldn’t be possible because the distribution formula is specified in state law and based on the number of students who live within IPS boundaries and attend each participating charter school.

“All we can do is follow what’s in state law,” he said.

But Rep. Ed DeLaney, a Democrat who represents Indianapolis, said a standard per-pupil allocation doesn’t make sense when the cost of educating every student isn’t equal.

To solve this, DeLaney said, IPEC could allot additional referendum revenue for every student who receives special education or transportation services, for example. That could benefit IPS, which educates a greater share of students with disabilities, and has a large deficit related to those services.

If the IPEC board believes its hands are tied, it could agree to “go back to the legislature for a more rational allocation,” DeLaney said.

“If every kid in every school is the same, then maybe this idea that you put your tuition in your backpack and walk into the school of your choice makes sense,” DeLaney said. “But not every kid is the same, and not every building is the same.”

Supporters: Tax measure would prevent deeper IPS cuts

Rausch said the actual average increase paid by homeowners would be less than what the ballot language says. That’s because the language doesn’t take into account that taxpayers are already paying for the tax increase for IPS voters approved in 2018.

The IPEC board approved the proposed referendum unanimously in June. The measure has the support of a number of community groups such as the Indy Chamber, and IPS leadership, even though district leaders had hoped for a higher tax increase to address budget woes.

The 2026 operating referendum “isn’t a luxury” but a necessity for the district’s financial survival, Johnson said Tuesday.

“If it were not to pass, I would expect there would be some additional state intervention or oversight of our district,” Johnson said. “We will have to continue to do further reductions even with the successful passage of this referendum, but ultimately we want the future of our district to be in the hands of our community.”

Speaking at the Vote Yes for Indianapolis Public Education kickoff event, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson praised the growing cooperation between school types that had led to more options for Indianapolis students than ever before. The referendum is a key next step in that process, he said, supporting transportation, buildings, and teachers at all schools.

“If we do all of those things, we will give real high-quality options to every single family,” Peterson said. “We’ve made great progress but we’re not there yet, and we’re going to go backwards if we don’t pass this referendum.”

Asked how $20 million in cuts would affect the quality of IPS-run schools, Peterson said he believed the district would determine how to make the reductions, and that every organization must manage its budget.

“This referendum will give them the opportunity to make the budget changes they need to make and also deliver the highest quality education,” he said.

The election is Nov. 3. Check your voter status and register to vote here.

Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the full name of the Indianapolis Education Association, as well as Monica Shellhamer’s title with the IEA.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana charter schools could receive over $49 million in new revenue from proposed tax increases

2026-08-18T11:00:00+00:00

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Indiana charter schools have tens of millions of dollars at stake in the upcoming ballot questions this November. But it’s unclear in many instances how they officially plan to spend that potential influx of revenue.

State law requires districts in four counties to share revenue from property tax increases approved by voters with charters enrolling students who live within those districts’ boundaries. This year, only districts in two of those counties, Marion and Lake, are seeking those tax increases in November. Nearly all the revenue would go to charters in Marion.

Eight school districts running referendums have reported to the state that they will share that revenue with about 60 charter schools. Altogether, the referendums have a maximum annual total of nearly $200 million, and an estimated $49.5 million of that would go to charter schools.

The potential funding represents the largest amount charters could receive from ballot questions in state history. And one charter can benefit from multiple ballot measures.

Yet only four of the eight districts have included referendum spending plans for individual charter schools in documents submitted to the state. And of the $49.5 million, nearly all of it — $48.7 million — is not accounted for in those official spending plans, although several charters did discuss their plans for the money with Chalkbeat.

Generally, funds from these ballot measures can be spent on day-to-day operations, such as staff salaries, academic programs, and transportation.

State law requires districts to submit spending plans from charter schools that would benefit from the tax increase to state government, alongside their own plans.

Yet there is little oversight of this process. Some charter officials say districts did not ask them to submit a spending plan, while some districts have said certain charter schools failed to provide them when asked.

The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which is floating a ballot question for Indianapolis Public Schools and charter schools that could provide the most money, did not include charter school spending plans in its documents submitted to the state. But the corporation plans to track spending of future potential referendum dollars, its acting director Michael O’Connor said.

The estimated funding for individual charters is tied to the number of a school’s students who live in the district asking for a tax increase.

Christel House Academy South stands to gain an estimated $2.5 million — the highest amount for a single charter school — if voters approve all three referendums it’s participating in. Most of that funding would come from the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation’s ballot question. Over 90 percent of its 975 students lived within IPS borders last spring, according to state data.

Christel House Indianapolis CEO Emily Masengale anticipates spending much of that funding on staffing and transportation. Christel House Academy South provides transportation to over 450 students, and in recent years its transportation costs have increased by 28%. Transportation costs for both the South and West campuses within the Christel House Indianapolis charter network amount to over $1 million annually, according to the network.

“Transportation and staffing are always really big expenses,” she said. “We wanted the best teachers in front of our students, so we always strive to ensure that we have comparable pay to districts.”

The charter networks with the most to gain include Phalen Leadership Academies, which has six schools eligible for ballot measure funding through IPEC and the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. Phalen could receive up to nearly $6 million. And Paramount Schools of Excellence, which has four schools eligible for funding across four districts, could gain $4.1 million.

KIPP Indy could get up to $3.6 million in new revenue if voters approve referendums for IPEC and the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township pass. The charter network plans to use funding for professional development and initiatives to increase student attendance, among other things.

“Because the referendum funding would represent a significant new investment in our schools, we want to be thoughtful about aligning those dollars with the strategies we believe will have the greatest impact on students,” the charter network said in a statement.

At Purdue Polytechnic High School, which has two Indianapolis campuses that could gain roughly $2 million, CEO Keanna Warren said the network would use the money on “competitive teacher compensation, transportation, and student support,” she said in an email.

The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting starts on Oct. 6.

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

Indiana school district referendum guide 2026: What to know about your district’s requested tax increase

2026-08-17T11:00:00+00:00

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This article was co-reported with WFYI.

A record number of school districts are asking voters to approve higher property tax rates this fall as recent tax reforms compound with the state’s existing property tax caps to bring financial stress to districts across Indiana.

Nearly all of the 38 school districts seeking referendums are doing so to cover operating expenses, such as transportation and teacher salaries. But the impact on taxpayers can vary based on a community’s assessed property values and whether the district already has a referendum in place.

Many districts attribute the need for a ballot question to Senate Enrolled Act 1 from 2025, which will bring property tax relief to homeowners by phasing in new property tax deductions and creating new property tax credits — changes that at one point were estimated to cost districts a collective $744 million.

But districts also face a multitude of other challenges, including rising operational costs, declining enrollment, and a competitive school choice landscape that, for the first time this year, will include private school vouchers for every family regardless of income. Districts are also now restricted in how often they can ask voters for a referendum to the November general election, which are held every even year.

Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI have compiled a referendum guide to help you understand your district’s ballot question.

What to know about referendums at the polls

If voters in your school district have recently passed a referendum, the new ballot question is likely asking them to replace it with a higher tax rate — not charge the new rate on top of the existing one — to offset revenue the district expects to lose under property tax reform.

Yet some school districts are warning voters that the ballot question does not clearly explain that distinction.

State law requires ballot language to describe a referendum’s cost as if a district currently has none. In Westfield, for example, the ballot question lists an $873 annual increase for a $450,000 home, based on a maximum rate of $0.3941 per $100 of assessed value. But Westfield Washington Schools already collects a rate of $0.17 per $100 under a referendum voters approved in 2023.

If voters approve the measure in November, the new tax rate would replace the existing $0.17 rate rather than be added on top of it. As a result, the owner of a $450,000 home would pay closer to $494 more a year, not $873, according to the district.

Five districts are seeking a property tax increase for the first time: the Metropolitan School District of Shakamak, Mississinewa Community School Corporation, Shelbyville Central Schools, Tipton Community School Corporation, and Tri-Central Community Schools.

State law previously required that districts in four counties — Lake, Marion, Vanderburgh, and St. Joseph — share their operating referendum proceeds with charter schools enrolling students living within their boundaries. But beginning in 2028, all districts statewide must share with charter schools that enroll students within their borders.

This year, only districts in Marion and Lake counties have stated that they will share their potential revenue with charters, which is estimated at over $49 million for about 60 charter schools, according to documents districts submitted to the Department of Local Government Finance. Spending plans and amounts for charter schools were submitted by districts, although these plans may not include all of the charters eligible to receive money.

Statewide, the requested tax rates range from an extra $0.9912 per $100 of assessed value for the River Forest Community School Corporation to an additional $0.09 for the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation.

Search for details on your district’s ballot question below. Figures in district spending plans and charter school amounts are estimations.

The general election is on Nov. 3, and voters can register to vote, check their sample ballot, and check voting locations at https://indianavoters.in.gov/. Early voting starts on Oct. 6.

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

Eric Weddle is WFYI’s education editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or follow him on X at @ericweddle.

Indianapolis Public Education Corporation to pay executive director $285,000 salary

2026-08-12T22:13:57+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation will pay its executive director a salary of $285,000.

In a unanimous vote, IPEC members approved the salary for Karega Rausch, who was hired in July. His start date is Sept 17.

IPEC and Mayor Joe Hogsett announced last week that Andrew Strope would join as executive vice president. IPEC chair David Harris said Wednesday that the board was “extraordinarily fortunate” to have both staffers on board. It’s unclear if IPEC will hire more employees in the future.

Rausch comes to IPEC with a background in charter schools, similar to a majority of the IPEC board members, while Strope spent the last four years as deputy superintendent for Indianapolis Public Schools.

Strope helped to lead the district’s high school redesign, the reopening of schools after COVID-19, and the Rebuilding Stronger initiative. He was a finalist for the IPEC executive director role.

The duo will work with the IPEC board as it creates plans for an accountability system, transportation, and buildings for IPS and city charter schools, as required by state law adopted this year. IPEC is responsible for putting a property tax referendum on the November ballot to provide revenue to both IPS and charters and for creating its own budget.

Rausch’s compensation package includes a cellphone allowance, city benefits, and paid time off in line with city executives, acting executive director Michael O’Connor told IPEC members. However, other details such as vehicle use, specific holidays, and incentive bonuses are all things for the board to consider in the future, he said.

O’Connor told the board Wednesday that Strope’s compensation is not final, but his salary will likely be in the $250,000 range, and he is expected to start between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1.

Per state law, IPEC’s funding for an executive director, staff, and consultants comes from property tax revenues used for operating expenses for IPS and participating charter schools.

O’Connor’s contract with the city is through the end of the month. He originally started to lead the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, a precursor to IPEC, through brainstorming sessions in 2025 at a rate of $40,000 a month. His contract was renewed twice since then at the same rate, he said.

IPEC is not expected to meet in September and will meet twice in October, O’Connor said. Those meeting dates are not set.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

IPEC board member Edward Rangel joins The Mind Trust as chief program officer

2026-07-23T15:00:49+00:00

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Edward Rangel, a charter school founder and board member of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, will join The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based charter incubator, the organization announced Thursday morning.

Rangel will be chief program officer, overseeing several programs such as the tutoring initiatives Indiana Learns and the Indy Summer Learning Labs, according to a Mind Trust news release.

The hire solidifies IPEC’s ties to the charter school sector in Indianapolis. The founder of The Mind Trust, David Harris, chairs IPEC’s board. Rangel serves as one of three community members on the board, along with three district and three charter school representatives. IPEC members were appointed by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

Rangel will serve out his term on IPEC’s board, according to Kateri Whitley, vice president of communications at The Mind Trust. Board members have staggered term lengths from two to four years, and Rangel’s is two years.

Rangel, the founder and CEO of the charter operator Adelante Schools, also leads the IPEC working group tasked with creating a school accountability system. IPEC will use that system to determine whether to reassign school buildings when they’re underenrolled, as part of its work overseeing buildings, transportation, some finances, and accountability for Indianapolis Public Schools and charters.

On Wednesday night, IPEC voted unanimously to confirm a new executive director, Karega Rausch, who currently serves as president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. The Mind Trust applauded the move.

The Mind Trust also announced the hire of Cold Spring School CEO Cody Stipes as chief administrative officer on Thursday.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPEC chooses charter school policy leader to guide its work

2026-07-22T22:22:10+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation has chosen a new leader with an extensive background in charter schools both in Indianapolis and nationwide as the board’s work ramps up on creating a new accountability system for schools.

The board on Wednesday unanimously approved Karega Rausch as executive director following a recommendation from Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

Rausch has spent the last decade as president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. He will lead IPEC’s work as the board drafts an accountability system for Indianapolis Public Schools and city charter schools and works to pass a property tax referendum that will be shared between IPS and charters this year. IPEC also has key powers over transportation and buildings for schools.

Rausch was chosen from a pool of 36 candidates and a list of six finalists that included school district leaders, charter school policymakers, and elected officials. His hiring further tips the balance of experience of IPEC members — which includes charter school and district leaders — toward charter schools.

He served as the education and charter schools director under Indianapolis Mayors Bart Peterson and Greg Ballard, chaired the Indiana Charter Schools Board and led Stand for Children, a nonprofit education advocacy group, in Indiana. Rausch also led a push for IPS to offer preschool, IPEC chairman David Harris said.

In comments at the meeting, Rausch characterized himself as a bridge builder.

“I’ve sought to listen carefully, communicate clearly, and build consensus around meaningful outcomes for kids and families,” Rausch said.

The board also extended its contract with acting executive director Michael O’Connor to Sept. 1.

Neither a start date nor a salary have yet been determined for Rausch, according to O’Connor, because the board first needed to approve the hire. Those details will be negotiated by board chair Harris — and posted — in the coming weeks, O’Connor said.

The salary range for the executive director position was listed as $235,000 to $325,000.

How a new accountability system informs school closures

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board also heard an update from the group developing a draft of the new accountability framework for schools.

