Two leaders at Irvington Community Schools resigned in protest Wednesday citing leadership decisions and budget cuts as the Indianapolis charter network works to close a deficit of over $2.8 million.
Later in the evening, so many teachers called off in an apparent protest it forced the charter network’s elementary, middle and high school to cancel classes Thursday.
The disruptions come as the schools — one of the city’s oldest charter networks — face a renewal decision from the mayor’s charter school authorization office in December and notice of deficiency from the office. It also follows a tumultuous period for the network’s governing board, which last year restarted a search for a new CEO after students and staff protested a potential candidate that also served as the board’s chair.
The school ended the 2025-26 school year with the $2.85 million deficit that the CEO Rachel Maldonado, who started in the summer, said still must be closed. This year, student enrollment came in at 710 students, below the 817 the network budgeted for, requiring a 6% budget cut of roughly $700,000, according to the governing board’s August and September meeting minutes.
Staff at a board meeting Wednesday protested the cuts — at times shouting and arguing with board members — and what they said was a lack of transparency around the network’s attempts at financial solvency.
The cuts have included two rounds of layoffs of about 10 people, according to Maldonado, and a pause on substitute teaching services it has contracted with a vendor. The board on Wednesday also voted to pause contributions to staff retirement plans, prompting one teacher to walk out in protest.
In public comment, Irvington Preparatory Academy principal Jana Goebel announced her resignation effective at the end of November. She cited issues with the CEO search, arguing that school leaders had urged the board to delay the search because finances were precarious.
“They chose to move forward with that search and rewrote the job description to include CFO duties,” said Goebel, who has worked 15 years at the school. “Transparent and collaborative leadership has always been a backbone of our special community. Unfortunately, this type of leadership has not been present recently.”
Board members did not directly address Goebel’s claims about the CEO search during the meeting.
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools managed privately by nonprofit boards instead of elected officials. These boards operate under contracts granted by one of several authorizers in the state, including the Indianapolis mayor’s office.
The network reported about 28 days worth of cash on hand in September, below the 45 days that meets the standards of the mayor’s office.
Shannon Williams, the director of special education for the network, also announced her resignation. She cited concerns about whether the network can provide students with disabilities the legally required services after the recent round of budget cuts, which she said included two instructional assistants and a speech therapy assistant.
“I’m concerned with the students losing their services. I’m concerned with the staff being overworked. And I’m concerned with an upcoming lawsuit that I promise you is about to happen,” Williams told the board. “I no longer feel secure in my position, and I cannot watch my students suffer.”
Staff at the meeting questioned whether they would need to give up their paid time off due to the cut to substitute services, asking board members to consider their input. Some also wondered whether the middle school building would be offered up for sale to another charter school operator in the city.
“If the decisions being made lead to Mrs. Goebel leaving, I fear this is just the first sign of Irvington losing everything that makes us a haven within education,” said Grace Aki, the high school’s visual arts and dual credit art history teacher. “Becuase the fish rots from the head, and the impact is already being felt.”
Mayor’s office cites deficiencies
Maldonado told WFYI that the network is not considering selling a building. The board voted Wednesday to grant Maldonado authority to explore every opportunity to close the deficit.
Maldonado, told the crowd that she’s working to get the network solvent but asked for staff’s patience as she figures out solutions.
“I promise you, when I entered Irvington, I did not expect what I started uncovering,” she said. “I apologize for that position, but I am in 10 toes down to help us get through it.”
Board member Madison Monfreda, an alumni of the school, told the crowd that the board has been having meetings over the past year and emphasized the decisions are not made lightly.
“My goal is never ever to put the school in danger,” Monfreda said. “Unfortunately, financially, we are in a horrible situation.”
The charter network’s authorizer, the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation, had previously put the school on a Level 1 notice of deficiency last June over financial reporting concerns, according to OEI documents. The notice escalated to a Level 3 in October due to concerns about the network’s financial sustainability, said the office’s director Shaina Cavazos.
“We understand that the school is in need of a sustainable way forward,” Cavazos said. “Our goal is to work with them in ways that we can to ensure that they can continue on.”
This article was written by Amelia Pak-Harvey for WFYI.
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