Members of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance say they stand ready to collaborate after a tense legislative session that brought heated debate over the future of public education.
But, comments given during the newly formed group’s first public meeting this week underscore the difficulty that lies ahead as alliance members consider how to balance priorities among Indianapolis’ increasingly intertwined traditional public district and charter school systems.
Some parents detailed during the June 25 meeting how they felt they had to make choices about where to send their kids to school based on where they lived and what transportation options were available to them rather than what academic programs best fit their students.
“School choice is a powerful promise, but it only works for kids who can get to those schools that are right for them,” said Dontia Dyson, a parent affiliated with the charter-friendly advocacy group, Stand for Children. “As someone who currently doesn’t have a driver’s license, I know how important transportation is to making promises real.”
Others, however, called for a pause on new charter schools and expressed frustration over how the alliance came to be — a callback to a legislative session in which some felt Indianapolis Public Schools’ hand was forced by threats of deeper funding cuts or outright dissolution of the district.
“I ask that you collectively seek clarity on the precise needs of the children served so that we can put an end to this environment of competition once and for all,” said Gayle Cosby, an IPS parent and school board member. “The community is waiting and watching.”
The feedback will be taken into consideration as the board conducts its work over the next six months or so, said Mayor Joe Hogsett, who chairs the alliance.
“The goal is to foster a vital partnership between the city, Indianapolis Public Schools and the public charter schools to better serve every student and every family in our community,” Hogsett said. “I’m optimistic of what we can accomplish together.”
What is the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance?
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance was formed by lawmakers this year to study transportation and facility use among Indianapolis public schools. Its work is limited to schools that fall within the geographic boundaries of IPS and does not include surrounding township districts.
Where kids go to public school in IPS boundaries
Four public school types fall within the IPS geographic boundaries:
IPS directly manages 42 traditional public schools. This includes 31 elementary schools, seven middle schools and four high schools, like Arsenal Tech or Crispus Attucks. (18,000-19,000 students)
The district partners with five innovation schools, such as Edison School of the Arts or Sankofa School of Success. These schools have their own nonprofit boards and the ability to set their own budgets and programming. But, they don’t have a charter agreement and are still part of IPS. (2,000 students)
There are also 25 innovation charter schools, like KIPP Indy Public Schools, Purdue Polytechnic High School or Herron Classical Schools. They have their own nonprofit boards and are responsive to a charter authorizer, like the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation. But, the schools also have a relationship with IPS which may provide services, like transportation or meal programs. (11,000 students)
Finally, there are 30 independent charter schools, such as Paramount Schools of Excellence, Indiana Math and Science Academies or Irvington Community Schools. These schools are unaffiliated with IPS and are overseen by a charter authorizer. (11,000 students)
Source: Indianapolis Public Schools, Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation
The alliance’s work will encompass IPS, independent charter schools authorized by the city and Innovation Schools — a type of school that operates within IPS but is run by its own nonprofit board. Some of these schools are charter schools that receive services, like transportation or meal programs, from the district.
In addition to Hogsett, the alliance has eight other members, including IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, former Mayor Bart Peterson, who co-founded the charter advocacy group, The Mind Trust, and City-County Councilor Maggie Lewis, who is on The Mind Trust’s board.
Members say they will review what to do with underused school buildings, how buses are routed across the city and what educational opportunities are offered across school types.
The alliance is tasked with proposing a facilities and transportation plan to state and local leaders by the end of the year. An online survey prompt shares that no changes will be made during the 2025-26 academic year.
Alliance members set stage for future work
Transportation concerns and resource-sharing led the conversation during the alliance’s June 25 meeting. And, while much of the 90-minute meeting was spent outlining data requests needed to move forward, Johnson repeatedly drew attention to the city’s historical failings in equitably educating children of color.
She pointed to Unigov — the watershed reorganization plan of the 1970s that consolidated township governments in Marion County but maintained 11 distinct school systems.
The move reinforced the segregation of the IPS district, with its increasing Black student population, from the majority white township schools, which were growing as families moved into the city’s suburbs. The change also led to the subsequent court-ordered busing of thousands of Black children out of IPS and into the surrounding townships.
Many of those students never came back, taking with them potentially millions of dollars in per-pupil state funding and leaving behind half-empty school buildings and an enrollment decline IPS still grapples with today.
IPS had more than 100,000 students in the early 1970s, and experienced a precipitous decline to just around 40,000 students when busing ended in 2016.
“When I walk down the hall in our building and I look at all the superintendents on the wall, every single one of them has had to oversee IPS school closures, consolidations,” Johnson said. “And, when my picture goes up — if that happens — I will also have been someone who’s had to do that.”
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance’s work comes on the heels of the first year IPS has put its Rebuilding Stronger plan into practice. The consolidation effort saw the closure of six schools and grade reconfiguration of dozens of others. But it also prioritized expanding educational opportunities, like early algebra and music classes, that haven’t always been offered equitably across IPS.
Yet, some parents in Indianapolis still say they find the city’s education system difficult to navigate. It’s something alliance member Tina Ahlgren says she hopes to work on.
“I’ve seen firsthand the different needs of our varying school environments as well as the persistent inequities of our current, unsustainable public education landscape,” said Ahlgren, an IPS parent and teacher. “Every child in Indianapolis deserves authentic access to, and support from, a high-quality and well-resourced public school.”
How to get involved
IPS and city officials are asking families to complete an online survey about their experiences with school transportation.
A list of meeting dates is available on the city’s website. City officials plan to communicate whether these meetings will be open to the public.
The alliance will accept comments online and in person ahead of each public meeting, but only from those who register in advance.
A sign-up form will be available for 48 hours in advance of each monthly meeting, opening at noon two days before, and closing at noon the day of, the alliance’s convening.
General feedback can also be emailed to ILEA@indy.gov.
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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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