Aug 6, 2025 - Education

Funding and transportation top priorities for local education working group

Arika Herron

Illustration of a school bus with a money band-aid on it. — Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

As a working group begins to reimagine public schools in Indianapolis, funding and transportation are top of mind for many Marion County voters.

The big picture: State lawmakers created the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA) this past legislative session, charging the group of city government and education leaders with crafting plans that address facility and transportation management, examining governance structure and looking for increased efficiency.

The alliance is expected to recommend by the end of the year how best to deepen collaboration between public and public charter schools.

Driving the news: RISE INDY, a nonprofit education advocacy group, surveyed 848 registered Marion County voters this past spring about education issues as they relate to Indianapolis schools and the work of ILEA.

Zoom in: A majority of respondents said they'd like to see transportation access expanded to more charter schools and would support a combined transportation system for all schools within the IPS boundary.

Over a quarter of them named funding as the biggest issue facing Marion County schools.

Reality check: According to RISE, about 5,700 charter school students don't have school transportation — about 14% of the 42,000 public school students living within IPS boundaries.

Catch up quick: ILEA, which is chaired by Mayor Joe Hogsett, has met twice to discuss the education landscape and will begin digging into potential recommendations in the coming months.

What's next: ILEA's next meeting is Aug. 20.

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Funding and transportation top priorities for local education working group

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