Six Indianapolis politicians urge IPS to share resources with charter schools

Updated Jan. 4, 2025, 11:00 a.m. 

A bipartisan group of influential Indianapolis politicians and education advocates urged Indianapolis Public Schools to address financial and operational challenges and share resources with charter schools in an open letter released Friday.

The letter celebrated the growth of charter schools in Indianapolis and described the city as “a hotbed for education innovation.” It was signed by two former Mayors of Indianapolis: Bart Peterson, a Democrat and charter school advocate, and Greg Ballard, a Republican. It was also signed by Democratic City-County Councillors Maggie Lewis, Carlos Perkins and Leroy Robinson, and former State Representative Mary Ann Sullivan. Both Robinson and Sullivan are former IPS board members.

The letter comes as proposed legislation would effectively dissolve IPS, and district leaders face criticism for Rebuilding Stronger, an initiative that involved grade reconfigurations and school closures. Enrollment in district-managed schools decreased in grades 6-8 by over 750 students in the last year.

Nearly 40% of students who live in IPS boundaries attend charter schools.

The IPS Board of Commissioners responded in a statement late Friday. 

"We are committed to collaboration with elected officials and community leaders to ensure our students’ needs remain the top priority," the statement read. "We will continue to advocate for policies and resources that strengthen public education and protect our children’s futures.

"The IPS Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of addressing pending legislation that will affect IPS and its potential impact on our students, families, and community."

The board said they will fully address the issue after four new board members are sworn in next week.

Read the letter: Six officials call on IPS to make structural changes

Majority leader of the Indianapolis City-County Council Maggie Lewis said that while enrollment in charter and innovation schools have increased, enrollment in IPS-managed schools has declined. Innovation schools partner with the district, but are managed by independent non-profits or charter management teams.

Declining enrollment in district-managed schools causes financial strain for the district, Lewis said.

“IPS has to figure out how they're going to sustain financially,” Lewis said in an interview with WFYI. “Our goal is to encourage our commissioners. I recognize that they're in a tough position, but we want to encourage them to be proactive and commit to finding ways to ensure that IPS is sustainable over the years.”

The letter outlines several loose priorities that are often favored by charter school advocates, including increasing access to transportation for students who live in IPS boundaries; rethinking management of school facilities; and sharing local tax dollars with charter schools.

It also calls for locally-driven changes to IPS to avoid intervention from the state.

Lewis said the letter was not in response to specific legislation. But last week, Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty) introduced legislation that would dissolve IPS, along with four other districts in the state with more than 50% of students enrolled elsewhere, like in charter schools. If passed, 68 schools would be converted to charter schools in 2028, including 50 IPS schools, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

“If the state legislators are noticing what's happening, we need to be prepared,” Lewis said. “We need to be proactive. We need to ensure that the local individuals have a voice at the table, and that we're having a dialogue about how to make this win-win for our kids, our family and the district.”

Charter schools are publicly funded and privately managed. Unlike traditional public schools, they do not typically receive funding from local priority taxes. Advocates have long asked for property tax dollars to be shared with charter schools in the city. And in recent years, IPS has shared property taxes with charter schools in its innovation network.

Public school advocates argue that sharing property tax revenue takes resources away from already tight budgets in the district.

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