Five years into Indianapolis Public Schools’ unconventional partnerships with charter operators, the district appears likely to renew its first contracts amid some positive initial results.
The Indiana Charter School Board denied charters Friday for three Indianapolis turnaround schools—a stunning move that could spell the end to the Florida-based Charter Schools USA’s operations in Indianapolis.
Christel House Academy, a politically influential charter network, wants to relocate its south-side school to Manual High School if oversight of that campus is returned to Indianapolis Public Schools.
Top Republicans touted “record investment” in school spending in defending themselves as thousands of teachers turned out for a Statehouse rally this past week calling for a bigger boost in education funding. But it’s not that simple.
The Indianapolis Public Schools board decision comes just weeks before the Indiana Charter Schools Board is set to decide whether to grant charters to CSUSA to continue running Donnan and two other Indianapolis campuses—Howe and Manual high schools—that were also taken over by the state.
Potential partners include one of the city’s earliest charter networks, a campus with a mindfulness focus, and a school for teens who have struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.
Thrival Academy, a program that took a year-long “pause” to overhaul its approach—will reopen as a four-year high school with a first-year enrollment of about 75 ninth graders who will prepare to study abroad as juniors.
The Relay Graduate School of Education opened a campus in Indianapolis this year and is training its first class of 10 students, with plans to expand locally in the coming years.
Hope Academy, which opened in 2006 inside the Fairbanks Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center in Lawrence Township, aims to move closer to downtown and develop stronger partnerships with Marion County school districts.
During a weekly barbershop session Vice Principal Fred Yeakey holds at Providence Cristo Rey High School, the educator works to “groom the outer man while guiding the inner man,” as he puts it.
With the board’s dissolution, it’s unclear who remains responsible for Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy.
The missing paychecks for 38 teachers and a handful of administrators come as the state claims the schools collected $47 million more than they should have after over-reporting enrollment.
Investigators want to know who got paid with the millions of public funds that flowed to Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy.
The attorney for two scandal-plagued virtual charter schools appeared before an authorizing board Monday night and described the schools as effectively closed.
The Walton Family Foundation was created by Walmart founder Sam Walton and his wife, Helen. The group awarded more than $595 million in education-related grants in 2018 alone.
The new schools have various focuses, such as project-based learning or educating students with autism, and most are expansions of existing Indianapolis charter networks.
After years of being managed from afar by the charter network that started it, the local board that oversees Victory College Prep is betting that it can operate independently.
Marion Academy, which enrolled about 120 students in grades 6 to 12 last year, was created for students who have been in the juvenile justice system, were expelled or were at-risk of expulsion.
In attempt to recover state money that two virtual charter schools received for allegedly non-existent students, Indiana has cut off public dollars to Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy, according to letters sent Friday by the state education department.
The state education board voted unanimously to try to recover about $40 million from Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy after the state examiner found the schools inflated enrollments with inactive and out-of-state students—and, in one case, a student who had died.