The framework will apply to both types of schools under IPEC’s purview — IPS and charter — and will be based on factors such as academic results, student growth, enrollment, and finance and governance.

The system will enable IPS and charter authorizers to address chronic low performance, according to the group’s presentation.

IPEC board member Edward Rangel, who led the group, emphasized that only those entities — not IPEC — will decide if a school can continue to operate. But the accountability framework will allow IPEC to reassign underenrolled school buildings.

“A school’s existence is not our discretion,” Rangel said. “Resource allocation does lie with IPEC.”

Rangel said the board expects to lean on external experts as it considers which buildings are underenrolled.

The law that created IPEC — HEA 1423 — allows it to appeal to the State Board of Education if a school operator chooses not to close an underperforming school.

There will be no summative score on the framework, in part because that could be confused with the state’s new school accountability system, Rangel said.

An update on this system is due to lawmakers on Aug. 1, with a final draft due in November 2027. The board expects to host stakeholder engagement meetings throughout August. The system is expected to take effect in the 2028-29 school year.

IPEC meets again on Aug. 12.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the date that IPEC must submit a final performance framework to lawmakers.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPEC is about to pick its executive director. See the list of finalists.

2026-07-17T17:29:22+00:00

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Two current Indianapolis Public Schools leaders, and two former architects of the city’s charter school policy are among the candidates for a top job overseeing key aspects of both systems.

Along with a current IPS school board member and a former state legislator, they are in contention to lead the work of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, a newly appointed board responsible for decisions about IPS and charter schools’ finances, buildings, and accountability.

On Thursday, the board announced six finalists for the job, which is expected to pay between $235,000 and $325,000, according to the job listing. The board’s working group chose the finalists, but Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett will make the final recommendation for an executive director, which the board will then vote on.

The executive director will oversee the work of the board during its pivotal first year, which includes passing a tax increase that would be shared between the district and charter schools this November. The board is also due to submit an update on its development of a school accountability system for city schools to state lawmakers by Aug. 1. A final version is due Nov. 1.

The finalists are:

Karega Rausch, the current president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, who previously led charter school policy in the Indianapolis mayor’s office.
Andrew Strope, currently the deputy superintendent at IPS and board member at Teach for America Indianapolis and Enroll Indy.
Zach Mulholland, who currently serves as the executive director of operations at IPS.
Deandra Thompson, a current member of both the IPEC board and the Indianapolis Public Schools board, and the founder of a STEM-based pre-K program.
Carolene Mays, a former state legislator, former executive director of the White River State Park Development Commission, and co-host of Community Link on WISH-TV.
Patrick McAlister, the former director of the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation, whose projects since his tenure in the office include the Preschool Choice Alliance.

IPEC will meet again July 22 at 4 p.m. in room 260 of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Building.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

15 candidates for 5 seats: See who’s running for school board at IPS and other Indianapolis area districts

2026-07-15T20:32:18+00:00

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Update, July 15: Tiffani Flick, Jayia McCray and Christopher Williams have withdrawn from their respective school board races since this article was published.

Update, June 26: This story was updated to reflect that Lindsey Cornett was added to the ballot as a District 4 candidate for IPS school board.

Fifteen candidates are running for five seats on the Indianapolis Public Schools board this November, including an influential charter school advocate and an Indiana Democratic Party leader.

Candidates had until noon June 18 to be on the November ballot, and the list is a first look at who could lead IPS during a time of change for the city’s schools. This was the first time candidates could include their political affiliations.

Of the 59 candidates competing for 31 seats on 10 school boards across Marion County, more than half decided to list a party affiliation, with 23 Democrats and 9 Republicans. Seven candidates are Independents and 20 chose to be nonpartisan. For IPS, 13 listed Democrat and two are Independents.

This election is pivotal for the IPS school board. After two resignations this year, five of the board’s seven seats are on the ballot. It’s also the first election since state lawmakers created the mayor-appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation.

IPEC holds key powers for IPS and charter schools in the city including including the ability to ask voters for a tax increase to provide additional funds to schools. The elected IPS board previously had that power, and this year’s possible referendum comes as the district faces critical financial challenges. Per state law, three of the nine members of IPEC are also IPS board members.

Of the five races for IPS school board, the most crowded are for District 3 and the at-large seat with four candidates for each. The District 3 race is especially notable with Hope Duke Star, the current IPS board president and a member of IPEC, and Derek Redelman, who is considered an architect of the state’s 2001 charter school law, both on the ballot.

Alexander S. Nyirendah, the vice chair of the Indiana Democratic Party, is running for an at-large seat and Chris Bultman is running in District 4. Bultman works at Concept Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization and was recently appointed to join the IPS board.

The IPS board members who have terms ending in 2026 are all running for re-election.

School board candidates statewide were previously nonpartisan, but they now have the ability to list a political party affiliation, identify as an independent, or be nonpartisan. Because there are no primary elections, multiple candidates can have the same party affiliation.

Here’s a look at who’s on the ballot. Incumbent candidates are noted with an asterisk.

Candidates for IPS school board:

See the map of school board districts here.

District 2

Bryan Duarte, Democrat
Hasaan Rashid, Democrat*

District 3

Loren Eugene Heger, Democrat
Hope Duke Star, Democrat*
Derek Redelman, Independent
Daqavise D. Winston, Democrat

You’re invited: Hear about the changes for schools this election and what they mean

District 4

Chris Bultman, Democrat*
Lindsey Cornett, Democrat

District 5

Nicole Carey, Democrat*
Yuri Smith Sr., Democrat
Pearl Taylor, Democrat

At-large

Heather Houston, Independent
Angelia Lois Moore, Democrat*
Alexander S. Nyirendah, Democrat
Sacha Nicole Sharp, Democrat

Candidates for school boards across the Indianapolis area:

Beech Grove City Schools

Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

Brian Downard, nonpartisan*
Tiffani Flick, Democrat
Jannis King, Independent*
Madison West, nonpartisan

MSD of Decatur Township

Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

Randi Berryman, nonpartisan
Teresa A. Burns, nonpartisan
Judith Collins, Republican*
Dale Henson, Republican*
Steve Jacobi, nonpartisan
Patrice Johnson, nonpartisan
Chase Lyday, Republican*
Kristyn D. Stoddard, Independent

Franklin Township Community Schools

At-large

Komal (Komal Kaur) Chohan, Independent
Dawn Downer, nonpartisan*
Antonio DeWayne Key, Sr, Democrat
Tim McVey, Republican
Christopher Williams, Republican

Northeast District

Zachary Smith Howard, Republican*

Southeast District

Matt Morgan, Republican
Larry J. Walker, Republican*

MSD of Lawrence Township

At-large

Maria Bertram Cartagena, nonpartisan
Jessica Dunn, nonpartisan*

District 2

Larry Brown, nonpartisan
Craig J Willey, nonpartisan

Perry Township Schools

Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

Chris Lewis, Republican*
Brianna Bible, Democrat
Lee Shively, Independent*

MSD of Pike Township

Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

Alonzo Anderson, Democrat*
Wayne Moore, Democrat*
Sherie Latoya Scott, Democrat
Terry A. Webster, Sr., Democrat*

MSD of Warren Township

Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

Terri Amos, nonpartisan*
Rachel M Burke, nonpartisan*
Jerry Crites, nonpartisan
Samantha Douglas, nonpartisan
Kevin S. Humphrey, Sr, nonpartisan*
Steve (Coach) Tutsie, Independent

MSD of Washington Township

At-large

Leslie Bowles, nonpartisan
Jayia McCray, nonpartisan

District 2

Jocelyn Sisson, nonpartisan

MSD of Wayne Township

Four at-large seats are on the ballot.

Brandon Bowman, Democrat*
Mikeal Gordon, Democrat*
Raimeka Graham, Democrat*
Benjamin Wakefield, nonpartisan*

Speedway Schools is not included in this list because the school board is appointed by the town board, not elected.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

IPS school board interviews 2 applicants for District 4 vacancy

2026-06-25T00:39:15+00:00

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In public interviews, two applicants to be the next member of the Indianapolis Public Schools Board of Commissioners stressed their experience working with students and a desire to engage families and the community with the district.

On Wednesday, the IPS school board interviewed Chris Bultman and Lindsey Cornett to fill the District 4 vacancy ahead of a Thursday vote. The interviews were also a preview of the upcoming campaign season as both finalists said they are running for the District 4 seat in the November election.

The seat representing the southwest part of the school district is vacant after former Commissioner Allissa Impink resigned earlier this month. Impink, who won the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 46, resigned from the school board before the general election, so the IPS District 4 seat would be on November’s ballot.

The appointee will serve until January, when the newly elected member is sworn in. That person will serve the remainder of Impink’s term through the end of 2028.

Bultman is the sole candidate on the ballot, but Cornett said she plans to run as well. She is currently considering appeal options or running as a write-in candidate after her candidate paperwork was denied due to what she said was confusion about whether she met the deadline to file.

Whomever is selected in the meantime will join the school board at a critical time. Five of the board’s seven seats are on the ballot, and voters will also decide whether to approve a tax increase, or referendum, that would provide funding for IPS and charter schools that opt in.

The IPS school board used to have the power to put a tax increase on the ballot, but that’s now under the purview of the mayor-appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which was created by state lawmakers earlier this year.

This week, IPEC members decided to ask voters for a property tax increase of 37 cents per $100 of assessed value. Even if it passes, IPS is still expected to make $20 million in cuts by the 2027-28 school year.

Meet the applicants for District 4 IPS school board member

Chris Bultman

Bultman is the regional director of external affairs at Concept Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization that works with Indiana Math and Science Academies. He previously worked as a teacher and on the culture team at Indiana Math and Science where he worked with students facing challenges outside of school.

If appointed, he said his priorities would be improving student outcomes and the district’s financial health while also making IPS a destination for families. He also noted that the referendum is a key challenge facing the district.

Bultman said this moment calls for strong collaboration across Indianapolis’ school types and that disagreement is OK as long as the main focus for all schools working together is improving student outcomes.

Lindsey Cornett

Cornett, a writer and editor for congregation engagement at Englewood Community Development Corporation, described herself as a fierce advocate for IPS. She’s also a former Florida public school teacher and mother of three IPS students.

If appointed, Cornett said she would do her part to get the referendum passed and “offer stability, representation, and camaraderie with the residents of our district” during IPS’s time of transition.

She added that channeling the community’s energy and love for Indianapolis and individual IPS schools is a great opportunity for the district. The biggest challenges are finances and holding IPEC accountable, Cornett said. Going forward, she said the focus needs to be on data-driven decisionmaking for student outcomes and making sure schools have the resources they need before new ideas are launched.

Impink attended the meeting and spoke in support of Cornett during public comment.

This is the second time this year the IPS board has filled a vacancy due to a resignation. Hasaan Rashid was appointed to the board in March.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis voters will consider a tax increase for the city’s schools this fall

2026-06-22T23:36:03+00:00

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Indianapolis voters will decide whether to approve a tax increase this fall to support the city’s district and charter schools following a Monday vote by the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation.

The newly-created board that oversees key aspects such as finances of local schools voted unanimously to place an operating referendum of 37 cents per $100 of assessed value that is projected to generate around $90 million in annual revenue on the ballot. It will mean asking voters to cover around $221 more on their annual tax bills on a typical $150,000 home at a time of increasing living costs.

But it could be a lifeline for Indianapolis Public Schools to avoid significant cuts to staff and programs or even a state takeover. The revenue will also benefit charter schools that enroll students living within the IPS district and choose to participate in the referendum.

Half the referendum revenue, or $43.9 million, will go to IPS and $43.9 million will go to around 60 charter schools that have signed up to participate in the referendum.

IPEC acting Executive Director Michael O’Connor acknowledged that the referendum won’t be enough to cover the district’s budget deficit, and will likely require Indianapolis Public Schools to make $20 million in cuts by 2027-28, in addition to the $24 million in cuts already announced this year. The board is also counting on more cost-sharing with the district’s innovation schools, as well as an increase in the state funding IPS receives for special education and English language learner education, to shore up the district’s budget.

In a statement, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said that though the board’s referendum rate was less than the district sought, she urged voters to support it.

Referencing the further cuts, Johnson said, “We will approach these difficult decisions with thoughtfulness, intentionality, and open communication with our community. Those considerations will begin immediately because we know our students, staff, and families are counting on us.”

The body had multiple referendum options to choose from, including renewing the current referendum at 19 cents per $100 of assessed value or a much higher rate of 55 cents, but ultimately chose a middle ground, said O’Connor.

“We heard from people who are on fixed incomes and who worry very much about what any tax increases would mean to them. We heard from owners of property who worried that their renters couldn’t afford an increase in taxes,” said David Harris, chair of the board in opening comments. “At the same time, we heard from a lot of people who were very worried that we make sure our kids have the resources that they both deserve and are entitled to.”

Board member and IPS board president Hope Duke Star publicly proposed a higher 42 cent referendum to save IPS from more drastic cuts, but the proposal was voted down.

“The amount will be too high for many, too low for many others, but will allow the education system we are tasked with overseeing the ability to operate, make decisions about right-rizing and streamlining in an orderly fashion,” O’Connor said.

Indiana lawmakers this year created the mayor-appointed IPEC to manage referendums, transportation, and accountability for these schools, shifting power away from the elected IPS board.

The fall referendum is the body’s first significant act. It will last four years, rather than the typical eight years. O’Connor said this move would be “best for all,” allowing IPEC to implement a transportation system in year two and a facilities plan in year three. The IPEC board will also set an operating levy in October to fund operating expenses, like transportation, O’Connor said. The sharing of this funding between IPS and charter schools will be rolled out incrementally per state law.

Comments from the public — and especially from charter leaders and advocates — were largely supportive of passing a referendum.

“The outcome goal is all children,” said Felicia Glinsey-Butler, assistant principal at Vision Academy at Riverside, a charter school.

But speakers also expressed frustration that the power to levy a referendum was taken away from the elected IPS board. They asked the IPEC board to ensure transparency for the tax revenue.

