What's next for IPS after new governance bill passed
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Legislation to reshape education in Indianapolis has passed and been sent to Gov. Mike Braun, who is expected to sign it.
Why it matters: Change is coming quickly to Indianapolis Public Schools and the charter schools that operate within its boundaries.
Driving the news: House Bill 1423 creates the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), which will take over many of the duties previously assigned to the IPS board.
- On April 1, the nine-person board will begin creating a unified transportation plan for all public schools within the IPS boundary and developing a plan that would maintain, and potentially own, facilities for all schools that opt in.
State of play: Full implementation will begin in the 2028-29 school year, at which point IPEC will have established a performance framework for all schools under its purview.
- That framework will be used to decide future school closures, which are nearly inevitable.
Between the lines: The debate over HB 1423 highlighted the ongoing division between IPS, traditional public school advocates and charter school groups.
- While charter groups were generally supportive of the legislation and the IPS board lamented its passage, there was compromise.
- Starting in April, only the state charter board, the mayor's office and the IPS board can authorize new charter schools within IPS boundaries.
- The bill also exempts IPS from the state's "dollar law," something the district has long lobbied for.
What's next: Mayor Joe Hogsett has until March 31 to appoint the IPEC members from charter school leaders, IPS board members, and other experts in management, logistics and working with vulnerable student populations.
What we're watching: Whether this new governance structure is isolated to IPS or becomes a new model for exercising greater control over local public school districts.