Advocates are calling on Indianapolis Public Schools administrators to work more collaboratively with charter schools.
Parents affiliated with the groups Stand for Children Indiana, Better Together and EmpowerED Families delivered a petition containing more than 1,000 signatures to IPS’ downtown headquarters on Wednesday asking for district leaders to create a plan by the summer to extend more innovation partnerships to charter schools in the city.
IPS first introduced the innovation model in 2015 as a way to offer school-level administrators the flexibility to make decisions about academic operations, like curriculum offerings, school calendars and staff positions, for their own building while still remaining accountable to the broader school district. The model incorporates both traditional public schools and partnerships with some Indianapolis charter schools.
Advocates with Stand for Children say they hope the district will consider extending innovation agreements to charters not already partnered with IPS. They say IPS could benefit from collaborating with charter schools where Black and Latino students are testing well on exams like the SAT and ILEARN.
The advocates, many of them Indianapolis parents, took aim at underperformance among some schools in the district and asked members of the IPS Board of Commissioners to adopt a resolution urging administrators to act.
“This is a petition rooted in hope and a belief that we can and will do better to educate our most underserved and under-resourced students,” parent organizer Ashley Thomas said, reading from the petition. “I am calling on IPS to partner with public charter schools when it means delivering better educational opportunities for Indianapolis children.”
The petition comes as IPS rolls out its Rebuilding Stronger plan which consolidates schools and will reconfigure elementary and middle school grade levels next year. IPS passed a $410 million capital referendum last spring to support the plan and to bring renovations to schools that will remain open. But, the district stepped back from plans to run a second referendum supporting teacher pay and educational programs after groups like Stand for Children opposed it for not directing money to area charter schools.
Parents on Wednesday said they wouldn’t support future referendum efforts unless the district puts a plan in place to work with more charter schools.
“This call for a plan aims to promote equitable educational opportunities for Black and brown students, emphasizing that success should not be limited to a few schools but extended across the entire district,” said Elazia Davison, a senior at the charter Believe Circle City High School.
Davison said he was motivated to speak after attending more than half a dozen IPS schools — some with clear models for learning and others lacking stability.
“I want to make sure that students who come after me are positively impacted by the measures IPS takes to ensure equitable learning,” he said. “This will happen by replicating schools that show success.”
Four members of the IPS Board of Commissioners were present Wednesday for the delivery of the petition. Board President Angelia Moore told reporters that commissioners would discuss the petition as a full board and said, without naming any particular legislation, that she would be watching what decisions are made at the Indiana Statehouse this session.
Lawmakers this year have proposed changes that would clarify state law regarding school building sales and the sharing of referendum money between public school districts and charter schools. State policy over the years continues to favor school choice and IPS officials say they’re waiting to see what happens next.
“The board will always listen to what the public says,” Moore said. “That’s never been an issue, but how that works and what that looks like, the next step will be continued conversation.”
In a provided statement, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said gaps in resources and opportunities for students of color existed before the coronavirus pandemic and have shown in academic outcomes.
“Every family in Indianapolis wants great choices at great schools, and that is what our district has been wholly focused on since 2015 with our innovation network school partnerships, our emerging schools supports and, next year, the full implementation of Rebuilding Stronger,” Johnson said. “Our North Star will continue to be keeping our commitment to great schools, in every neighborhood, for every student.”
Just after families delivered their petition to commissioners, district officials shared a news release Wednesday highlighting findings from a Harvard University and Stanford University study elevating IPS as a bright spot among the state for pandemic recovery.
LaToya Tahirou — a parent who sends her children to Paramount Brookside, a kindergarten through eighth grade charter school — said she supports IPS administration and its Rebuilding Stronger effort, but would like to see more realistic metrics conveyed about the district’s goals.
“If we’re rebuilding stronger,” Tahirou said, “let’s rebuild with something that is proven to work.”
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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