IPS says outside audits confirm budget surplus
Two outside financial audits confirmed what Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee declared in March: IPS has been operating with a surplus rather than a deficit.
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School catering to juvenile offenders gets approval
The city will be the first in the nation to open a charter school designed for youth passing through the juvenile court system and other troubled students.
State education board taps former IPS principal
Former Harshman Middle School Principal Bob Guffin is set to become the board's new executive director.
IndyGo to study transporting some IPS students
IndyGo is updating its past studies on the feasibility of serving IPS high schools. A past study found that IPS spent $1,520 per student a year on transportation, while a city bus pass costs $330.
IPS, Mind Trust launch school-turnaround fellowship
Education reform group The Mind Trust will pay selected educators $100,000 to spend a year developing plans and forming teams to improve the poorest performing schools in the IPS district.
IPS terminates CFO after disagreement over budget
Indianapolis Public Schools has fired its chief financial officer for “unsatisfactory work performance” one week after Superintendent Lewis Ferebee publicly disagreed with a financial assessment that said the district had a $30 million budget deficit.
IPS chief declares $30M budget deficit a mirage
New superintendent Lewis Ferebee unveiled the results of his analysis of IPS finances by saying a $30 million structural budget deficit wasn’t real, but was instead the result of a “budgeting tactic” used by his predecessors.
IPS violating law requiring equal athletic opportunities
The cash-strapped Indianapolis Public Schools must provide more athletic opportunities for female students at six high schools to comply with Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday.
Cash-strapped IPS to dismiss 23 administrators
Personnel costs make up about 90 percent of Indianapolis Public Schools’ general fund budget of $263.7 million, which prompted an Indy Chamber committee that recently analyzed the system’s finances to call for cuts in that area.
Chamber recommends IPS explore selling real estate
Indianapolis Public Schools should immediately consider selling five of its buildings and work with IndyGo to transport students, according to a study by the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
IPS boss supports cooperating with charter schools
A pending bill could usher in unprecedented cooperation between Indianapolis Public Schools and the city’s charter schools, resulting in significant financial benefits for both.
IPS among four districts receiving F grades from state
IPS received 0.96 points, on a 4-point scale, based on its students’ performance in the 2012-13 school year—just shy of the full point needed to earn a D grade. Still, IPS’s score was greatly improved from the previous year.
Former Star reporter to head new education website
Chalkbeat Indiana will focus on Indianapolis Public Schools, the Indiana General Assembly and the State Board of Education. Editor Scott Elliott took the reins on Monday.
Former IPS chief White takes reins at Martin University
Eugene White will assume the post of interim president after the departure of George Miller, who left just 18 months after accepting the top job.
UPDATE: Indy schools seek records on state takeovers
Indianapolis Public Schools leaders filed a public records request Thursday seeking information on the 2011 takeover of four schools amid questions about the integrity of the state's A-F school grading formula.
IPS taps Ferebee as district’s next superintendent
The IPS board has chosen Lewis Ferebee from North Carolina to replace Eugene White, who led IPS for nearly eight years. The 39-year-old Ferebee has been chief of staff in the Durham Public Schools district, roughly the same size as IPS.
IPS to lay off 109 workers, look for further cuts
The state’s second-largest public school district is continuing to look for further cost reductions in its operations and, down the road, in its buildings.
District names three finalists for superintendent
Indianapolis Public Schools has narrowed its search for a superintendent to three out-of-state candidates who have never served as the top leader at a school district before.
Howe toughest test yet for reformers of troubled city schools
Thomas Carr Howe Community High School, one of four taken over by the state Department of Education, is being remade yet again. And this time it faces a slew of competitors in the education-reform arena.
ISTEP testing continues after early-week problems
The state Department of Education has asked schools for a second straight day to reduce the number of students taking the test by half to avoid more problems.