IPS officials say they plan to decide on school closures by the end of the year. But exactly which schools will close and when students will be notified remains unclear.
The IPS school board met Nov. 10 and gave administrators the green light to begin making consolidation plans that would take effect next school year.
However, no specific schools were named during their discussion and it’s also unclear how many schools the district might consider closing.
Instead, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told board members that district leaders will meet with staff and make public announcements some time in November or December.
Any final decisions to close schools would need approval from the IPS board.
The update provided little clarity for parents who are actively making decisions about where to enroll their children next school year.
When asked about specific timelines after the board meeting, a district spokesperson and school board president Hope Duke Star referred reporters back to the superintendent’s presentation.
“Families are choosing schools right now without knowing what’s closing,” IPS parent Courtney Hawk said during a public comment period to the board Nov. 10.
The consolidation effort comes as part of a broader districtwide cost-cutting effort. IPS officials say they need to cut $20 million to adjust to recent changes in how the state calculates and distributes property taxes. That’s despite a successful referendum effort this fall.
IPS officials have already made $24 million in cuts to the district’s budget for this school year. During the Nov. 10 meeting, the school board also gave administrators the authority to renegotiate contracts with partner charter schools.
Some of those schools receive district services, such as transportation or facilities maintenance, at little or no cost to the charter school.
“The district must find a way to close a multi-million dollar gap in our budget, and we are committed to finding the most equitable and balanced way to do so,” Duke Star told reporters. “We cannot ask one group of students and families to carry the burden for everyone else.”
Meanwhile, families are applying for schools without knowing if those schools will be open for the 2027-28 school year.
Enrollment looms as IPS considers closures
The conversation comes as IPS families navigate a new enrollment process.
Previously, all IPS schools and most of the city’s charter schools used a single platform, called Enroll Indy, to apply for a seat in a public school.
However, this year, the district decided to break with Enroll Indy and create its own enrollment process.
Both Enroll Indy, now used primarily by charter schools, and IPS have opened enrollment applications for the coming school year.
Typically, families happy with their IPS school would not need to use these enrollment platforms.
The district automatically places students in the same school they’re currently attending so long as they’re not graduating up to a new school in the coming year — for example, moving from middle to high school.
However, as IPS weighs consolidation, families with students in schools that could be closing may want to use the enrollment process now to select a new school for the coming year.
Officials with both IPS and Enroll Indy encourage families to apply for schools during the first round of enrollment for the best chance of their student getting matched with their top choice school.
The first round opened on Nov. 5 and is expected to close on Dec. 18 — meaning time is of the essence for families who don’t know if their school will close.
“Every day the board waits is another day of uncertainty for all of our students at every kind of school,” Hawk said during her Nov. 10 comments.
Families will still have opportunities to apply for schools after the first round of enrollment — however, their chances of getting matched with a popular school may be lower.
Despite discussing few specific details, IPS commissioners pressed for clear communication with families during the meeting.
Commissioner Ashley Thomas recalled budget cuts made last year that required some elementary teachers to split their time between schools. The decision was unpopular among parents.
“Families were really upset for a good reason because they felt like they received late information,” Thomas told her fellow board members during the Nov. 10 discussion. “We’re making a lot more big changes, and it is so important that we are bringing families, staff and community alongside of us and being intentional about that information.”
If you go
The IPS board has several upcoming public board meetings. It’s not clear which of these meetings will bring discussion of school closures, but all will provide time for public comment.
The school board meets twice next week: for an agenda review session at 6 p.m. Nov. 17 and an action session at 6 p.m. Nov. 19. Both meetings will take place at IPS’ downtown administration building at 120 E. Walnut St.
During the review session, board members will discuss items that could come up at the Nov. 19 action session — but the purpose of the meeting is for discussion only. They will not take a vote.
Board members can vote on agenda items during their Nov. 19 action session. Though, it’s unclear whether recommendations for consolidation will be placed on the agenda.
Other board meetings scheduled in December include:
- a work session at 6 p.m. Dec. 8
- an agenda review session at 6 p.m. Dec. 15
- an action session at 6 p.m. Dec. 17
All December meetings are expected to take place at 120 E. Walnut St.
You can sign up to provide public comment by visiting the IPS website. Registration for in-person public comment closes at noon the day before each meeting.
You can also provide written public comment without attending the meeting through the board’s online submission form.
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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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