Without the knowledge of the Indianapolis Public Schools administration or board, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos filmed a segment at the school for an upcoming TV special on innovation in education and her one-year anniversary in office.
Indianapolis’ largest school district will only make a few changes to the rules that govern how much money schools get next year. But some schools, including those that serve many undocumented students, could get less money.
Indiana’s high school graduation rate steadily climbed from 78 percent to 87 percent from 2007 to 2011. But since then, it has barely budged.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Indianapolis Public Schools and union leaders disagree about how it happened, but the impact is clear. The school principal will be able to fire teachers more easily—and pay them thousands of dollars more than teachers at other IPS schools.
The transition means a lot of changes are in store for the hundreds of educators who work at the schools slated to close—and those at the high schools that will launch career academies and take the influx of new students.
Indianapolis Public Schools leaders have a plan to close high schools, but some decisions are beyond their control.
Broad Ripple, Arlington and Northwest high schools are on the chopping block in a plan released Wednesday by Indianapolis Public Schools.