“We need a place we can go to see where every single penny of this referendum is going,” said Monica Shellhammer, an IPS third grade teacher.

The referendum will likely be one of several dozen proposed to voters across the state this year, as school districts grapple with caps on property tax revenue and changes to the referendum process.

The next step is for IPEC to send its ballot question to the state Department of Local Government Finance. The department then has until noon Aug. 1 to decide if it’s approved.

IPEC is scheduled to meet again on July 22.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPS seeks applicants to fill vacant District 4 school board seat

2026-06-16T19:33:38+00:00

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Applications are open to fill a vacancy on the Indianapolis Public Schools Board, with the board selecting an appointee next week.

The school board’s District 4 seat, which represents the southwest part of the school district, is vacant after Commissioner Allissa Impink’s resignation took effect June 15. Impink won the Democratic primary election for Indiana State Senate District 46 in May. She resigned before the general election so the school board seat would be on November’s ballot, reducing the time an appointed member will be on the board.

The appointee will serve on the board until January when the newly elected member is sworn in. That person will serve the remainder of Impink’s term through the end of 2028.

The November election is a critical one for the IPS board, with five of seven seats on the ballot. It also comes as the district faces financial challenges and after the board lost some authority to the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation. Established by state lawmakers earlier this year, IPEC now holds key powers over district and charter schools, including school accountability, buildings, transportation, and some financial matters.

To qualify for appointment to the IPS board, applicants must live in District 4 and have lived within the IPS school district for at least a year. They also must not have a felony conviction unless it was pardoned, reversed, vacated, or set aside.

Applications and resumes are due by 5 p.m. on June 23, and the school board will meet in executive session that day to select three finalists.

Finalists will have public interviews at 6 p.m. on June 24 at the district central office, 120 E. Walnut St. The board will vote on an appointment during its action session at 6 p.m. on June 25, and the appointee will be sworn in that evening.

It’s possible that whoever is appointed could also run for election in November. Potential school board candidates have until noon on June 18 to file. As of Tuesday afternoon, no candidate has filed to run in District 4, according to the Marion County Election Board’s candidate list.

Due to resignations, school board seats representing District 2 — which is now represented by Hasaan Rashid, who was appointed by the board in March — and District 4 are on the November ballot. Also on the ballot are three IPS board seats slated for election: District 3, currently represented by Hope Duke Star, District 5, represented by Nicole Carey, and an at-large seat held by Angelia Moore.

See the application for IPS District 4 commissioner here.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear about the changes for schools this election and what they mean for students

2026-06-09T19:44:27+00:00

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School board elections won’t look the same in Indiana this year.

At the ballot box, voters could see new partisan labels for school board candidates. More voters than usual could be faced with a decision on whether they should approve a tax increase, known as a referendum, for their local schools. And before Election Day, candidates and school leaders also have decisions to make about their campaigns.

The outcomes in November could have a lasting effect on students and schools.

Join us on Wednesday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center for a panel discussion on these issues.

We’ll dive into the changes around school decision-makers and school funding to ask: What’s at stake for students and families across the state?

Moderated by Chalkbeat Indiana reporter Aleksandra Appleton, the panel includes:

David Roof, director of the Center for Economic and Civic Learning at Ball State University
Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association
Ashley Thomas, member of both the Indianapolis Public Schools board and the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation.

The event is in partnership with the Indiana Historical Society and is free, but RSVP is encouraged. Get your ticket here.

Doors open at 6 p.m. The panel starts at 6:30 p.m. Food and childcare will be provided. Free parking is available in the Indiana Historical Society lot off of New York Street.

Update, July 1: This story was updated to clarify that parking will be free for panel attendees.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

What different potential tax increases would mean for Indianapolis schools and homeowners

2026-06-03T20:03:13+00:00

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How much money should Indianapolis schools ask taxpayers for this November?

That’s one of the questions facing the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, and IPEC is having two public listening sessions to share information and gather feedback.

6-8 p.m., Thursday, June 4, in the media center of Arsenal Technical High School.
Noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at a location to be determined, likely in the northwest part of the area served by Indianapolis Public Schools.

IPEC members are expected to decide at their June 22 meeting if they want to ask voters to approve a tax increase known as a referendum. These local property tax increases are for specific needs and last for a limited period of time, unlike annual property taxes that fund schools and other services.

Here’s what to know about the options that IPEC is weighing:

What is the current referendum rate?

Voters approved an operating referendum for Indianapolis Public Schools in 2018. The current rate is 19 cents per $100 of assessed value, and the annual revenue to the district is about $49 million.

Charter schools that are part of the IPS Innovation Network receive some of that funding, but independent charters do not.

How is the process for this referendum different?

There have been multiple changes since 2018. The power to put a tax measure on the ballot went from the elected IPS board to the mayor-appointed IPEC. And all charter schools that enroll students living within the borders of the IPS district can opt into receiving money from the tax measure.

Officials at the May IPEC meeting said the charter school change means the number of students supported by referendum funds would essentially double and said the rate of 38 cents per $100 of assessed value is essentially parity in terms of funding to the 2018 tax measure.

What are the rate options?

At the May IPEC meeting, presenters suggested rates from 19 to 55 cents. IPEC can also decide not to seek a referendum, or pick a rate not presented.

Depending on the rate, IPS might have to make cuts in addition to the ones previously announced that could include school closures and consolidations, ending Innovation Network agreements, and cuts to instructional programs, transportation, or staffing.

Lower rates could also put IPS at risk of a state takeover and lead to families and employees leaving schools, while higher rates would provide stability during a transition period, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told IPEC.

Johnson said 27,000 students, including those at district schools and some charter schools, rely on IPS services that could be affected.

Below is a look at the various rates and their impact on schools, based on presentations to IPEC by Johnson and Andy Seibert, CEO of TogetherEd, as well as Susan Preble, the Indy Chamber’s vice president of state government affairs. The cost to taxpayers is the cost instead of the current referendum cost, not in addition to it.

What else does IPEC need to decide for the tax measure?

If it opts for a referendum, IPEC will also need to decide how long the tax measure should last and what the money should be used for. Typically, referendums are eight years, but Johnson and Seibert recommended four years to IPEC.

The funding would help with services for students with disabilities and English language learners; teacher and staff retention and compensation; student opportunities including work-based learning, postsecondary pathways; and maintaining current instructional models across schools, according to Johnson and Seibert’s presentation.

It’s possible state lawmakers could increase funding for students with disabilities and English language learners, but that won’t be determined until after the vote on the tax increase.

IPEC’s next meeting is 5 p.m. on Monday, June 22, in Room 221 of the Indianapolis City-County Building.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

From 19 to 55 cents: IPEC hears options for a possible tax increase

2026-05-29T01:58:47+00:00

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Changes are coming to Indianapolis schools, but how many and which ones depend on a potential tax increase and if it passes, speakers told the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation on Thursday.

The mayor-appointed IPEC board was created by state lawmakers earlier this year to oversee key aspects of district and charter schools in the city, including transportation, buildings, school accountability, and some finances. It lessened the powers of city school boards, including the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board.

One of the first things that IPEC will decide is whether or not to put a tax increase, or referendum, on the ballot in November, something previously decided by the IPS school board.

Tuesday’s meeting, IPEC’s second, largely centered on the possibility of the ballot measure and also included electing officers and updates about the corporation’s accountability framework for schools.

IPEC members listened to a presentation from IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson and Andy Seibert, CEO of TogetherEd, and one from Susan Preble, the Indy Chamber’s vice president of state government affairs.

A vote on the tax measure is expected at the corporation’s June 22 meeting ahead of a July 22 deadline for the ballot question to be sent to the state Department of Local Government Finance.

Speakers during public comment expressed support for IPEC and the need for equitable transportation, as well as the need for the referendum to focus on students, equity in schools, and voter transparency.

Referendum possibilities for Indianapolis schools

School districts, and in this case IPEC, can ask voters to approve tax increases for specific needs such as operating costs, construction, or safety measures. These dollars are in addition to the local property tax dollars that schools receive along with state and federal funding.

IPS last passed an operating referendum in 2018. Charter schools that are part of the IPS Innovation Network currently receive some referendum funding, but independent charters do not.

Since then, state lawmakers made a change that also allows charter schools that enroll students living within the borders of the IPS district to opt into receiving money from the tax measure. This year is a key one for the future of IPS, as the current operating referendum is expiring and the district faces a budget deficit.

Presenters to IPEC laid out options from no referendum to tax measures at the current rate of 19 cents per $100 of assessed value up to 55 cents. Estimated impact on homeowners could range from $169 annually if the current rate is renewed to $475 at 55 cents.

Johnson said the lower amounts could lead to a state takeover of the district as well as more widespread changes for students such as school closures, ending Innovation Network agreements, and cuts to programs, transportation, or staff. She stressed that the vote outcome will determine the level of stability or disruption for students and families.

While the current referendum was for the typical eight years, Johnson and Seibert said they support four years for the next one.

They said that is long enough for long-term planning and resource stability as things change with the addition of IPEC. Funding would help with services for students with disabilities and English language learners as well as teacher and staff retention and student opportunities around work-based learning and postsecondary pathways.

Preble said the popularity of referendums across the state reflects that “we are not funding public education in an adequate way.” She said she believes state leaders know this, especially when it comes to students with disabilities and ELL students, and could address it in the upcoming legislative session, but that wouldn’t start until after the referendum vote.

IPEC members asked presenters for additional data around costs, referendum funds and enrollment. They also asked questions about funding for Pre-K while acknowledging there wasn’t enough time to include it in this referendum.

IPEC approves posting for executive director, discusses accountability

IPEC also made several personnel decisions: It staggered terms for board members, and corporation officers and approved a job posting for an executive director. The job will be posted Friday on the IPEC website and the Indianapolis City-County Council’s job board. The salary range is $235,000 to $325,000 annually.

Deandra Thompson was elected as the vice chairperson, and Patricia Castañeda as the secretary in unanimous votes. Board terms were also announced, per state law:

Hope Duke Star, Dexter Taylor, and Eddie Rangel each have a two-year term.
Ashley Thomas, Janet McNeal, and John R. Hammond III each have a three-year term.
Thompson, chair David Harris, and Castañeda each have a four-year term.

IPEC members also heard updates around the accountability framework. Priorities are to gather more feedback from the community and IPEC members, O’Connor said. A progress report is due to state lawmakers on Aug. 1.

Presentations from Tuesday’s meeting will be posted on the IPEC website. The corporation’s next meeting is 5 p.m. June 22 in room 221 of the Indianapolis City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St. IPEC’s July meeting was changed to July 22.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Schools announces $17 million in central office cuts for 2026-27

2026-05-12T00:17:52+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools announced $17 million in cuts to central office for next school year as the district grapples with a looming financial shortfall exacerbated by declining enrollment and changes to state law that will restrict property tax revenue.

The cuts, announced by Superintendent Aleesia Johnson on Monday, are in addition to the $7 million in school-based budget cuts the district announced in March. Those previous school-based reductions ultimately cut 36 teachers and 23 classified staff, while newly announced cuts to central office eliminated roughly 28 positions, Johnson said in a video.

In total, the positions represent roughly 2% of the district’s overall workforce of 3,709 employees.

“This is the hardest part, because these cuts represent people,” Johnson said. “Our teammates and our colleagues who have dedicated their work to serving our district and our students.”

The cuts come as IPS faces a broader existential challenge. Property tax reform lawmakers passed last year is expected to bring a loss of millions in property tax revenues to IPS and districts across the state. State lawmakers also created a new appointed body that will assume key financial powers previously reserved for the elected IPS school board.

The new nine-member Indianapolis Public Education Corporation board, appointed by the mayor, must tackle key resource questions to place district and charter schools on an even playing field. The board will have the power to set property tax rates for residents in IPS, as charter schools gradually receive more property taxes for operating expenses. The board will also take control of IPS buildings and transportation for the benefit of both district and charter schools.

But perhaps IPEC’s most pressing task is to decide whether or not to put a property tax increase to voters that could keep the district afloat.

Johnson said in Monday’s announcement that the reductions are a “proactive step in our advocacy” to IPEC board members.

“As we move toward a referendum, it is vital that we demonstrate to those decision makers — as well as to our broader community — that we’re committed to responsible and deliberate fiscal discipline,” Johnson said. “We want to ensure that what we ask of our taxpayers is balanced by clear evidence that we are tightening our own belt and managing our financial reality with integrity.”

Cuts include reductions in extracurricular buses, athletics

The central office cuts announced Monday include reductions in vendor contracts.

Johnson said that athletic offerings will remain intact, but the district will change how some athletics are offered in elementary and middle schools.

“This includes a shift toward elementary-level clinics and expanding our partnerships with community athletic organizations at the middle school level to ensure high-quality coaching instruction and continuity,” Johnson said.

The district will also no longer offer buses for extracurricular activities on Friday afternoons — including transportation to practices and tutoring.

But the district said in a statement that it will continue offering transportation to games and competitions that occur on Fridays. The district said cuts will not impact the number of extracurricular and internship opportunities for students.

Johnson also announced an increase in pre-K prices for next school year, citing the state’s “lack of educational funding for our youngest children.”

The pre-K tuition increase comes as the district reduces its number of pre-K sites by six. IPS began charging for pre-K this school year after the state cut preschool funding.

“For more than a decade, we’ve worked to operate efficiently — closing and consolidating buildings, reducing costs, improving how we provide goods and services, streamlining transportation and central office functions,” Johnson said. “Taken together, these decisions reflect a broader effort to examine everything we do and ensure every dollar is aligned to what matters the most: our students.”

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

IPS plan for becoming a charter school authorizer focuses on enrollment, discipline, test scores

2026-05-07T18:11:56+00:00

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In its plan to become a charter school authorizer, the Indianapolis Public Schools board wants to use growth on state assessments, discipline, and enrollment targets to judge charters.

