Indianapolis schools cancel bus routes after drivers call in sick
Indianapolis Public Schools said schools remained open, but students who are unable to get to them because of no buses would not be marked absent.
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As local districts boost teacher pay, charters say they’re struggling to compete
Following a successful school-funding referendum in 2018, IPS has doled out millions of dollars in raises to most staff. That boost in pay has been a boon for district teachers, but it has left the city’s charter schools at a disadvantage.
How shifting political tides ended Indiana’s ambitious school takeover effort
The State Board of Education’s decision to end the takeover confirmed the waning enthusiasm in Indiana for state oversight of failing schools. But it also revealed how much Indianapolis Public Schools has transformed in recent years.
Indiana ends takeover, returning 3 schools to IPS
Nearly eight years after Indiana seized three struggling campuses from Indianapolis Public Schools, the State Board of Education voted Wednesday to hand the schools back, bringing to a close a turnaround experiment that sparked enduring change in the state’s largest district.
Manual’s graduation rate plunges after state audit cuts number of home-schoolers
The graduation rate at Emmerich Manual High School plummeted to 57% last year after a state audit found the school did not have the proper documentation for many of the students designated as leaving to be home-schooled.
After rejection, Charter Schools USA could shop for charters for local turnaround schools
A month after its bid for charters was rejected by a state authorizer, a not-for-profit with ties to Charter Schools USA appears to be looking for another backer—raising concerns that Indiana law makes it too easy to shop around for a friendly overseer.
2019 YEAR IN REVIEW: IPS picks its new superintendent from within school district
Aleesia Johnson, a longtime ally of charter schools, was named superintendent of the state’s largest school district—Indianapolis Public Schools—in June, after filling the job on an interim basis for several months.
Indianapolis Public Schools poised to renew two innovation school agreements
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.
IPS finds a powerful charter ally in its 11th hour bid to win back takeover schools
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.
In messy breakup, IPS cuts ties with Charter Schools USA
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.
Indianapolis Public Schools board signs off on $31 million in raises
A 2018 voter-backed referendum funded the latest round of pay increases. Some teachers will see their salaries go up by as much as $9,400 this year, a significant increase designed to account for years of recession-era pay freezes.
10 new schools seeking innovation partnerships with IPS
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.
IPS teachers could see raises as high as $9,400 under tentative contract deal
Teachers across the district would see substantial pay increases under the proposal, with the district’s starting salary for teachers rising to $45,200 this school year, according to a union official.
IPS teachers union membership declines after year of turmoil
The newly released data, which comes from annual state-mandated disclosures, is the first indication of how members have responded to the Indianapolis Education Association’s tumultuous year.
Charter school for teens in recovery seeks to relocate, join forces with IPS
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.
Hidden dropouts: How Indiana schools write off departing students as home-schoolers
When students are recorded as leaving for home schools in Indiana, they’re left out of a school’s graduation calculations, as though they never attended at all.
IPS could shed more property to cut costs, boost efficiency
The district next month plans to issue a request for proposals for a comprehensive study of all 71 of its schools and other buildings.
New IPS leader Aleesia Johnson to be paid on par with predecessor
The figure aims to walk the line between being fiscally responsible and ensuring the district’s first African-American woman leader is paid fairly, said school board President Michael O’Connor.
IPS study-abroad innovation school to take year off
An Indianapolis school that allowed students to study abroad in 11th grade will close for the coming school year while leaders try to work through challenges that arose during its first year.
After interviewing 3 candidates, IPS close to tapping its next superintendent
After meeting late into the night Tuesday, the Indianapolis Public Schools board is coalescing around a new superintendent, according to one of its board members.