District leaders said that in the face of declining state and federal funding, raising property taxes is the only tool IPS has to fund teacher raises, building maintenance, busing and quality special ed programs.
An Indianapolis private school dedicated to promoting racial and economic integration is planning to grow by 50 percent in the coming years.
The governor called the performance of one of the biggest online schools, Indiana Virtual, “unsatisfactory.” It has received more than $20 million in state funding while graduating about 61 students.
The district’s website says that the operating funds would be used to raise teacher pay and special needs services. The construction funds would pay to upgrade buildings and make safety improvements.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick laid out her agenda for the upcoming year on Tuesday, listing priorities ahead of the next General Assembly.
If the school board votes to restart the two schools, the current principals and teachers would be removed, and a charter operator or nonprofit will be brought in to run them.
Raises will range from $400 per year for experienced teachers to nearly $2,400 per year for teachers in their third year.
Indiana Virtual School has attracted thousands of students but graduated very few. A Chalkbeat Indiana investigation found the school’s founder hired his own company to manage the school, for which it received millions of dollars.
Indiana was set to move ahead with a new company to create a test to replace ISTEP, but a rejected competitor threw a wrench into the process.
Innovation schools are receiving higher marks in general because Indiana lawmakers decided to judge those schools by a more generous yardstick than others. But the two-tiered system could be short-lived.
Compared to 2016, almost a quarter of schools improved by one or more letter grades in 2017, and about the same number saw grades drop. More than half of schools ended up with the same grade.
The Hoosier Academy school board has voted to not renew the charter of its full-time online school after months of scrutiny from the state, dropping enrollment, and poor academic performance.
Indianapolis Public Schools went on a hiring spree Thursday, selecting principals for the four high schools that will remain open next fall and a new chief of staff.
An administrator said the move was aimed at helping teachers "find the right fit,' but a union official called it "total disruption."
Beginning next school year, about 5,000 high school students in the district will be combined at four campuses, half the number that were operating just last year.
Julie Bakehorn, a prize-winning principal with a record of turning around schools, was replaced as head of Arsenal Technical High School this week.
Indiana appears to have reached a new normal when it comes to ISTEP scores: For the third straight year, about half of the students taking the exam passed it.
The International School will be a rare example of a secular school accepting state money to help families pay high school tuition.
Charter Schools USA will maintain control of Howe and Manual High Schools for three more years—a move that means the schools will be spared from imminent closure.
Indianapolis Public Schools might pay teachers loyalty bonuses of up to $5,000 in a bid to keep educators from leaving this year as the district plans high school closings.
