When Rich’e Washington started at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, she didn’t know much about college.
Transferring from a larger school, she hadn’t had a lot of one-on-one time with a counselor to work out plans for her future. But at Indy Met, she got involved with the Jobs for America’s Graduates program, a college prep and career class.
Now, Washington’s completed her financial aid forms and has applied for college — and she credits the class with helping her stay on track.
“It’s just helped me put myself on that path, instead of like, ‘Oh, I’ll do it later,’” said Washington, 18. “I’m in my senior year now — there is no ‘later’ anymore.”
But as lawmakers hammer out a two-year state budget, workforce officials have become concerned about the future of the program in Indiana. While Gov. Mike Braun had proposed $8 million in the state budget to fund it, lawmakers removed that line item. Instead, funding for the program has been thrown in with $86 million to fund a dozen education initiatives, including literacy, the science of reading, teacher recruitment and post-pandemic learning recovery.
It’s unclear, without a dedicated funding stream for Jobs for America’s Graduates, whether there’s enough cash to go around. State funding makes up over a quarter of the program’s budget in Indiana — the rest being from federal workforce dollars and funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
The latest state revenue forecast adds more uncertainty to the program’s future as tariffs seem poised to ravage the economy. Republican lawmakers announced April 16 they plan to cut nearly $2 billion from the state budget. Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, the Senate’s lead budget writer, said lawmakers would only cut K-12 budget funding as a last resort.
Jobs for America’s Graduates, called JAG for short, is a nationwide program that offers college and career coaching to students who are identified as being at risk of not graduating high school. Students join the program as a class period during the school day but have the option to participate in competitions with their classmates against other schools in categories like public speaking and financial literacy.
And it’s successful — last year, 97% of Indiana students in Jobs for America’s Graduates classes graduated high school, as compared to Indiana’s overall graduation rate of 90%. About 7,000 students in Indiana participated in 2024.
Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, told reporters April 10 that officials believed the program belonged with the state Department of Education, rather than the Department of Workforce Development, and that Education Secretary Katie Jenner will be responsible for deciding how much money to give to each program.
“She’ll have to make that call,” said Garten, who is the ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Courtney Crown, education department spokesperson, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s requests for an interview. Lindsay Lindsey, workforce development spokesperson, declined to comment on the budget since the process is ongoing, but pointed out that Braun’s budget included funding for the program.
“Our concern always is that the Department of Education has a lot of priorities, and perhaps JAG isn’t one of those,” said Lance Ratliff, executive director of the Region 5 Workforce Development Board. “So the funding might not be what we’d hope it would be.”
Jobs for Indiana’s grads
Though Jobs for America’s Graduates has been in Indiana since 2006, the program’s seen significant growth in the last two years.
In 2023, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb led a $23 million expansion, doubling the number of sites across the state from 125 to 250. In Indianapolis, the expansion funded new classes at Irvington Preparatory Academy and Victory College Prep, as well as at six Indianapolis public middle schools.
Should the Department of Education slash funding, workforce officials are concerned that potential cuts would lead schools that have just gotten their programs off the ground to shutter them.
“Currently, it’s just not clear. It’s very uncertain,” said Marie Mackintosh, president and CEO of EmployIndy, which operates Jobs for America’s Graduates in Indianapolis. “If we don’t receive that clarity, or if indeed there are cuts, then we will have to have difficult conversations with schools to rein back in initiatives that we really just rolled out.”
Counselors also mentor students for at least a year after graduation — sometimes longer. That relationship ensures that students have support through their first year in college or in the workforce.
“Being a JAG coach who was here for seven years, my number didn’t change, and I get kids that now have families calling,” said David Young, program director for the Indianapolis region. “It’s just a lifelong relationship that you build.”
Though Mackintosh said she understands that lawmakers have to make hard decisions in the budget, she feels that getting rid of the program’s designated funding goes against Indiana’s goal of getting more students into good-paying jobs and increasing the stagnant college-going rate.
“It seems counterintuitive that we would cut this program at this moment,” Mackintosh said.
How the program helps students
For students, the classes aren’t just about their futures. It’s about finding community, right now.
In Tashiera Brooks’ class at Indy Met, students are creating their own version of the classic board game, The Game of Life. But there’s a twist.
While players still aim for a good career and fortune, they also have to avoid going to prison or dying, illustrating a valuable — albeit grim — life lesson.
“Anything can happen at any moment,” said student Kouta Doucore, 18.
In addition to DIY board games, Brooks had each of her students apply to Ivy Tech as a trial run for college applications and taught each student how to write a professional email.
Her goal is to ensure that her students aren’t just prepared for college but are prepared for the game of life.
“For whatever reason, I believe that as adults, sometimes we forget that you don’t go into the world knowing what to do,” Brooks said. “Why does being a good student mean that I have to figure out life on my own and bump my head and make tons of mistakes? Why can’t I go into the world knowing and having someone teach me these things?”
Most of all, Brooks wants to communicate to her students that success looks different for everyone — and she’s committed to helping each one of them find a path that not only excites them, but fits into their lives long-term.
“It’s not my job to tell them what success is,” she said. “I tell my kids, ‘If you work with me, you tell me what you want to do, I will work with you and help you do it to the best of your ability.’”
Brooks’ passion is part of what gets through to her students. Though Kelli Gillis is only a sophomore, she’s planning to graduate from Indy Met early. Thinking about paying for college was overwhelming, but she now feels more prepared for the next chapter.
“(Brooks) had everything on lock. She was putting me on TikToks, on Instagram pages that were telling me about scholarships,” said Gillis, 16. “I was like, ‘Oh, I did not know that these even existed.’”
Students come out of the class with greater confidence, too. Part of it is the team competition, but students are also in an environment where they’re able to connect with their peers and speak openly about their hopes for their futures.
That makes all the difference.
“Beforehand, I was super shy,” Washington said. “I never liked to talk in front of people or anything like that. But this class opened me up a lot more.”
What’s next
The Senate approved its version of House Bill 1001, the budget bill, April 15. Senate and House lawmakers will now hammer out a final version in a conference committee.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
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