This year’s session of the Indiana General Assembly forced parents to navigate difficult changes threatening to fragment our educational system, including cuts to pre-K, universal private school vouchers and division of funds for public schools with unelected charter school boards. It is of the utmost importance that public school parents join together to oppose this fragmentation at a community level.
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, a body formed to study transportation and facility use among public and charter schools within the geographic boundaries of the Indianapolis Public School System, is an important entity to focus on. It has been hosting “community conversations” in past weeks, but is not subject to Indiana’s Open Door Law.
As a result, there is a real concern among many parents about ILEA being used to promote special interests.
It is imperative, then, that we demand accountability and ensure they promote the ideals of public education.
Indianapolis Public Schools has long been a pillar in our community. My daughter’s school is an excellent example of how education can put community, joy and connection at the center of the school experience.
Taking action to protect it now can ensure our children have the tools needed to thrive in an increasingly volatile and uncertain landscape.
JaVaughn Hardaway is an educator at Indianapolis Public Schools.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IPS parents must demand accountability from local education alliance | Letters
Reporting by JaVaughn Hardaway / Indianapolis Star
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