The school board submitted that information to the Indiana Department of Education last week. It’s the first step for IPS to become an authorizer, which has the power to allow charter schools to open and to close them.

Becoming an authorizer would give IPS more power over charters at a time when the school board is losing authority. Although state lawmakers limited the number of charter authorizers in IPS, they also created the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which will manage transportation and facility needs for both district and charter schools while also taking over the school board’s power to raise property taxes.

State law allows the IPS school board to become an authorizer. The board made an attempt to authorize charter schools after Indiana passed its charter law in 2001, but never authorized any. In a statement in December, the board said the move would be a “step toward unparalleled local accountability” that it said has been inconsistent among the state’s multiple charter authorizers.

In its authorizing plan, IPS also wants to draw on its work with the Innovation Network, in which the district grants some schools a greater degree of autonomy than traditional district-run schools while letting them use certain IPS resources.

Charter schools seeking authorization by IPS would begin the application process through a letter of intent submitted every March.

New charters would undergo a roughly eight-month application process that would require a mission plan, financial projections, and evidence of community support for a school. Existing high-performing charters could apply under a roughly four-month application timeline that includes an audit of their academic and financial history.

The district would have a standardized rubric to evaluate charter applications, which also would be reviewed by a panel of academic and external experts, the district said in its registration. District officials would also interview members of the school’s leadership team.

State law gives the State Board of Education 60 days to register the IPS school board as a charter authorizer. The district estimates opening its authorizing office in August.

IPS prioritizes academics, discipline, enrollment in charter evaluations

IPS plans to evaluate charter schools using the same academic, financial, and governance metrics it uses for its 30 Innovation Network schools, and which existing authorizers also frequently use to evaluate schools.

IPS created the Innovation Network schools, most of which are charters, after state lawmakers created “innovation” schools in 2014 as a way for autonomous and district schools to work together.

“We have built over a decade of relationships with charter schools with our Innovation partnerships,” Rachel Santos, director of external affairs for IPS, told the school board last week. “Our strategic vision is to say that we are continuing that work. We are well equipped to do it, with our office that already oversees 30 relationships.”

In the 11 years of the network’s existence, IPS has not renewed three schools — two of which were charter schools — citing concerns with academic performance. A fourth, Kindezi Academy charter school, closed after failing to agree with the district on a renewal agreement.

According to the information it submitted to the state education department, the district would consider proficiency in English and math on the state ILEARN exam, while also accounting for students’ year-to-year growth on these tests and how 10 specific student subgroups perform compared to their peers. These subgroups include Black and Hispanic students, as well as English language learners and students with disabilities.

The district does not specify exact ILEARN proficiency goals. Authorizers often compare a school’s performance to nearby schools with similar demographics.

The district would also aim for its charter schools to have a 90% pass rate on IREAD.

IPS would also set a 95% attendance rate target, and monitor suspension rates to “reward equitable discipline.”

The district would measure a school’s financial health by assessing the days of cash on hand, among other financial metrics. It would also assess schools on whether they reach at least 95% of their budgeted enrollment each year.

IPS would rate charters on their governance model based on compliance with the state’s Open Door Law, which deals with government transparency, and laws concerning students with disabilities. The district would also assess leadership stability and the charter school board composition to ensure that members offer a diverse set of skills.

Charter renewals would last up to 5 years

Although state law allows for authorizers to renew charters for up to 15 years, IPS would only offer charter terms for up to five years.

The deputy superintendent for IPS would oversee the district’s charter schools alongside the existing director of Innovation schools and director of strategy. The district projects that for those staffers, 30% of their work would be dedicated specifically to charter authorizing, IPS said in the information it submitted to the state.

The district projects an annual authorizing budget of $561,000 that would already be part of the district’s general fund.

IPS said it would implement an authorizing fee, which charters pay to their authorizer usually determined by a percentage of per-pupil state funding. But the district did not specify what percentage would be. State law allows authorizers to charge a fee of up to 3%.

Correction: This story was updated to accurately reflect the district’s history as a charter authorizer.

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

Meet the 9 appointees who will control buildings and transportation for public schools in Indianapolis

2026-04-27T10:00:00+00:00

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Inadequate transportation. Declining enrollment. An impending financial cliff.

These are the challenges that the nine-member Indianapolis Public Education Corporation must tackle as it creates an educational ecosystem that gives district-run and charter schools equal access to resources while holding them to the same academic standards.

The new corporation has assumed key financial powers previously reserved for the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board. This includes the power to determine property tax rates for both IPS and charter schools beginning in 2027. In 2028, IPEC will assume responsibility for transportation and buildings for both district and charter schools.

The state law establishing IPEC gave Mayor Joe Hogsett the power to appoint all nine members. The law required three to be community members with certain expertise, three to be charter school leaders, and three to be members of the IPS school board.

Common themes connecting IPEC’s members include a history of working in or supporting charter schools, and promoting the importance of testing and alternatives to traditional school governance.

The IPEC board includes four charter school leaders, including one who founded the prominent Mind Trust nonprofit that has helped grow the city’s charter school sector. It also includes a prominent Republican lobbyist involved in a contentious suite of education policy changes adopted nearly 40 years ago that expanded Indiana’s power to take over underperforming schools, among other changes.

The board also includes IPS school board members elected with the backing of school choice supporters, and a founding board member of a charter school serving a large population of English language learners.

Asked about the new board’s connections to the charter school sector, Hogsett said through a spokesperson that he selected the members after an “extensive review process.” He said the most important factor in his decision to pick them was their focus on “the best interest of all the families and children living in the Indianapolis Public Schools boundary, regardless of the type of public school those families choose.”

Below are key facts about each member.

Patricia Castañeda, community leader

Patricia Castañeda has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of the city’s public institutions and the communities they serve.

She is a vice president at KeyBank’s Community Banking Group, and is a founding board member of Enlace Academy, a K-8 grade charter school on the northwest side. Currently, she is a member of the Goodwill Education Initiatives Board, which oversees the The Excel Center adult high schools.

Castañeda was born in Lima, Peru. She briefly attended Ben Davis High School before graduating. Her two sons graduated from Shortridge High School.

Patricia Castañeda, vice president of Key Bank, is sworn in as a member of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation at its first public meeting.

In 2000, Castañeda became the first Hispanic services coordinator at the Marion County prosecutor’s office — a role built largely on direct outreach.

Castañeda also co-chaired the Indianapolis Race and Cultural Relations Leadership Network during the multiyear dispute over “E Pluribus Unum” — a commissioned sculpture of a freed Black slave planned for the Cultural Trail near the City-County Building. The project drew widespread objections and was eventually cancelled in 2011.

“That’s really where you learn,” Castañeda said of debates about the sculpture. “So sometimes it comes with a lot of ire, yes, and it’s OK, that’s how we grow, and that’s how we heal and grow together.”

She later worked for the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority.

Castañeda said her role on IPEC is to share community perspectives. She wants to ensure schools are safe and accessible for all students.

Castañeda said the new board’s credibility will rest on what it does, not what it says.

“Actions speak louder than words,” she said. “If we’re saying we’re going to be transparent, then we want to make sure that we are transparent.”

John R. Hammond III, community leader

John R. Hammond III helped former Gov. Robert D. Orr push a sweeping education overhaul through the Indiana General Assembly in 1987. The package known as A-Plus required student achievement exams and created a new accreditation system based on school performance.

Hammond said that sort of experience can inform his work with the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation. He also believes IPEC can bring stability to all city schools.

“This is really the right approach to really begin to get our hands around some of the issues that have created some of the financial concerns,” Hammond said, “so that we can really serve these kids, no matter where they come from or what school they’re served in.”

John Hammond, partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister law firm, attends the first IPEC meeting virtually.

Hammond served as Orr’s senior executive assistant for legislative affairs and education policy from 1981 to 1988. He was later a partner at Ice Miller and is now a partner at Taft’s public affairs strategies group. He represented Indiana on the Republican National Committee for 12 years and is a founding board member of Herron Classical Schools, led by fellow IPEC member Janet McNeal.

Hammond has lived in the IPS district for 36 years. His wife, Diana Hamilton, served on the IPS Foundation in the early 2000s.

“I feel committed to the Center City,” Hammond said, “and that’s what we’ve made our home and our living.”

David Harris, charter school leader and IPEC board chair

David Harris is the CEO of Christel House International, a global nonprofit school operator that’s the umbrella organization for Christel House Indianapolis, which runs three charter schools and an adult charter school network in Indianapolis. Those schools provide their own transportation and include two schools and an adult high school that operate in an IPS-owned building.

When Harris worked in Mayor Bart Peterson’s administration as an assistant deputy mayor, he supported the state’s charter school law that gave the mayor the power to authorize charter schools. He then served as charter school director for the city, a position known today as the executive director of the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.

Harris later founded the influential Mind Trust nonprofit in 2006, which has helped launch most of the city’s charter schools and recruit many charter leaders.

David Harris, CEO of Christel House, is sworn in at the IPEC's first meeting. Harris serves as chair.

Harris left the Mind Trust to help found the City Fund, a national education organization that raised millions to promote school reform in several major cities, including Indianapolis.

Harris said the city’s quality of education has improved over the past few decades, but that it’s “not anywhere near as good as it needs to be.”

“This is an opportunity for all schools to get better,” he said.

Harris said IPEC’s work will allow all schools to focus their energy on education without having to be “consumed with operational challenges that are a headache.”

Janet McNeal, charter school leader

Janet McNeal, president at Herron Classical Schools, knows what it’s like to work in different kinds of schools.

After a short stint teaching in South Korea, she spent 10 years as an English teacher at a public school district in southern Indiana. She worked for another 10 years at Cathedral High School — a private, Catholic school near Lawrence.

After that, she helped launch a new classical arts charter school in 2006, Herron High School, working closely with Harris of the city’s charter school office.

Herron High School quickly cemented itself as a top academic performer in the city, though the school has historically served fewer economically disadvantaged students and English language learners than other IPS schools.

Janet McNeal, president of Herron Classical Schools, is sworn in at the first IPEC meeting.

In 2016, McNeal started a second high school, Herron-Riverside. The school, located in the former Heslar Naval Armory, serves a student body more demographically and academically similar to IPS than Herron High.

The charter network opened its first K-8 school, Herron Preparatory Academy, in 2021.

Students attending Herron High and Herron Prep Academy get to school primarily through parent drop-offs or discounted rides with IndyGo. Herron Classical Schools has offered limited transportation in recent years to Herron-Riverside students.

McNeal is considering whether to opt her schools into a shared facilities system like one IPEC could create, though it’s unlikely the charter network would want to relinquish its buildings. Herron Classical Schools owns all three of its school properties.

“We did not build our buildings on taxpayers’ dollars,” McNeal said. “We built our buildings on fundraising.”

Eddie Rangel, community leader

Eddie Rangel, founding CEO of Adelante Schools, listens during IPEC's first meeting.

Eddie Rangel is the founder and CEO of Adelante Schools, which took over Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School as a part of an IPS plan to improve chronically underperforming schools.

School choice shaped Rangel’s life trajectory as a child in California. His parents found a way to enroll him into a different district school — which had a strong music program — than the one he was zoned for.

Rangel became the first in his family to graduate college, where he studied music education and performance. He came to Indianapolis in 2012 through Teach For America and taught at Key Learning Community School in IPS.

He later became a principal in the Tindley charter school network.

Rangel was also a fellow in the Mind Trust’s Innovation School Fellowship, launching Adelante in 2020 as a charter operator that would take over Emma Donnan. As an IPEC board member, he hopes to draw on his experience building back the trust of the Emma Donnan community.

“It’s important to approach this work with humility, which is something that we leaned heavily into as we embarked on leading Emma Donnan,” he said. “For the IPEC role, it’s important to recognize that no single model or perspective will have all of the answers — especially in a system as complex as Indianapolis.”

Hope Duke Star, IPS school board president

Hope Duke Star was elected to the school board in 2022, serving an area that represents core Indianapolis neighborhoods from Meridian-Kessler to Martindale-Brightwood. She earned the backing of Stand for Children Indiana and RISE Indy, which have supported charter schools.

Star grew up in the area she now represents. She attended the district’s former Northwest High School and was the first in her family to graduate college with the help of the Association for Loan Free Education, which focused on helping first-generation college students.

Hope Duke Star, IPS board president, sits with members of the IPEC board at the group's first meeting.

She later worked for that same organization and served as a dean at North Central High School and a counselor at the KIPP Indy charter network.

Star’s past few years on the board have featured numerous battles between supporters of charter schools and IPS. During her tenure, the school board has also called for a moratorium on new schools.

As she serves on the IPEC board, she hopes that the city’s education leaders are willing to do what’s fair.

“I’m hopeful that we won’t continue to open schools while we try to clean up what we’ve already created and make what we have make sense,” she said.

Dexter Taylor, charter school leader

Dexter Taylor is the director of Paramount Schools of Excellence’s K-8 Brookside campus, one of five Paramount schools in Indianapolis.

He worked for the Carmel-Clay school district for about five years before joining the Paramount network of charter schools in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. Taylor eventually became school director in May 2019.

The network is known for its rigorous academics. Paramount Brookside consistently reports strong math and reading test scores. But parents have raised concerns about school discipline.

Dexter Taylor, director of Paramount Brookside, is sworn in as a member of the IPEC board at the group's meeting.

A recent WFYI analysis found that last school year, Paramount schools suspended students with disabilities at a rate about three times higher than the state average.

School leaders told WFYI last fall that suspensions are lower than past years due to increased training for teachers.

Taylor was not available for an interview before the deadline for this story.

Paramount currently operates buses for just two of its Indianapolis campuses — Andrew J. Brown Academy and Girls in STEM Academy. According to property records, Paramount owns all but one of its buildings that fall within the IPS boundary.

Its Englewood school shares space in the PR Mallory Campus on East Washington Street with Purdue Polytechnic High School.

