City group grapples with school capacity
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The group examining Indianapolis' educational landscape is trying to determine how many schools the city actually needs.
Why it matters: The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance has been asked to recommend facility and transportation efficiencies for the schools — charter and traditional public — within the Indianapolis Public Schools boundaries.
State of play: IPS reached peak enrollment in the late 1960s, with more than 100,000 students spread across about 110 schools, Andrew Strope, deputy superintendent for IPS, said.
- Today, fewer than half as many students are in public schools within the district's boundaries, attending nearly the same number of schools.
Yes, but: There's no agreement on the capacity of the city's school buildings, Strope said at the ILEA meeting Wednesday night.
- One of the big questions the group needs to answer, Strope said, is how many facilities should support the number of students who live within the district today.
Between the lines: It's very likely fewer than exist now, but school closure is unpopular and difficult on kids and families, and it has, so far, not been successful in reducing the number of schools that exist because new charter schools continue opening each year.
- IPS parent Megan Alderman was one of several who called for a moratorium on new school openings for a decade to allow the district and greater educational landscape to stabilize.
- "We have way too many schools and we have increasingly limited resources," Alderman said.
By the numbers: About 42,000 students were enrolled in more than 100 public schools within the IPS boundaries last year.
- About 30 of those schools were independent charters and the rest connected to IPS — either directly run or independently run through the district's Innovation Network.
- How those schools operate, who they serve and what they offer varies widely, depending on who runs them.
- Parent Shawanda Tyson said she wants to see all of the schools unified under one board and to have transportation available to all schools and students.
Threat level: The facility crunch is only going to get tougher as traditional public school districts begin sharing property tax dollars with charter schools in 2028.
- ILEA member Bart Peterson, a former Indianapolis mayor, said efficient use of resources, including facilities, will need to be a top priority.
What they're saying: Purdue Polytechnic High School has three Indianapolis locations, including one that's in the former Broad Ripple High School building along with an IPS middle school.
- It comes with challenges, such as coordinating space sharing and separating student populations, but PPHS CEO Keeanna Warren said the benefits outweigh those.
- "We want to see all students in Indianapolis have access to updated, high-quality spaces that meet their educational needs," Warren said.
What's next: The ILEA will meet Sept. 24 to discuss transportation.