As advocacy groups connected to charter schools push for a change in the makeup of the Indianapolis Public Schools board, a majority of its members say they want it to remain an elected panel.
Discussions on keeping the board fully elected have arisen as talks continue with the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance group and how its recommendations will shape governance structures for central Indiana’s largest school district.
Around 2,000 IPS community members have signed on to support a proposal from Stand for Children in Indiana, which advocates for charter schools. This proposal, among other things, recommends a board structure that would include some appointed members.
The appointed members would be selected by the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation, the charter authorizing entity for Indianapolis. This new board would oversee all types of public schools within the IPS boundary, according to the proposal.
Discussions among IPS board members during the Sept. 23 agenda session review meeting revealed a consensus that they want to remain all elected by voters in the IPS district.
Board member Nicole Carey believes that finding solutions to the district’s transportation and facilities problems requires a strong accountability structure.
“I believe personally that introducing appointed members or shifting too much power away from the elected board dilutes that democratic accountability,” Carey said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Accountability and new charter schools
The board is drafting a list of recommendations that it would like ILEA to consider when creating its own list, which is due to district and state leaders by the end of 2025.
The recommendations aim to optimize the use of transportation and facilities by IPS and its network of schools, and “to deepen collaboration across traditional public and public charter schools and support a strong academic experience for all students,” according to the ILEA website.
Some board members also want to limit who can open charter schools and put a pause on new charters for at least a few years.
“We want to have quality schools, not just many schools,” Commissioner Hope Duke Star said Sept. 23. “I keep thinking about how do you move forward in a system that is continually changing.”
Commissioner Dee Thompson, although she didn’t make direct comments during the Sept. 23 meeting about her thoughts on keeping the board an elected one, later told IndyStar she can see the value in having some appointed members but doesn’t believe they would replace the work done by the elected board.
“For me, it’s about the students,” Thompson said. “Focusing on all students having a safe space for all our kids to be educated, no matter where they live, and getting access to quality education, no matter where they live.”
The proposal from Stand For Children also suggests making this new IPS board the sole authorizer and overseer of all charter schools within its boundaries.
Currently, only Indiana’s multiple charter authorizers have the authority to determine when and where a charter school can be opened.
A key point that families supporting the Stand for Children proposal highlighted to ILEA members Sept. 24 is the desire to move away from political fighting and ensure families have a choice in their child’s education by improving access to transportation.
“What we want is better transportation with accountability, and we want IPS and charter schools to come together,” said Bony Gorges, an IPS teacher and signer of the proposal.
The next ILEA meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22, and the location will be announced on the ILEA website.
Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IPS board pushes to stay elected as charter groups seek appointed seats in proposal
Reporting by Caroline Beck, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