Ashley Thomas, IPS school board member

Ashley Thomas serves as the District 1 IPS commissioner, where she represents portions of the far east and southeast sides. She was first drawn to advocacy more than a decade ago when her son’s IPS school was targeted for a major overhaul.

After several years of failing grades from the state, George H. Fisher School 93 was converted into an Innovation charter school — a type of school still in the IPS system but run by its own board.

Ashley Thomas, IPS board member, speaks during the first IPEC board meeting.

To learn more about that change, Thomas started attending workshops organized by Stand for Children. It wasn’t long before she began facilitating workshop discussions

“Our school felt like a forgotten-about school,” Thomas said. “I got to see the picture of what it looks like when parents, students, teachers and leaders all work together collaboratively.”

Thomas then spent almost eight years as an organizer with Stand for Children. She worked for another two years with RISE Indy before running for IPS school board in 2024.

Thomas was endorsed by Stand for Children. Campaign finance records show she accepted donations from Stand, RISE Indy, and several high-profile leaders in the charter sector.

“Stand’s endorsement committee were all parents that had kids in different schools from different public school types,” Thomas said. “I’m honored to be endorsed by parents.”

She also chairs the board’s legislative committee and runs an education consulting business. Her children attend Believe Circle City High School and Paramount Brookside.

The single mom of three said all of these experiences will inform her work on the new IPEC board.

Deandra Thompson, IPS school board member

Deandra Thompson is an IPS at-large school board member and founder of A Learning Bee Academy, an early learning center.

She previously served on the founding leadership team of Providence Cristo Rey High School, a private Catholic school. She also served as national director of enrollment for the Phalen Leadership Academies charter school network.

Deandra Thompson, one of three IPS board members appointed to the IPEC board, listens during the first IPEC meeting.

Thompson, who has a third grader in public school, was elected to the school board in 2024 with the backing of Stand and RISE Indy.

Thompson has said that she sees the value in having appointed members of a public board who can offer expertise in areas such as business or finance. The three IPS school board members on the IPEC board, she said, will ensure that the community is involved in the corporation’s work.

“I think we have to trust the people that were voted for, for one,” she said of IPS school board members on the new corporation board. “And trust that we can come together and make sure we bring community along with us.”

Correction: This story was updated to include the correct email addresses for Janet McNeal and Hope Duke Star.

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

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

Eric Weddle is WFYI’s education editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or follow him on X at@ericweddle.

IPEC just met for the first time. Here’s what the new Indianapolis schools board discussed.

2026-04-14T22:02:18+00:00

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The new governing body for Indianapolis schools met for the first time Tuesday and discussed asking voters for a property tax increase in the fall.

Placing an operating referendum on the ballot is one of the key duties of the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which has also been tasked by state lawmakers with overseeing transportation and buildings for district and charter schools. In addition to the referendum discussion, IPEC on Tuesday appointed an acting executive director, approved a funding request for its work, and discussed the process of hiring a full-time director.

While it’s not certain if IPEC will pursue a referendum, passing one could be critical to the Indianapolis Public Schools’ long-term stability. The district faces a budget deficit, and its current referendum expires this year.

But first, the corporation must undertake a series of steps, including gathering information on student enrollment and giving charter schools the opportunity to opt into the referendum. All of these steps need to happen before IPEC votes on a resolution to place a referendum on the November ballot. They did not take action on a referendum on Tuesday.

Board members largely asked logistics questions such as what their role would be.

The corporation will have to answer two critical questions: how much to ask for from voters and how many years the referendum should run,Michael O’Connor of Bose Public Affairs told the members. O’Connor also facilitated the meetings of the body that preceded IPEC, the Indianapolis Local Education Association. His contract to work with the new board was extended through May.

The corporation would also be involved in advocating for the referendum to pass.

During its first meeting, the corporation also voted to request for funding for itself from the Marion County Treasurer, as allowed by the state law that created the body. It will seek 3% of the property tax revenues used for operating expenses for IPS and participating charter schools in order to pay an executive director, staff, and consultants.

The meeting lasted approximately one hour at the City-County building, where a handful of protesters had gathered outside with signs to oppose the unelected board taking some powers from the elected IPS board. About two dozen people attended the meeting, including IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, and there was no public comment period.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett appointed the nine members last month and swore them in at the Tuesday meeting. The board includes three IPS board members, three representatives of charter schools, and three experts in areas relevant to the corporation’s work as required by state law.

The corporation is chaired by David Harris, the charter schools director under former mayor Bart Peterson. Harris and Peterson co-founded the Mind Trust, an influential nonprofit that helps launch charter schools. One of the expert appointees, Edward Rangel, is also a charter school leader, tipping the board in favor of charter schools when it comes to decisions, including those about buildings — an ongoing point of contention in Indianapolis’ school choice ecosystem.

O’Connor was also appointed acting executive director of IPEC while the corporation waits for Hogsett to choose a full-time director. The hiring process — including creating a job description and determining a salary range — begins immediately, and the goal is to hire by mid-May, O’Connor said. IPEC will vote on the candidate the mayor selects.

Harris said he would poll the members of the corporation to appoint a vice chair and secretary.

Both a website for IPEC and email addresses for IPEC members are forthcoming, O’Connor said. On Wednesday, IPEC launched its website.

The corporation will next meet on May 28, time and location to be determined.

Member Ashley Thomas asked that some future meetings be held in the evenings to allow more people affected by the work of the board to attend.

This story has been updated with IPEC’s website link which was announced Wednesday.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Education Corporation announces date and location for first meeting

2026-04-10T20:54:35+00:00

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A new governing body for Indianapolis schools will meet for the first time on April 14.

The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC, will govern key aspects of public schools in the city. It will oversee buildings and transportation for charter schools and Indianapolis Public Schools. The corporation will also have power to ask voters for funding for schools through a referendum, and will create an accountability system that could be used to decide which schools close.

IPEC will meet at 4 p.m. April 14 in Room 221 of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington Street, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office announced. An agenda was not available on Friday.

The nine members of the board, appointed by Hogsett, were announced by him late last month and include three IPS board members, three representatives of charter schools, and three experts in areas relevant to the corporation’s work as required by state law.

One of the appointed experts is also a charter school leader. Additionally, David Harris is the board chair. Harris was the charter schools director under former mayor Bart Peterson, and the duo co-founded the Mind Trust, an influential nonprofit that helps launch charter schools.

IPEC’s creation by state lawmakers means less power for school boards in the city, including the elected IPS board. However, school boards will still have power over day-to-day tasks including setting budgets, curriculums, and hiring and firing the superintendent or school leaders for charter schools.

IPEC was formed following the December 2025 recommendations of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which was a state-created task force. The corporation’s powers will phase in with key powers over finances and referendums starting this year and powers over buildings and transportation in 2028.

The April 14 meeting will also be livestreamed on Channel 16.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis Public Education Corporation members announced by Mayor Hogsett

2026-03-31T21:48:42+00:00

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Mayor Joe Hogsett announced the members of the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation on Tuesday.

The nine-member board represents a significant change to education in Indianapolis. The corporation will oversee buildings and transportation for district and charter schools, while also assuming the power to collect property taxes. The board will also create a system of accountability that officials could use to decide which schools close.

These changes diminish the power of school boards including the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board. School boards will still have power over day-to-day policy decisions like setting their budgets and curriculums, and they’ll maintain the power to hire and fire the superintendent or school leaders for charter schools.

The corporation’s members are:

Hope Star, IPS board president.
Ashley Thomas, IPS board member.
Deandra Thompson, IPS board member.
David Harris, president and CEO of Christel House International.
Janet McNeal, president of Herron Classical Schools charter network.
Dexter Taylor, director of Paramount Brookside charter school.
Patricia Castañeda, vice president of Key Bank.
John Hammond, partner at the Taft Stettinius & Hollister law firm.
Edward Rangel, founding CEO of Adelante Schools charter network.

Harris, who served as charter schools director under former mayor Bart Peterson and later helped found the Mind Trust nonprofit that helps launch charter schools, will serve as the IPEC board chair.

The board was created by state lawmakers in this year’s legislative session following recommendations issued by the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, or ILEA, which met in the second half of 2025. The state law establishing the corporation says that three of its nine members must be charter school leaders, three must be IPS school board members, and three must be experts in areas related to the corporation’s work, such as capital planning or transportation.

The board would assume key powers over finances and referendums beginning this year, and would begin managing school property and transportation in 2028.

“These dedicated leaders possess the expertise necessary to ensure our schools are able to operate efficiently and serve our students equitably,” Hogsett said in a statement. “I believe in their combined ability to make the difficult – but important – decisions that will create a sustainable public school system in Indianapolis for years to come.”

The city also extended its contract with Michael O’Connor of Bose Public Affairs, who led the ILEA through its brainstorming sessions last year. The original contract, paid for by the city with a maximum cost of $340,000, allowed the city to renew its agreement with O’Connor to help implement the ILEA’s recommendations. The extension runs through May and allows for an additional maximum of $200,000.

The date of the corporation’s first meeting has not been announced.

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

Indianapolis charter school switches authorizers, avoiding potential closure

2026-03-12T17:40:05+00:00

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An east side charter school successfully switched authorizers on Thursday and avoided a looming decision that could have led to its closure.

The Education One board approved Rooted School Indianapolis for two separate charters. One charter gives Rooted the green light to continue operating its 7-12 school within Eastern Star Church in the Arlington Woods neighborhood. The other gives Rooted permission to launch a K-6 school, starting with sixth grade in 2028.

Thursday’s decision is a lifeline for the school of roughly 150 students, which aims to give students a path to financial freedom with high-wage careers. The approval comes just weeks before Education One will lose its ability to authorize schools within Indianapolis Public Schools borders.

Authorizers grant charter schools permission to open and operate, and can revoke or not renew their charter at the end of its term for various issues.

The approval came despite concern from its current authorizer — the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation, or OEI — that the school was trying to change authorizers in order to avoid accountability. In a letter sent to Education One last month, OEI Director Shaina Cavazos said the office was preparing not to renew the school’s charter, a decision that could have led the school to shut down.

Education One director Emily Gaskill took a different view.

“The proposed transfer to another authorizer should not be interpreted as an effort of the school to avoid accountability,” Gaskill said at the meeting. “If anything, when someone moves to us, there is going to be an automatic increase in accountability.”

Rooted’s founder, Ma’at Lands, told Chalkbeat last week that the school had been considering a change in authorizers since October and was attracted to Education One’s support systems and frequent in-person school visits.

Education One disputes concerns about Rooted charter school

The charter school and OEI haven’t seen eye-to-eye on a variety of issues.

In 2022, for example, OEI put Rooted on notice for failing to comply with laws for English language learner students, including providing a teacher of record for English language learner students. The office also took issue with the school’s teacher licensure rate of 50%, which is below the state law requiring a 90% rate for charter schools.

Lands said the school later addressed the teacher-of-record requirement, and OEI later confirmed with the school that it boosted its teaching licensure rates.

OEI also took issue with the school’s enrollment, noting that Rooted missed enrollment targets for 2022-23 and 2023-24 by over 10%. The school has grown from 58 ninth-grade students in 2020 to 153 this school year, according to enrollment records.

In a letter to Education One, Cavazos also noted concerns about Rooted’s academic outcomes.

Roughly 21% of Rooted’s seventh- and eighth-graders reached proficiency in English on the state’s latest ILEARN exam and roughly 10% reached proficiency in math — although other schools in OEI’s portfolio show lower results. The most recent SAT results indicate that just 1 of 20 students met the state-designated benchmark in both the English and math sections.

But at Education One’s Thursday meeting, Gaskill noted that the school met or exceeded most standards, based on a recent site visit from OEI. And she said the office was only looking at enrollment targets the school filed in their application, not the figures the school based its budget on.

“They are so strong financially that it’s very clear that whatever their enrollment is currently, it’s serving itself on an organizational and an academic playing field,” Gaskill said.

Cavazos told Chalkbeat that OEI does consider how a school’s actual enrollment compares to what it budgeted for.

And the school’s launch during the pandemic means there is only a few years’ worth of data by which to measure academic progress, Gaskill noted. She also pointed to an increase in proficiency on the ILEARN from last year.

“It’s reflecting that academic improvement is there, rather than stagnation or decline,” she said.

Rooted’s current charter school will switch to Education One beginning next school year. The board approved its second charter for the planned K-6 school with a few conditions, including that the 7-12 school meets Education One’s standards for growth.

The existing school must also demonstrate full compliance with laws related to special populations, including students with disabilities and English language learners.

New law restricts charter school authorization in Indianapolis

A new law that overhauls control over resources for district and charter schools in IPS restricts charter authorizing to OEI, the Indiana Charter School Board, and the IPS school board, which has expressed interest in becoming an authorizer.

Schools authorized by other authorizers like Education One before April 1 of this year can continue operating through the term of their charters. But after those charters expire, the new law requires the schools to seek authorization with one of the three approved entities.

Education One had objected to losing its power to authorize schools in IPS borders, arguing that high-quality authorizing is not determined by the location of the authorizer or its type.

Trine University is located over two hours away from Indianapolis.

This story has been updated to include a comment from OEI on how it considers enrollment in the context of budgeting.

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

Future of IPS hinges on possible tax increase proposed by a new corporation, not the school board

2026-03-03T18:33:40+00:00

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The future of Indianapolis Public Schools could hinge on whether voters approve a tax increase proposed not by the district’s elected school board, but by a new corporation with appointed members.

The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC, is slated to take control of several aspects of the district’s finances as soon as April, under state legislation passed last month. That bill gives the corporation, not the IPS school board, the power to put a proposed tax increase on the ballot. The corporation’s members must first be appointed by the mayor.

IPS’s current operating referendum, which voters approved in 2018, expires this year. The district already projects ending this year with a $40 million cash deficit, and by next year will have entirely depleted its reserves, according to IPS documents.

In other words, without that voter-approved funding, the district will be out of money by 2027, producing consequences that could range from staff layoffs to school closures.

