Community leaders call on IPS to commit to structural change

Two former Indianapolis mayors, three current City Councilors, and a former IPS Board President sign letter urging district to consider structure, transportation, property tax, and facility updates For over two decades, Indianapolis has been known as a hotbed for education innovation. Our city boasts a growing number of high-quality school options, a robust nonprofit education ecosystem, and a policy environment conducive to transformation. This unprecedented era of sustained progress has become a model for cities across the country, and now it is time for Indianapolis leaders to ensure we sustain this progress through needed structural changes.& Prior to the passage of Indiana’s charter school law in 2001, students were assigned to public schools based solely on their address. Affluent families could pay for private schools or purchase a home in a wealthy neighborhood to gain access to the public school of their choice, while lower-income families were assigned to zoned schools whether they liked it or not. The establishment of charter schools – public schools of choice that have high amounts of autonomy in exchange for heightened accountability – changed all of that by creating options within our public school system.& These schools have proven to be extremely popular with...