Indiana General Assembly
The new group, created by state lawmakers, will issue recommendations later this year on how charter schools and IPS can share transportation and facility resources.
Third graders who did not pass a state literacy exam are using summer school as one final chance to pass and proceed to fourth grade under a tougher grade retention law.
Indiana lawmakers did not pass legislation on mental health and school counselors this year. But schools are proceeding with the programs and looking for outside funding sources.
The four June meetings will focus on how the district should engage with the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance includes former mayor Bart Peterson, City-County Councilor Maggie Lewis, and IPS teacher Tina Ahlgren.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said that while she’s deeply concerned about the changes brought by a new property tax law, the district will strive to engage the community.
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance must submit a plan for sharing transportation and facilities between IPS and charter schools by the end of the year.
A proposed property tax relief bill would also require school districts to share operating property tax revenue with charter schools, amounting to a roughly $744 million cut for districts statewide over the next three years.
The Senate’s budget proposal comes as lawmakers advance property tax reforms that could cut funding for many school districts.
The initial makeup of the Indianapolis local education alliance sparked concern from Indianapolis Public Schools. Now, the district said it’s encouraged by the proposed group’s “balanced representation.”
The accounts pay for high schoolers to learn about everything from aviation to HVAC directly from local employers. But it’s not easy to get basic information about the program.
As a bill requiring IPS to share property tax revenue advances, members of the public debated the extent to which different types of schools should receive funding.
House lawmakers have passed their proposed budget, which includes $9.6 billion in tuition support dollars that fund public schools and the private school voucher program.
Leaders of the Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy face both federal and state cases in which they’re accused of defrauding the state of millions of dollars.
Officials say they want to pare down funding for some programs in order to increase support for both public schools and private school vouchers.
The IPS school board took a stand against legislation that could threaten the district’s future, and called on the public to share their concerns about the legislation with lawmakers. Some members also spoke against the growth of charter schools.
Indianapolis-area teachers will share their classroom experiences at this story slam that’s co-hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana on Feb. 25.
Critics of charter schools say bills this session are part of a long-term plan to destroy the district. The bills’ supporters say they want IPS to be better, not disappear.
The bill is the latest of several proposals that threaten the district’s viability.
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