Although IPEC could decide not to put a tax referendum to voters, observers have not expressed fears about that possibility. Declining to propose one could also undermine the corporation’s other work related to operations for district and charter schools. In creating IPEC, lawmakers also outlined specific ballot language that IPEC must use for a referendum.

While some recent developments in the state’s fiscal climate could make voters less inclined to approve the referendum in November, others could make its path easier.

In a statement, IPS said that it is committed to “critical collaboration” with IPEC.

“We have a great sense of urgency to promote the stability for all students in the IPS boundary through this transitional period,” the district said.

Mayor Joe Hogsett has until March 31 to appoint IPEC’s nine members, who in turn will have four months to place a referendum question on the November ballot.

One factor that might aid a November tax referendum is that, for the first time, local charter schools that enroll students living within IPS borders can opt into receiving money from it. That shared interest could help IPS and the charter sector work together, which has often proven very difficult recently.

“IPS and the charter schools may be fighting it out, and IPS may not like having to turn the money over. But once the referendum is on the ballot, the charters and IPS go for it,” said Larry DeBoer, a professor emeritus at Purdue University who specializes in tax referendums. “Even if they don’t like each other, they’re on the same side.”

IPS finances struggle after years of extra support

Recent property tax relief is projected to leave IPS and government entities statewide with less property tax revenue than they would have otherwise collected.

That tax relief lawmakers passed last year will reduce the district’s local property tax base by 1.9% annually through 2031, according to the district. Although the referendum’s odds of success might benefit from charters’ support of it, charters would also benefit from revenue that in past years would have gone to IPS.

All that could lead IPEC to propose an operating referendum that is more expensive than the current one, which added roughly 19.6 cents in taxes per $100 of assessed value.

The last time voters approved a referendum to fund district schools with 72% of the vote, it produced better results than IPS expected.

IPS projected the current operating referendum, passed in 2018, to bring in $220 million over eight years. But changes in property values led the total anticipated amount to soar to roughly $323 million, a nearly 47% increase over the initial projection, IPS documents show.

The district credits that funding for increasing teacher salaries significantly. In 2017-18, the district’s minimum starting salary of $40,000 was among the lowest in Marion County. Today, IPS offers the highest out of all districts in the county. In 2021, the district also agreed to share some of the funding with charters in its Innovation Network.

Not all plans for referendums have turned out as smoothly.

In 2022, the district proposed another operating referendum. But amid pressure from charter parents and supporters to share that funding with all local charter schools — and facing opposition from the city’s chamber of commerce — the school board tabled the measure.

IPS officials said the proposal would have generated about $50 million in additional funds annually over eight years to help fund the expansion of specialized academic programs under its Rebuilding Stronger reorganization, and to support continued competitive staff compensation.

The district continued with its Rebuilding Stronger organization, closing six schools and expanding programs such as dual language and Montessori, without the tax increase. Officials said at the time that they would cut costs in central services and operations to implement the reorganization plan.

Tax hike could be tougher sell than in 2018

Several factors could make a referendum harder to pass.

Under a change to state law in 2025, Indiana now requires school districts to float referendums in general elections in the fall — when historically they were less likely to pass than in the spring, DeBoer said. At the same time, voters are more likely to approve a referendum that is a continuation of the current one, he said.

From 2016 to 2019, 76% of referendums statewide passed. But from 2020 to 2025, that fell to 68%, according to an analysis from DeBoer.

“I would guess that the environment now is a little less favorable than it was back in 2018,” he said. “We were eight years into an economic expansion. People were probably in a somewhat better mood than they are now.”

Another concern is that having an appointed board receive property tax dollars raises serious concerns about accountability, said Monica Shellhamer of the Indianapolis Education Association.

“We’re not quite sure yet what it means to have our new IPEC board,” Shelhamer said.

But most voters don’t care about such technicalities about how referendums work, DeBoer said.

Taylor Hughes, chief strategy officer for the Indy Chamber, said the organization wants to balance the need for a “world-class education” in the state’s capital without overburdening the taxpayers.

“We’ve had significant inflation for a long time. The politics of affordability is a bipartisan cry. This is something that everybody is feeling squeezed on,” Hughes said. “I think that is a dynamic that we need to be mindful of.”

IPS supporters have called for adequate funding for public education. But the Chamber would want to know what a fully funded school system looks like, Hughes said. If there is a need for a referendum, he said, it’s really important that everyone is “singing from the same song book.”

“If this becomes a fight,” he said, “I think that’s probably a lose-lose for everybody.”

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

Lawmakers pass Indianapolis Public Education Corporation bill, setting up big changes for schools

2026-02-25T19:56:27+00:00

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Indiana lawmakers have passed a bill that would reshape public education in Indianapolis, and reduce the power of the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board.

The sweeping changes in HB 1423 create an appointed board that would take control of transportation and buildings for Indianapolis district and charter schools, as well as certain aspects of school accountability.

On Wednesday, House lawmakers concurred with the changes that Senate lawmakers previously made to the bill, and sent the bill to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk.

HB 1423 would establish the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, a nine-member board appointed by the mayor and charged with drawing up a new transportation plan for schools in the area, as well as a system of accountability that could be used to decide which schools are closed.

The corporation board would also manage facilities for public schools in the area, though amendments to the bill’s original version allow both charter and district schools to opt out of this provision. It would have the authority to levy and distribute property taxes used for school operations.

Senators added an amendment this week to prescribe language for an IPS operating referendum that IPEC could put on the ballot this year. Earlier in the session, they also added a provision allowing IPS schools to opt out of facilities management after the House gave charter schools permission to do so.

HB 1423 would exempt IPS from the state’s so-called $1 law, which requires school corporations to make underused or shuttered school buildings available to charter schools for $1.

Beginning April 1, the bill limits charter authorizing within IPS boundaries to the mayor’s office, the Indiana Charter School Board, and the IPS school board, which has expressed interest in becoming an authorizer.

Proponents of the bill — originally authored by Rep. Bob Behning, the GOP chair of the House Education Committee — have hailed it as a step forward in directing more resources to charter schools, including helping charter school students access transportation.

But Democratic lawmakers and advocates for traditional public schools have opposed the legislation, particularly because it would reduce the power of the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board in favor of an appointed board.

The Indianapolis mayor would be required to appoint members to the corporation board by March 31, 2026. The board would assume key powers over budgets and referendums beginning this year, and would begin managing school property and transportation in 2028.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As lawmakers push to unify operations for Indianapolis schools, charters could get an edge

2026-02-24T18:49:47+00:00

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An attempt to unify operations for traditional public and charter schools in Indianapolis is proving to be a complex task that could ultimately favor charters over district schools in critical ways.

At the heart of the matter: ownership and control of school buildings, some of which are privately owned or leased by charter schools and some of which are publicly owned by Indianapolis Public Schools. The future landscape for the roughly 42,000 students in IPS and charter schools could be shaped by how easily schools can access or control these buildings.

The move to centralize control over buildings comes as Indianapolis has grappled with a fractured education system of two different school sectors— traditional and charter — operating with different access to buildings and different transportation systems using different funds.

That divide is what a state-established task force known as the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, or ILEA, sought to bridge through recommendations in December that have formed the basis for legislation advancing in the Indiana Statehouse.

But in the broader attempt at efficiency, at least some charter schools appear to be gaining what could be key advantages. Whether charters maintain that edge will depend heavily on the actions of a mayor-appointed board over the next two years.

Lawmakers last month made key changes to legislation that would create the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC, to manage transportation and facilities for district schools as well as charters within IPS boundaries. The revision would allow charters to opt into or out of the bill’s mandate that schools turn over control of their buildings to the proposed corporation.

Another addition to the legislation directs the corporation to create a process to close “inefficient” school buildings based on underutilized capacity.

The opt-out provision could favor the nearly two-dozen charters that already own their buildings by making it easier for them to maintain control of those facilities even after IPEC launches. In addition, due to enrollment trends, the process focused on shuttering underutilized schools could ultimately create a net benefit for charters by closing several IPS-run school buildings that the corporation could give to charters.

The legislation is based on recommendations from the ILEA. The debate over the bill mirrors recent and at times bitter political disputes between IPS and charters. IPS supporters have argued that the new corporation will not solve problems facing the city’s schools. Charter advocates, meanwhile, say charters should not be forced to give control of privately owned buildings to a public entity such as IPEC.

Republican Rep. Bob Behning, the bill author, said his goal is to create a facilities plan that every school would want to participate in so that school leaders can focus on academics.

IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said other parts of the bill could streamline operations across both district and charter schools. But it depends on how the bill is actually implemented.

The bill gives the corporation until 2028 — the same year charters will start receiving property taxes — to enact a transportation and facilities plan across all school types.

“[The] devil’s in the details in terms of how the execution works, in terms of how there’s collaboration across different entities, in terms of how we all think about the trade-offs that might be necessary to actually make this work,” Johnson told Chalkbeat. “And that we don’t know yet.”

Charters schools want to keep control over buildings

Behning has said his intent is for the corporation to own all school buildings. But his legislation, HB 1423, only says that IPEC would “control” buildings through the facilities plan.

Schools that opt out of that plan would not receive property tax dollars reserved for building needs. But the nearly two-dozen charters that already own their buildings might prefer to opt out and prioritize maintaining control over their facilities over gaining access to that revenue starting in 2028. Their need for that revenue to acquire or lease buildings could be minimal or non-existent.

Meanwhile, charter schools operating in IPS buildings and charter applicants aiming to start a school could benefit by allowing IPEC to control their buildings, because they could still gain access to new or different buildings for their schools.

The legislation includes the same opt-out provision for IPS. But that flexibility is “almost symbolic,” Behning admitted. That’s because if the district opted out, it would lose the very property tax funding it currently relies on to pay for buildings.

In addition, forcing charters to relinquish control of their buildings — which might be a privately held asset — to a public entity could create legal problems, some charter advocates say.

As of 2024-25, over 20 charter schools owned their buildings, while another 19 leased space and 12 operated in IPS buildings as part of the school’s Innovation Network, according to a report from the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.

At Circle City Prep, owning its school building on the Far Eastside allows the charter to pursue quick improvements and modifications, executive director Megan Murphy said in an email. The school would want to preserve that flexibility and autonomy, she said.

“It is in the best interest of our scholars and the community we serve to be able to be adaptive to the needs of our school and student population,” Murphy said.

Meanwhile, closing underutilized buildings would likely hit IPS particularly hard and also could affect charter schools struggling with enrollment.

At least eight schools run by IPS, which recently experienced its biggest drop in enrollment since the pandemic, are operating at a building capacity of 50% or lower, according state enrollment data for this year and a previous IPS study. Previously, lawmakers have used that 50% threshold to determine when certain traditional school districts would have to offer underenrolled buildings to charter schools for $1.

Building usage across charter schools is less clear. But at least four charter schools were operating at below 50% of their stated capacity in 2024-25 — a figure based on the number or students the school intends to serve rather than on the dimensions of a physical building, according to a mayor’s office report.

IPS supporters fear what lawmakers are planning

Lawmakers have stressed the district’s impending financial cliff as reasons for the drastic changes in HB 1423. The district anticipates ending the school year with a $40 million cash flow deficit.

While charters will gain access to property tax revenue in two years, IPS is projected to lose significant funding from property taxes due to various changes at the state level. In addition, IPS funding from a property tax hike that voters approved several years ago expires in 2026.

But the district’s supporters say traditional IPS schools need adequate education funding from the state, not the looming overhaul to key aspects of how the district works. They worry that recent events like the evolution of Behning’s bill point to the gradual demolition of IPS in favor of charters.

“Let me be clear what compromise looks like when you’re negotiating with people who want to dismantle you,” IPS parent Courtney Hawk, part of the Fully Funded, Fully Public campaign that wants an elected school board to maintain control of IPS assets, said at a district board meeting last month. “It looks like surrender in slow motion.”

The bill doesn’t match the charter sector’s priorities in some respects, however. Some charter advocates have pushed back on a requirement that all schools offer transportation, for example. Charters have struggled to offer transportation without property tax funding.

Behning’s legislation says all traditional public and charter schools inside district boundaries must provide for transportation for all students, a service that IPEC would manage. The requirement reflects a recommendation from the ILEA, and supports an argument from some school choice advocates and many parents that true choice is not possible without a way to get to school.

But Scott Bess of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, a charter advocacy group, pointed out that state law doesn’t require school districts to offer transportation, and it should therefore not be required for any schools within IPS boundaries.

There’s some truth to the different concerns from both IPS and charters, said Barato Britt, who served on the ILEA. But if lawmakers follow the task force’s intent as closely as possible, he said, “we will have made progress to transform an already evolved educational landscape in a more connected fashion.”

“We can’t act like our trajectory without it was promising, whether it was the traditional space or the charter space,” said Britt, who serves on the board of the KIPP Indy Public Schools charter network. “Something had to be done.”

Ultimately, the pressure will be on IPEC’s board to address the big challenges lawmakers are poised to ask it to solve.

Indiana’s legislative session is due to end Friday.

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

Indiana House passes a bill creating the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation

2026-02-02T23:41:33+00:00

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Indiana House lawmakers have passed a bill to give a new board control over transportation, accountability, and some facilities for Indianapolis district and charter schools.

HB 1423 creates the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, a nine-member board appointed by the Indianapolis mayor that would oversee key aspects of schools within its boundary, such as a transportation system and an accountability system that could be used to recommend closing inefficient or low-performing schools.

While the bill’s author, Indianapolis Republican Rep. Bob Behning, has said he intends for the corporation to control and eventually own school buildings on behalf of the schools under its jurisdiction, a recent amendment gives charter schools the right to opt out of facility management, though they would lose some local property tax funding.

Behning said he expects few schools would opt out.

“An opt-out makes absolutely no sense long term,” Behning said. “When you opt out as a charter, what you are opting out of is having parity in terms of having debt service of capital project dollars.”

