Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThis article was originally co-published by Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI as part of a partnership to increase coverage of township school districts in Marion County.
An all-girls charter school was granted final approval Monday to open in the boundaries of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township in Indianapolis. The City-County Council passed a resolution to rezone 10 acres along Michigan Road for the Girls IN STEM Academy.
The approval of land use capped a months-long public fight that pitted school choice advocates against staunch supporters of traditional public schools. Elected officials at all levels took sides on the issue—from township trustees and school board members to city councilors and state lawmakers.
In two public rezoning hearings with the Department of Metropolitan Development, those opposed questioned whether the site was suitable for a school. They also argued there isn’t a need for another charter school in the city.
But those backing the school said the location was appropriate and its mission, to increase the number of Black girls who go into STEM professions, is vital.
Girls IN STEM Academy is planned as a K-8 charter school with a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The school is founded in partnership between charter networks Paramount Schools of Excellence, Purdue Polytechnic High Schools and the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. The anticipated enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is 125 students in grades K-6.
Tommy Reddicks, executive director of Paramount, said much of the pushback against the school has been politically charged.
“We really want to try to repair some of the damage that has been done from misinformation,” Reddicks said in an interview with WFYI last week. “So our quest in the next few months is to continue community conversations and try to get the truth out there to dispel some of the misinformation.”
But that may be a challenge. Before Monday’s council meeting, the Washington Township Parent Council Network criticized the expected opening of the school.
“One of the best virtues of Washington Township Schools is its diversity and inclusion of so many cultures, backgrounds, faiths, languages, and amazing children who come every day and learn from each other,” Brian Henry, council past president, said in a statement. “We believe that families in our community will continue to send their children to our schools that have opportunities far beyond what any charter school can offer.”
The Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, one of the partners in the Girls IN STEM Academy, also recently faced criticism from local organizations that say they do a poor job of serving Black girls.
Some opposed to the school hoped Councilor Carlos Perkins, who represents District 6 where the Michigan Road property is located, would ask for an additional public hearing before the council acted. But Perkins came out in support of the school in Facebook posts last week.
“As a Black man, as my mother’s son, my wife’s husband, and my daughter’s father, I cannot support anything that diminishes legitimate access and opportunity for women and people of color,” Perkins wrote. “I stand ready to welcome the Girls IN STEM Academy to our vibrant neighborhoods.”
What’s next
Last fall, Paramount purchased the former Witherspoon Presbyterian Church at 5136 Michigan Road for the school. But before it could open, the property was required to be rezoned from religious use to educational use.
Even though the rezoning is approved, Girls IN STEM Academy will not open at the site for the 2024-25 academic year because renovations will not be finished. The school will open temporarily at the Hasten Hebrew Academy, which is northeast of the Michigan Road location.
Charter schools are public schools that are privately managed. They are granted a contract to operate by one of several authorizers in the state. Paramount was granted authority to open Girls IN STEM by the charter authorizing board at Trine University, a private institution in Angola.
A charter school is directly overseen by a board that is not elected by voters. Most state funding for charters comes from per-student tuition support.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Great news!
Love it. Charter schools are wonderful opportunities for children who, for a variety of reasons, do not thrive or are under served in a public school setting. An all girl school is also a better fit for some children. The curriculum focus should go far in creating confident learners armed with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in life. Parents should always have a choice as to where they educate their children.
A clarification: the City Council passed the resolution by not taking a separate vote on it. The only way the separate vote could be taken was by the District 6 councilor calling it down from the consent agenda, and he refused to do so. Twelve Councilors were already on record in written letters of opposition two weeks ago, and more may have been by now. So one Councilor made the decision last night.
The accepted practice has been, district council members have full authority over calling down zoning cases. It is not a rule, but it has been done this way for years.
The charter in question, proposes to provide certain instructional services, only to young women, that it says are not adequately provided in Washington Township schools. That’s categorically untrue, but the hype exceeded the facts.
The district councillor promised voters last year he’d support township schools. The site sites near the border of Washington and Pike school districts. Both adamantly opposed the charter, for good reason. The councillor will have to answer for that in the future.
That sounds like a very dysfunctional organization… it’s no wonder citizens are disgusted by current government entities.
Why are a handful of people opposed to charter schools when the vast majority of people, especially parents of school age children want more access to charter schools.
It’s a funding issue. And an equity issue.
IF charters had to do what public schools must do, it’d be different…but they don’t.
Public schools MUST: accept all students who appear at their front doors, 24/7/365. The budgetary, facility and staffing requirements for that year-round admissions requirement, are massive.
Nobody wants to deny any parent the right to choose the school which fits their child. But: if you choose something other than the constitutionally-mandated public schools, with rare exception, you ought to have to pay for it yourself. Or through non-public funds.
Your article neglected to say that funding for charters is SUBTRACTED from the local public school district, reducing funds for curricular choices in the school that is open to ALL students – unlike charters which are selective in their enrollments and in deciding which students can continue in their school. Even though all taxpayers are taxed for these schools, not all taxpayers’ children have an equal chance to enroll in a charter. Why should public dollars ever fund discrimination?
Washington Twp. schools are among the best in the entire state and offer far more curricular choices in STEM subjects that this charter ever will or could and with wider diversity in students and staff. Why would anyone choose a charter with fewer curricular offerings and LESS diversity if you want your child to live and succeed in a global economy? And why would any Indianapolis City official approve it? If a parent wants more exposure to certain subjects for their children, they should work with their local public school board and school staff to obtain it. The grass is seldom greener on the other side.