Future of property tax revenue for IPS and charter schools fuels intense debate

By MJ Slaby and Amelia Pak-Harvey Discussion of legislation that would require Indianapolis Public Schools to& share property tax revenue with charter schools& dominated the roughly two hours of public comment at the Indianapolis Public Schools board meeting on Thursday. The debate over Senate Bill 518, which the state Senate has passed, underscores the tensions between IPS and the charter school community. House lawmakers have also adopted a& budget proposal& to cut property taxes, which would also affect district revenue. Nearly 100 people signed up to speak. Speakers advocated for and against the bill, as well as for and against charter schools. However, the loudest applause came for those speaking against the bill and urging the board to take a stronger stance against it. Ahead of public comment, board members Allissa Impink and Gayle Cosby, said they oppose Senate Bill 518 and that it is part of a larger effort to defund public schools by making traditional public schools and charter schools compete for the same funding. Impink said the statehouse can fully fund schools and that the community must call on lawmakers to do so. Cosby said the bill “has all of us collectively sinking in the same leaky...