But there were situations where a building was built with private investment, Behning said, creating concerns about the state “coming in and taking that investment away from them.”

Still, this change, made last week, drew criticism from IPS and its supporters. Democratic lawmakers also raised the opt-out issue, along with concerns about Indianapolis families losing electoral power.

“If you happen to have a nice building, and it’s paid off, you can say, ‘I’m not contributing my building to this overall project.’ At the same time, that same charter school could get about 60% of the property tax revenue it would otherwise get, and put it to whatever purpose it wants,” said Rep. Ed DeLaney, an Indianapolis Democrat, on the House floor Monday. “We’re not getting where we need to get, which is to have a uniform system of common schools.”

The bill now goes to the Senate, where it must pass by Feb. 24. Behning said he will suggest an amendment to the Senate Education Committee to give IPS the flexibility to opt into the facilities management provision of the bill.

The bill represents the culmination of the process begun by the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which lawmakers formed during the 2025 legislative session to study how district and charter schools might pool resources.

HB 1423 prescribes a timeline for how the new corporation will assume the power to levy taxes, as well as how it will design new transportation and accountability systems. The corporation will assume many of its management responsibilities beginning with the 2028-29 school year.

How exactly the corporation will assume control of privately, philanthropically, or bond-financed buildings is still to be determined. HB 1423 also does not address a key question of special education funding, which was included in ILEA’s initial report to Indiana lawmakers.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Power over Indianapolis school closures and buildings would shift in revised bill

2026-01-29T22:48:37+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation would not have the direct authority to close public schools, and charters could keep control of their school buildings, according to a bill amendment lawmakers approved Thursday.

Under the amendment to House Bill 1423, charter authorizers and Indianapolis Public Schools — not the proposed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation — would maintain the power to close schools. But if they fail to do so, the corporation could appeal to the state board of education to close the school. The state board would ultimately have to approve the school closure.

In addition, the amendment — introduced by Rep. Bob Behning, the Republican chair of the House Education Committee — would allow charters within IPS boundaries to opt into or out of a facility management plan overseen by the new corporation.

The proposed changes to how school closures work and who controls buildings is part of a broader plan to change key aspects of how public schools work in the city and shift some resources from IPS to charter schools.

The amended bill clarifies that both charter authorizers and IPS must agree on a universal performance framework that could be used to determine which schools must close. IPS has closed several school buildings in recent years, while a large share of charters have shut down over the last few decades.

The revised bill says IPS would still be required to cede authority over their school buildings to the corporation, and also give up power over transportation and the ability to collect and levy property taxes, to the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC. But Behning said during House discussions Thursday that he would commit to allowing IPS to opt out of the mandate to give up control over its buildings.

Such a move could further reduce the proposed corporation’s ability to unify oversight of key aspects of how the city’s public schools work.

Shortly after that comment from Behning, IPS released a statement blasting how the revised bill created a carve-out for charters. The district said it created “a glaring double standard” because it would grant “charter schools the power to opt out of management and control of school property by the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation Board while denying that very same flexibility to IPS.”

Before the House discussions, Behning said his amendment came in response to concern from charter schools that paid for their buildings with private dollars. Since charters have not historically had access to property tax funding for such expenses, they have relied on other funding resources to acquire facilities.

But there would be significant consequences for charter schools that choose not to participate in facilities management, like losing capital referendum and debt service funding, and the charter school facility grant once charter schools have access to more resources, Behning said during discussions with other House lawmakers.

“If I’m a charter … I would have to figure out how I’m going to do all my operations, pay for everything out of those operating dollars, which they have never had to do,” Behning said. “I don’t really think any of them are going to do it.”

Within district borders, over 20 charter schools owned their buildings in the 2024-25 school year, while another 19 leased space and 12 operated in IPS buildings as part of the school’s Innovation Network, according to a report from the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.

The amendment allows charters that lease or own their buildings to decide whether to give control of the facility to IPEC. But if charters do opt out, they would not receive property tax dollars for capital needs.

During Thursday’s House discussion of the bill, Behning said his amendment didn’t outline how charter schools with privately owned buildings, or even IPS with outstanding bonds, would participate in facilities management. That’s a task for IPEC to determine in its feasibility study before assuming control of buildings in 2028-29, he said. The bill directs the new corporation to complete that study to examine building management by Nov. 30, 2027.

“If I was a charter that had privately built a building with private dollars, not with public dollars, if I want to be part of this, that’s going to be something they’re going to have to figure out,” Behning said. “My guess is, you can’t just come in and take away a private asset.”

Charters that own their buildings but are then forced to close could dispose of the building as they see fit if they don’t opt in to the corporation’s facility management plan, according to Behning. The corporation would not assume control of the building.

In theory, the new corporation would ultimately own all district buildings, Behning said. But there could be legal challenges to transferring ownership of buildings with remaining debt attached to them.

HB 1423 is eligible for a final reading in the House on Monday. If passed, it would move on to the Senate.

This story has been updated to include additional comments from Rep. Bob Behning and IPS, as well as the outcome of votes on Behning’s amendment.

Reporter Aleksandra Appleton contributed to this story.

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

Lawmakers draft timeline for new Indianapolis education board but school closure uncertainty remains

2026-01-21T20:26:54+00:00

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Indiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would give a new governing body power over buildings, buses, and taxes for Indianapolis schools, after adding key dates for when these changes would happen.

But questions still remain about how the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation would gain control of buildings, and how the accountability system it’s tasked with designing would be used to close underperforming schools.

HB 1423, which the House Education Committee advanced Wednesday, adopts most of the recommendations from the state-mandated Indianapolis Local Education Alliance in December that would drastically change how Indianapolis schools operate and reduce the power of the elected IPS school board. Power over buildings, transportation, property taxes and school accountability for district and charter schools would go to the new mayor-appointed corporation. The bill does not give the corporation power over schools’ staffing and academics.

Under the bill, several of the new corporation’s duties would begin in the 2028-29 school year, in part because the bill’s architects are still determining how the new board will take control of buildings that are debt financed. HB 1423 author Rep. Bob Behning, the Republican chair of the House committee, has said his intent is for the new body to manage buildings immediately and eventually own them too.

“These are all onions that have to be peeled, which is why we’re asking for an additional year … to begin,” said Michael O’Connor, the facilitator of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance.

Here are some key dates in the latest version of the bill:

No later than March 31, 2026: The mayor shall appoint nine initial members of the corporation to staggered terms beginning upon appointment and ending in 2029, 2030, or 2031. Each future member’s term will be six years.
Before April 1, 2026: Any debt, liabilities, or obligations incurred by IPS or a charter school before this date would remain the responsibility of the district or school that incurred them.
After March 31, 2026: Any debt incurred after this date would be the new corporation’s responsibility.
After March 31, 2026: Key powers over budgets and referendums shift to the new corporation. However, referendum revenue will continue to flow to IPS and charter schools. And operating referendums approved March 31 or before will continue, with the funds distributed to IPS for the same purposes and term for which it was originally approved.
April 1, 2026: Beginning on this date, the bill limits charter authorizing within IPS boundaries to the mayor’s office, the Indiana Charter School Board, and the IPS school board, which has expressed interest in becoming an authorizer.
July 1, 2026: The corporation assumes control of IPS’ debt service fund. The corporation also assumes control over the regular property tax levy for assessments beginning in January 2027.
Aug. 1, 2026: The corporation board must submit to state lawmakers a progress report on creating an accountability framework, including information “related to the progress in the plan to close inefficient school buildings.”
Nov. 1, 2026: The corporation board must submit the final school performance framework to the legislative council.
Nov. 30, 2026: The corporation board must submit to state lawmakers a progress report on creating a unified transportation plan and a feasibility study to determine the best approach for managing school property.
November 30, 2027: The corporation board must submit the final transportation plan and property management feasibility study to the legislative council.
2028-2029 school year: The corporation begins to control the management and operation of school property, oversee the provision of transportation, implement its school performance framework, ensure that property is made available to participating schools, and other powers.

Questions about Indianapolis buildings, accountability to be determined

The bill specifies that the corporation will work with the nonprofit organization leading the transportation and centralized school facilities pilot in Marion County on plans about those issues.

Lawmakers amended the bill Wednesday to provide the corporation no more than 3% of the property tax revenues used for operating expenses — or around $3 million — to pay an executive director, staff, and consultants, Behning said.

But further financial details will likely have to be added in future legislative sessions, he said, like how much the corporation could spend on a new transportation system before distributing the balance of the available revenue to district and charter schools.

It also remains to be seen how exactly the corporation will gain control of debt-financed buildings. Some buildings in the Indianapolis education landscape are also privately owned, or built with philanthropic funding.

Democratic lawmakers asked who receives the revenue when a building is sold — especially since provisions of the bill would exempt IPS from a state law requiring school districts to give unused or underutilized school buildings to charter schools for the sale or lease price of $1.

The bill also says that lawmakers will review the corporation’s unified school accountability framework in 2026 and 2027. This framework is to be based on multiple measures and will include a requirement to close chronically low-performing schools

This language has led to questions from lawmakers about who will have the final say about which schools close.

Democratic Rep. Ed DeLaney proposed an amendment that would require the corporation to first consult with the Indiana Department of Education, and to hold a public hearing, before it may close a school.

But Behning rejected the amendment over concerns that it would effectively neuter the new corporation before it has a chance to set its own performance benchmarks.

“The question I think long-term is what happens if there’s a low-performing school and they just refuse to operate along the performance metrics they’ve all agreed to?” Behning said.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

In ILEA bill, critics see taxation without representation but supporters see shared accountability

2026-01-12T21:12:00+00:00

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A bill to create an appointed board to oversee key aspects of district and charter schools in Indianapolis would unfairly dilute electoral power, critics said during a House hearing Monday, while supporters said it would ensure shared accountability and transportation for all students.

HB 1423 largely adheres to recommendations the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance submitted in December that would give power over taxes, buildings, and transportation for IPS and charter schools to the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which would consist of nine members appointed by the mayor.

The alliance’s recommendations would drastically change Indianapolis schools and reduce the power of the elected IPS school board, and could be replicated in school districts across the state facing declining enrollment and logistical challenges.

The four-hour hearing before the House Education Committee hearing marks the latest phase of state and local officials’ push to remake Indianapolis education, which started with the creation of the ILEA last legislative session and continued with the task force’s meetings in the second half of 2025. While those meetings, especially the final vote, were at times heated, testimony during Monday’s hearing was routine.

The bill doesn’t specify how the new corporation will distribute property tax funds to districts and charter schools, or how it will gain control of buildings that are financed by debt. Lawmakers still have to work out those details, said Rep. Bob Behning the bill’s author and chair of the House Education Committee.

However, Behning said the corporation will control — and eventually own — all district and charter buildings. The corporation will also determine a formula to distribute property tax funding.

The bill also doesn’t act on a recommendation from ILEA to increase funding for students with disabilities whose education is provided by IPS at a budget deficit. Lawmakers are unlikely to address that issue in a short session when they don’t discuss a state budget.

At the House committee hearing, supporters of the bill said it would create a shared system of accountability as well as a shared transportation system that would allow students to attend the school of their choice.

“I see students spending hours commuting, families struggling to coordinate rides, and young people missing opportunities simply because reliable transportation is not guaranteed,” said Ma’at Lands, founder and executive director of Rooted School Indianapolis, a charter school.

But dozens of speakers on Monday said the bill would significantly dilute the power of the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board, and that the ILEA ignored overwhelming support for an elected body to oversee schools.

Courtney Hawk, an Indianapolis parent, said she did not vote for an appointed board.

“If they raise my property taxes, I can’t vote them out. I can only hope that the mayor replaces them,” she said of the appointed board. “This violates a fundamental democratic principle: No taxation without representation.”

Bill significantly increases Indianapolis mayor’s power

Should the bill pass, the Indianapolis mayor could begin appointing members to the new corporation board immediately, but would have to do so by June 1.

Rep. Vernon Smith, a Democrat, questioned the idea of giving the Indianapolis mayor the power to appoint all nine members of the corporation board — a comment that earned applause from several people signed up to testify.

The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation would not oversee township school districts. Critics of the bill also said it would leave Center Township families with less electoral power than those in the other 10 school districts in Indianapolis.

“We don’t have a performance crisis that justifies stripping power from voters,” said parent Megan Hise, citing academic growth and graduation rates. “We have a success story that deserves stability and investment.”

But ILEA facilitator Michael O’Connor, who presented the bill at the hearing, said giving the mayor power over transportation, facilities, and uniform accountability “gives people a place to hold them accountable.”

Under the bill, the mayor would also be one of only three entities with the power to authorize charter schools. That’s led to concerns from representatives of Education One, the authorizing arm of Trine University, as well as charter school leaders and GOP Rep. Becky Cash, who said during Monday’s hearing that schools serving students with disabilities often have outside authorizers.

O’Connor said the ILEA frequently heard criticisms that there are too many charter authorizers, contributing to a lack of coherence in the system of education in Indianapolis.

More funding for students with disabilities is unlikely

In presenting the recommendations to the House Education Committee, O’Connor said the bill was a faithful reflection of the recommendations of the ILEA — other than addressing the organization’s request for additional funding for students with disabilities.

IPS currently operates its special education program at a deficit of tens of millions of dollars, officials have said. Charter schools would like to continue using district services for their students, O’Connor said.

“Charters would like to utilize what is a very well-run special education program within IPS,” he said. “We believe that it is fair and equitable that that be fully funded, and be a service that could be provided by IPS, but it needs to be better funded by the state.”

But since lawmakers won’t pass a state budget this legislative session, they might be reluctant to discuss such a funding change.

A bill by Democratic Rep. Tonya Pfaff, who sits on the House education committee, calls for a comprehensive study of special education service costs to the state, schools, and families. But it’s unclear if the bill will get a hearing, Behning said.

Supporters like shared accountability for schools, buses, taxes

Speaking in support of the bill, IU Indianapolis student Kelin Peraza-Argueta said the legislation would offer a shared accountability system for schools — something that was missing when she searched for a school for her nephews.

