Three Democrats on the City-County Council say they want to give money to Marion County public school students to help with their education.
To do it, they’d create a special fund to capture money from private developers seeking public funding. But, conflicting proposals have emerged for how to get that money to students.
One proposal would create a fund to be overseen by a committee of council and mayoral appointees. The other would give committee seats to two representatives selected by RISE INDY, a nonprofit with a history of support for local charter schools.
This comes at a heated moment for public education in Indianapolis. State lawmakers have proposed dissolving the IPS district in a move some say is a bargaining chip to share property tax dollars with city charter schools.
As for why proposals have changed, the councilors aren’t saying much, and the council’s Education Committee didn’t discuss it before voting against a first proposal this week.
One councilor, who shared a copy of the alternative proposal after the meeting, said to talk to Councilor Keith Graves, who chairs the committee. Graves said he was surprised to see the new language distributed and that plans could still change before being submitted again to the council.
“It’s important that we as a council seek opportunities to be impact players where education is concerned,” said Graves, who sponsored the initial proposal. “Its better, fine-tuned position will be just that. It will be an impact move that will be truly transformative.”
Two ideas emerge for city education fund
At the center of councilors’ recent proposals is the desire to create education accounts that students could use to pay for book fees, college applications, tutoring services, transportation costs and more.
The idea was first introduced publicly in a statement shared with journalists in December.
In it, Graves — along with fellow council Democrats Maggie Lewis and Leroy Robinson — expressed their support for an education fund that would “serve as a resource for our low-income families by creating access to Circle City Student Accounts, which will cover essential educational expenses such as books, technology, tutoring, and transportation.”
Their statement also thanked RISE INDY for the group’s partnership, stating its members’ “insight was critical in developing the vision for this proposal and providing insight into the needs of families and students.”
But the education accounts were not included in the proposal heard by council this week.
Instead, the proposal outlined a grant program that would be overseen by the city’s Office of Education Innovation — the same office charged with sponsoring and evaluating many of the city’s charter schools.
Under that proposal, local organizations could apply for the city funds to help catch up students who read below their grade level. The city’s education office would run the program in coordination with a selection committee containing appointees from the City-County Council and mayor.
The proposal was quickly read through at the council’s first meeting of the year and assigned to the education committee. But, by the time it reached the committee, councilors seemed dissatisfied with the proposal.
Councilors on the education committee didn’t say much Tuesday before agreeing on a “do not pass” recommendation for the full council. And they didn’t take public comment.
Now it appears the original idea for an education account that was shared in December — along with the participation of RISE INDY — could come back.
RISE INDY could gain influence in new proposal
Graves said the plan introduced at council didn’t go far enough and that a new proposal would be put forward in March.
After the meeting, Councilor Dan Boots approached reporters with a copy of an alternative proposal that he said he believed will be introduced in the future.
Boots drew attention to structural changes and the inclusion of RISE INDY in the plan.
The new proposal, which has not been filed, contains language that would reintroduce the student accounts. It also suggests a different committee structure: two mayoral appointees, an appointee from the Marion County Commissioners, an appointee from the council president, and two appointees named by Education United Indy, Inc — an entity associated with RISE INDY.
A representative from RISE INDY declined Mirror Indy’s request for an interview, but provided a written statement expressing a desire to work with Graves and other councilors on the new proposal.
“The public education fund program is a first in the nation proposal to support student learning and growth,” the statement read in part. “We know this proposal will help public school families across Marion County.”
The new proposal also has other changes. Though given a non-voting role on the education fund committee, the city’s Office of Education Innovation would no longer run the city program.
Instead, the proposal would have the city choose two vendors to manage accounts and connect families with services students can spend their financial awards on.
Shaina Cavazos, director of the Office of Education Innovation, said her office hasn’t been involved in drafting either of the proposals.
“It’s really early in the process,” Cavazos said when asked if the office supports either vision of a city education fund. “We’ve been trying to get questions addressed with councilors, so really it just depends on whichever version ends up moving forward.”
‘Student accounts’ new at city level
The “student account” concept is not new in education. The idea is often equated to scholarships or private school vouchers and creates a pathway for government agencies to give money directly to families for a specific educational use.
The state administers two types of these accounts already — one for nonpublic school students with disabilities and another for students in career training programs.
What’s less common is a city-sponsored program. In their initial press statement in December, the three Democratic councilors described their proposal as a “a first-of-its-kind city initiative.”
Graves reiterated that point in an interview this week.
“It starts to move into uncharted territory for municipalities across the country in this type of effort so I’m super excited that we did not move forward to what was on the table,” Graves said after Tuesday night’s meeting. “I think what we have coming up in the future will be a little more robust and a little more impactful.”
When asked about the inclusion of RISE INDY in the alternative draft, Graves said the council was still contemplating their role, but that he appreciates the nonprofit’s input.
Graves said he expects the new proposal to be submitted at the council’s March 3 meeting. The education committee is scheduled to meet again on March 4.
Proposals for consideration are generally posted to the council’s website the Thursday before. Graves said the best way to share input on education fund proposals is to attend the March 4 education committee meeting.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
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