Candidate Q&A

If you have kids – Do they attend or have they graduated from IPS schools? If not, where do/did they attend?

My daughter attended IPS School 70 from K-5 and now attends Northview Middle School.

What prompted you to run this year?

Half of my daughter’s fifth grade class left the district for middle school. The district has lost of the trust of many families in my neighborhood and needs to stabilize and make thoughtful changes to turn around the steady decrease in enrollment. It is clear to me that the current leadership has failed and needs to be replaced.

What is the most pressing student needs issue facing the district? How will you address it?

IPS special education needs are drastically underfunded and will require action at the statehouse to address the gap.

What area of academics do you think the district needs to focus on and why?

Addressing academic needs is downstream from addressing falling enrollment. If more students enroll, more resources can be utilized to offer a larger catalog of academic options.

As Indianapolis education begins this new phase with the addition of IPEC, how should the board approach its relationship with IPEC?

The IPS Board must advocate for itself at IPEC and ensure that the actions of the board properly utilize assets currently held by IPS and hold charter schools responsible for their fiscal health.

Do you support the IPEC referendum and the rate? Why or why not?

IPS cannot operate without a referendum being passed. Reasonable minds can differ on the appropriate rate, but opposition to a referendum is opposition to the continued operations of IPS.

IPS recently made budget cuts and will need to make more cuts even if the referendum passes. What will be your approach to budget cut decisions? Are there other ways IPS can bring in money beyond the referendum?

We should avoid budget cuts in the classroom and focus on administrative operations cuts. IPS, like many educational organizations, has had administrative bloat over the last decade. We should be laser focused on spending funds on our children’s education.

How will you engage with the community if elected? What role will their feedback have in your decision making?

It is important to have community buy in as important decisions are made. A few years ago, board members would have been hard pressed to find community members in favor of Broad Ripple Middle School and moving the CFI schools away from K-8. Consequently, when this was implemented, parents voted with their feet. In a choice school environment, parents have a veto and it is important for board members to recognize this.

Outside money to fund campaigns has been a huge factor in previous IPS school board elections. Will you accept any donations from outside special interest groups? Why or why not?

I am the only candidate that has not collected a pay check from an educational organization. There are real questions whether decisions made by board members (or candidates) have been made in the interest of the district or if they are being made with aims towards future positions with educational organizations. I have no interest in pursuing any future positions; I am only interested in helping IPS through this transitional period.