Girls STEM charter school at center of Washington Township fight
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Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
An all-girls charter school focused on science, technology, engineering and math opening next school year is caught up in a battle with the traditional public school district whose boundaries its proposed future building sits within.
Why it matters: State officials have long urged traditional public school districts to play nice with charter schools — calling for a focus on student outcomes, rather than school type — while at the same time creating a system that forces schools to compete for resources.
Driving the news: Popular charter school network Paramount Schools of Excellence bought a former church at 5136 Michigan Road in Washington Township and has requested to rezone it for educational uses to open its new Girls STEM Academy in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
- But Washington Township Schools, the Washington Township Educators Association and a parent group are staunchly opposed to the proposed school.
The latest: The Metropolitan Development Commission will consider the rezoning proposal today.
- According to public documents, city staff recommend approval for the rezoning, but the commissioners do not have to follow that guidance.
For months, a group called the Washington Township Parent Council Network has been recruiting residents to oppose the school over concerns about what it calls a lack of engagement from Paramount and the Girl Scouts, transparency issues and an over-saturation of the Indianapolis education landscape.
- The group is urging people to attend today's meeting.
- "Help us fill the meeting room with concerned residents and neighbors to show our opposition," says a Facebook event for the meeting. "Please arrive early, wear red and black and clear your afternoon - meetings like this can have an unpredictable timeline."
Friction point: Most of these concerns boil down to resources — state funding is tied to student enrollment, so every student that enrolls at Paramount's new school would "take" money from the traditional public school district they live in.
- "Losing up to 300 students boils down to a potential loss of nearly $3 million annually," the group says on a flier.
State of play: Even if the rezoning request is approved today, there won't be time to get the former church ready to serve as a school in time for Paramount's intended fall 2024 opening.
- Paramount CEO Tommy Reddicks told Axios the network is looking for a temporary location to open in the fall, with hopes that the school could move into its permanent home, which it has already invested about $2.6 million in, for the 2025-26 school year.
What they're saying: Reddicks, who has opened three other schools in Indianapolis, two in other Indiana cities and one virtual school, said the network remains committed to the project, despite being surprised "at the level of vitriol."
- "We really believe in this idea for girls," he said, noting that high-paying STEM careers are still dominated by men.
- "We're seeing our girls, especially our marginalized girls, pushed out of this opportunity in life. We want to play a role in creating a pipeline. That keeps us pretty convicted in this."
What we're watching: Reddicks said he expects the school district to continue fighting the issue.
- "I think their strategy here is to delay, delay, delay and see how persistent we are," Reddicks said.
Washington Township Schools did not respond to a request for comment.