“There were so many questions we had and so many unanswered, and we had no clear way to see which school would be best for them,” she said.

Democratic Rep. Ed DeLaney said the bill also creates oversight for charter schools that now receive or will soon receive property tax revenue under recent legislative changes. It also limits the number of charter authorizers and exempts Indianapolis schools from the $1 building law.

“I don’t see it as a perfect solution, but you’ve got to get to the core problem that generates this bill,” DeLaney said.

During testimony, Democratic Rep. Cherrish Pryror asked whether the city of Indianapolis would now be liable when IPS or charter schools are sued. The new layer of government would make it difficult for parents to know who they should go to with concerns, she said.

“I fear that if this were to go into effect, what we’re really doing is setting up IPS for failure, and it’s going to artificially lead to IPS being worse,” said Rep. Cherrish Pryor during testimony. “And if that happens, the legislature has to own it.”

Behning said the bill would not come back to the committee this week. The committee is meeting again Wednesday. The deadline for bills to pass the full Indiana House before heading to the Indiana Senate is Jan. 29.

Clarification: This story was updated to say the the new board would oversee key aspects of schools.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Legislative proposal would create a new mayor-appointed board over Indianapolis schools and charter schools

2026-01-08T18:36:04+00:00

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A much-anticipated proposal that would give the Indianapolis mayor more power over schools while reducing the power of the existing elected school board has been filed in the statehouse. The bill marks the next step toward a fundamental shift in how Indianapolis Public Schools and charter schools operate, and could go into effect in just a few months.

HB 1423 largely falls in line with the recommendations of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance and would create an Indianapolis Public Education Corporation made of nine board members appointed by the mayor. The new body would have the authority to control and manage school property, as well as to establish and oversee a transportation plan to transport all students within Indianapolis Public Schools boundaries — the two primary goals lawmakers had for the work of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance.

The Indianapolis mayor would need to appoint members to the corporation body by June 1, 2026.

The bill would require all schools within district boundaries — district and charter — to offer transportation. Currently, fewer than half of independent charter schools offer bus services, while roughly half of charters in the IPS Innovation Network use IPS bus services, according to a report from the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.

In a significant shift of power, the district would lose its authority to levy and collect property taxes or issue debt, powers that would instead go to the new corporation. The legislation tasks the corporation with developing a formula by which to distribute property tax funds to schools.

The bill does not, however, mention the need for additional special education funding — a recommendation from the ILEA that does not appear to have been adopted.

The legislation comes after months of heated public meetings during which parents, students, school leaders, and community members debated the future of schools in Indianapolis. Supporters of IPS decried efforts to take power from the elected school board, voicing concern over publicly funded, privately run charter schools. Charter school supporters, meanwhile, pushed back against any attempts to limit charter school growth and advocated for more student transportation options.

The bill will be heard on Monday at 9:30 a.m. in the House Education Committee, according to committee chair and bill author Rep. Bob Behning of Indianapolis. If it passes the committee, it will head to a vote in the full House, then the Senate.

Bill limits charter authorizers, requires closure of low-performing schools

The legislation would also limit charter authorizing within IPS boundaries to the mayor’s office, the Indiana Charter School Board, and the IPS school board, which has expressed interest in becoming an authorizer. Schools overseen by other authorizers would be able to remain with those authorizers until the end of their charter term.

Indianapolis Local Education Alliance backs plan to create new education authority to oversee IPS, charter schools

The corporation board would be composed of three charter school leaders, three IPS commissioners, and three other members who have expertise in capital planning, facilities, transportation, or logistics or experience working with vulnerable student populations, as recommended by the ILEA. Each member’s term would be four years, though they would be eligible for reappointment.

Under the proposal, the new body would establish and manage a unified enrollment system, as well as a single school performance framework.

The school rating system must be based on academic performance and assessments, student discipline, enrollment, condition of school property, and the health of the school’s finances, organization, and governance. The framework must also close chronically low-performing schools.

School boards would still be responsible for running day-to-day operations of district and charter schools, retaining the power to hire and fire employees or create their own school budgets.

Bill sets deadlines for transfer of financial responsibilities

The bill would ultimately shift financial responsibility of taxes and bonds from the IPS school board to the corporation.

The corporation would assume the power to seek voter-approved tax increases for operating or capital expenses in April. That’s when the corporation would also become liable for all the outstanding debt of the district — typically used for larger expenses such as building maintenance or construction projects — which would no longer be able to issue bonds for debt.

How a fractured Indianapolis school system reached the verge of a huge power shakeup

However, the existing operating and capital referendum funds, approved by voters in IPS in 2018 and 2023, respectively, would still go to IPS to cover costs that voters specifically approved at the ballot.

The bill also exempts IPS from a state law requiring school districts to give unused or underutilized school buildings to charter schools for the sale or lease price of $1.

The bill could still see significant amendments during the 2026 session. Behning previously expressed skepticism about giving the Indianapolis mayor authority to appoint all nine members of the body. He did not immediately respond to a question from Chalkbeat Thursday.

Following the bill’s filing on Thursday, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office declined to comment beyond a previously published op-ed by the mayor in the Indianapolis Star. In it, Hogsett, who chaired the ILEA, expressed support for the groups’ recommendations and asked for “our local voices to remain at the forefront” of the conversation at the statehouse.

Scott Bess of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, which advocates for charters around the state and in Indianapolis, said the group is generally supportive of the bill, but raised concerns about limiting charter authorizers and requiring schools to offer transportation.

IPS said in a statement that the district was still analyzing the bill language.

This story was updated to include more background information and responses from Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office, the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, and Indianapolis Public Schools.

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

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

How a fractured Indianapolis school system reached the verge of a huge power shakeup

2025-12-19T21:57:06+00:00

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In December 2011, a well-funded nonprofit group founded by two powerful Democrats — a former Indianapolis mayor and his one-time charter school chief — floated a bold idea.

It was a plan to radically remake Indianapolis Public Schools, which was struggling academically and losing students to the city’s growing charter school sector.

One of the policy prescriptions in The Mind Trust’s 2011 Opportunity Schools report was a somewhat wild notion: that the mayor could take charge of the school system through a new local board that was appointed. The elected IPS school board would be effectively sidelined.

Fourteen years later, it could be on the verge of happening.

A state-mandated task force called the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, composed mostly of members connected to the charter sector, voted this week to recommend that a mayoral-appointed board oversee a new agency in charge of both city school district and charter schools.

The action now shifts to the Republican-controlled statehouse, where lawmakers are expected to craft legislation drawing from the recommendations but may not follow them faithfully.

That the city’s schools sit on the cusp of such radical change is the culmination of over half a century’s worth of educational, political, and social disruption for Indianapolis schools that opened the door for education reformers and their allies to advance their vision.

“You get what you can when you can,” Paul Hill, founder of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, said of the steps it took Indianapolis to get here. “I do think that there were people — and probably in Indianapolis more than some other places — where people really were just kind of taking one step at a time.”

Understanding the factors that led Indianapolis schools to this moment requires going back to 1954 and a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that reshaped the country’s schools.

Desegregation sparks decades of declining IPS enrollment

As schools nationwide desegregated following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling of 1954, Indiana lawmakers were pondering what might have seemed like a very different issue: how to make Indianapolis both bigger and more unified.

The solution they adopted in 1969 was to merge local government services into a city-county system known as Unigov.

But leaders did not merge IPS with the surrounding township schools in Marion County. That was because combining the mostly Black IPS district with the mostly white township districts would have sparked a political firestorm and threatened the bill’s passage.

“Unigov was not a perfect consolidation,” then-Mayor Richard Lugar previously told Chalkbeat. “A good number of people really wanted to keep at least their particular school segregated.”

A portrait of basketball team at Crispus Attucks High School and their coach, EJ Hooper, in Indianapolis in the late 1920s. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

Isolating IPS schools and putting off desegregation would have long-term ramifications.

In 1971, a federal judge found IPS guilty of maintaining racially segregated schools. Judge S. Hugh Dillin’s 1971 order to integrate schools — later tied up in a yearslong legal battle — arrived at the start of an IPS enrollment decline that continues today, eroding district finances.

Many white families left the district. In 1981, IPS lost more students when it bused thousands of Black students to six surrounding township districts under a court order.

That year, desegregation and declining enrollment forced the district to close 10 schools. Enrollment ultimately plunged from 108,000 in 1971 — the same year as Dillin’s ruling — to just 47,000 by the early 1990s.

Mandated busing to townships ended in 2016, when the busing order ended. By then, the district had already closed at least 23 additional schools, according to board documents, news articles, and archives from the Indianapolis Public Library.

This year, there are only about 21,000 students in schools IPS runs directly, or about 80% below district enrollment just over half a century ago. IPS enrollment consists overwhelmingly of students of color. And in 2022, the IPS school board voted to close six schools as part of a sweeping overhaul of facilities and curriculum.

The mayor who made charter schools his focus

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, IPS was plagued with headlines about students’ poor academic performance.

That negative attention helped open the door for a new type of public school: the charter school. And a former Indianapolis mayor was at the heart of charter schools’ ascent in the city.

When Indiana passed a law permitting charter schools in 2001, it was part of a national wave of education reform enabled by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 and the systematic expansion of standardized testing, said Sarah Reckhow, a political science professor at Michigan State University and co-author of “Outside Money in School Board Elections,” which profiles Indianapolis.

But how the city decided to end up authorizing charters ultimately set Indianapolis apart from others during this era, she noted.

The law passed with the backing of Democratic Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson. It gave the mayor the power to authorize charter schools. Some hailed charters — which are publicly funded but privately run — as a potential solution to traditional public schools’ struggles.

“I believe the charter schools were really the right kind of middle ground approach, and could eventually potentially be a consensus — could build an alternative to the kind of polarized hostility that existed back then,” Peterson previously told Chalkbeat.

Peterson’s connection to charters continued when he left office. In 2006, he co-founded The Mind Trust with David Harris, who was director of charter schools in his administration. Its goal: to “transform the public education system” in the city, in part by developing new schools and recruiting talented leaders to guide them, according to tax filings at the time.

Although not all the city’s charters have had the group’s support, ultimately the group contributed significantly to the charter sector’s rapid growth. In 2006, there were about 15 charter schools within IPS borders. Today, there are over 50. (The Mind Trust’s funding through contributions and grants has also grown from under $1 million in 2006 to over $28 million in fiscal 2024, according to tax information.)

Mind Trust CEO Brandon Brown credits Peterson with building the foundation for the city’s charter schools.

“To have a mayor that happened to be a Democrat run for office in support of charter schools and support and utilize the ability to serve as a charter school authorizer was nationally unique,” Brown said. He added that the mayor’s role provided a way “to pursue school reform without necessarily needing to take over an entire school district.”

This year, Peterson served as a member of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance. He was one of eight task force members who voted to adopt its recommendations.

Education reform takes root in Indianapolis

Other advocacy groups supporting education reform emerged in The Mind Trust’s wake. Stand for Children launched its Indiana affiliate in 2011, organizing parents to speak at board meetings on topics such as closing the opportunity gap for students of color. RISE Indy formed in 2019, focused on promoting policies and programs to advance educational equity. Both groups advocate for charters too.

Beginning in 2012, money from out-of-state school choice advocates also flowed into IPS school board races, including from PACs associated with those groups.

“What made the school board elections really important in the eyes of especially school choice advocates nationally — and what made them rise to the level of attracting this outside money — is that there was this sort of local discretion about how charter schools would grow or not grow,” Reckhow said.

In 2014, charters’ influence increased when they gained access to district resources through a law brokered by statehouse Republicans and then-IPS Superintendent Lewis Ferebee.

That arrangement led to the district’s Innovation Network, which 25 charter schools now participate in.

Today, charters serve around 40% of the roughly 49,000 K-12 public school or voucher students living within IPS borders, according to the most recent state data.

How IPS lost its grip on property taxes

Charters gained significant support in Indianapolis over time. But even as they grew, they lacked access to a critical source of revenue: local property taxes that help traditional districts pay for transportation and facilities.

Instead, for many years, they relied on philanthropic funding from organizations like The Mind Trust to cover those costs.

The public funding inequity created a political problem for IPS. In 2022, IPS planned a referendum for $413.6 million in property taxes for the following year. Though the district planned to give some of the funding to its Innovation Network charters, it resisted giving any to independent charters, citing concerns about transparency and accountability.

Charter school leaders and advocates publicly pressured the district to share more of those dollars. They cited a gap in per-pupil spending between district and charters that would reach over $10,000 for independent charters if IPS didn’t share money from the referendum.

Early in 2023, IPS decided not to put the referendum on the ballot. That was a major blow to the district’s finances: IPS projects it will run into the red shortly after the 2018 referendum expires in 2026.

All the while, lawmakers at the statehouse were watching.

After seeing these fights over financial and other issues play out, Republican lawmakers drafted a bill in 2025 that would dissolve IPS and replace it with charter schools. They cited the high number of students opting out of IPS and the district’s poor finances.

“The goal is to get them into a financial spot so that they can continue to exist,” Rep. Jake Teshka, a Republican who co-authored the bill, previously told Chalkbeat. “Nobody woke up one day and said, ‘We really want to dissolve IPS. We want to attack IPS.’”

The bill failed. But it foreshadowed GOP lawmakers’ priorities in 2025: They created the ILEA to address how the district could share its transportation and building resources with charters.

On top of that, charters secured significant funding wins. Perhaps most significantly, lawmakers passed legislation that required IPS to share its property tax revenues with all charter schools that enroll students living within its boundaries.

Lawmakers also adopted property tax relief during the 2025 session that will hurt district coffers statewide. Both measures combined are expected to cost the district millions annually.

The recommendations the ILEA adopted on Wednesday include giving the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation the power to impose property taxes for district and charter schools.

That could lead IPS to lose still more control over its finances — and by extension, its future.

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