IPS teachers union asks for moratorium on new charters in the district

The teachers union for Indianapolis Public Schools wants a moratorium on new charter schools in the district. The Indianapolis Education Association submitted a petition to the Indianapolis Public Schools Board during last Thursday’s meeting, asking the board to reject new agreements from charter operators to become partners.

The petition, which has more than 1,000 signatures, also asks the board to take action against legislation that would shift funding away from the district’s public schools and move it to charter schools. Senate Bill 518 would require traditional school districts to share operating referendum funds with charter schools in their boundaries.

Last year, the IPS board approved a resolution stating that they would continue to consider partnering with charter schools that have "demonstrated record of academic success and use of equitable and inclusive practices."

These innovation network charter schools — schools that operate independently through contracts with IPS — are considered part of the district under state reporting rules. Their enrollment and test scores are counted in districtwide data.

But the percentage of IPS enrollment made up of these charter schools has grown from nearly 8% in 2016 to 35.4% this school year. This leads to less direct funding for the district as more students shift to attend these schools. IPS currently partners with 24 charter schools.

Last month, the IPS Board of Commissioners requested that state lawmakers bar charter authorizers from approving new charter schools in the district’s boundaries.

Monica Shellhamer, vice president of the IEA, said that even though the board issued a statement supporting a moratorium on new schools, they want action.

“There is nothing in policy saying that they are not willing to open up a charter even though they put out that statement,” Shellhamer said.

Shellhamer also said that there are other ways to open charter schools in the city, and she’s hoping the board can work with the IEA to prevent that from happening.

“We're hoping that this is something that we can work together on to create that stability within our district, and then continue fighting the legislation at the Statehouse and looking at other avenues to stop charter expansion within Indianapolis,” Shellhamer said.

The proposed legislation that would shift property tax revenue away from public schools continues to make its way through the Statehouse. The union is also calling on the district to collaborate on a plan to oppose the bill and protect funding for IPS-managed schools.

WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. Contact her at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.