Latest news with #IndianapolisLocalEducationAlliance
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hogsett, IPS names members of group shaping the future of the district. Who they picked
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson have announced the nine members who will help design major changes to how the district will work with charter schools in the future. The announcement was dropped at 4 p.m. on the Friday before the city prepares for the Indianapolis 500 and the Memorial Day holiday. This group, known as the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA), was created out of legislation passed this year under House Bill 1515. Hogsett and Johnson were responsible for appointing the group members, along with the IPS school board president. The group could make consequential decisions on how the district uses its buildings and transportation going forward, a topic that has generated intense debate from parents on both sides of the argument on whether the district should expand its collaboration with local charter schools. Hogsett said that the goal of this alliance is to "deepen collaboration across traditional public and public charter schools and support a strong academic experience for all students." 'These accomplished civic leaders are ready to chart a course for the future of education within the IPS boundary,' said Mayor Hogsett. 'I am proud to lead them as we embark on this critical work, and I am confident we will create a plan that ensures a stable, sustainable and collaborative path forward for our schools.' The members of the new alliance include: Mayor Joe Hogsett - Chairperson Dr. Aleesia Johnson - Superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools Bart Peterson - Former mayor; former CEO of Christel House International; former senior vice president of corporate affairs and communication for Eli Lilly and Company (mayoral appointee) Maggie Lewis - Majority leader of the Indianapolis City-County Council; CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis (mayoral appointee) Angela Smith-Jones - Associate vice president for state relations at Indiana University; former deputy mayor of economic development; former general counsel for the Indy Chamber (mayoral appointee) Tobin McClamroch - Managing partner of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum; chair of the Marian University Board of Trustees, (mayoral appointee) Barato Britt - President/CEO of Edna Martin Christian Center (IPS Board President appointee) Tina Ahlgren - Teacher at H.L. Harshman Middle School; Hoosier Educator of the Year, 2024; IPS Teacher of the Year, 2014 (IPS district-managed school parent appointee) Andrew Neal - CEO of Outreach Indiana; former chief operating officer of Brookside Community Development Corporation (IPS innovation school parent appointee) The first meeting of the alliance must be held before July 1, 2025. Information about future meetings will be shared in the coming weeks, according to the press release from Hogsett's office. The group will work to conduct a facility assessment on all the schools within IPS's boundaries, including traditional and charter campuses. It will then make recommendations regarding school facility 'structural changes,' as well as come up with a process for approving or denying future capital referendum requests. It will also create a template for revenue-sharing agreements between IPS and its charter school partners. The ILEA must also create methods on how the district can increase collaboration with governmental entities, community organizations or local nonprofits on how to transform school facilities into 'broader community assets for residents.' The group is meant to create a transportation implementation plan that would consider how to best serve all the district's students, in charter and district-run schools. More on this SB 1515: This group will guide IPS's future. Hogsett asked lawmakers to make its meetings private During the legislature's last remaining hours of session, lawmakers added language to the bill that allows the ILEA to be exempt from Indiana's Open Door Law, a policy which gives members of the public the right to attend meetings of governing bodies or public agencies. The bill's author, Rep. Bill Behning, R-Indianapolis, said that language was included at the request of Mayor Joe Hogsett, and that the group can decide for themselves if it wants the meetings open to the public. The ILEA's final meeting, where the members will vote on a final proposal, is required to be a public meeting. The alliance is required to file its final report and recommendations by Dec. 31, 2025. Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hogsett, IPS names members of group shaping the future of the district
Indianapolis Star
13-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Lawmakers usually clash with Indy over local control. Do they have a new target?
It was a quieter legislative session at the Statehouse for the city of Indianapolis this year. Just a year ago, the city and stakeholder groups contended with multiple bills targeting projects backed by Mayor Joe Hogsett, such as IndyGo's Blue Line or the downtown special taxing district. Plus lawmakers nullified an Indy ban on the sale of dogs at pet stores. The threats in the legislative proposals sometimes led to emotional moments for lawmakers and advocates who testified at the Statehouse. Not in 2025. Compared to years past, the Democratic Hogsett administration this year faced few challenges from the Republican-dominated Statehouse. Hogsett garnered a win in the state road funding bill that likely provides the city an additional $50 million in road funding starting in 2027, and for the first time in years, no anti-IndyGo bills advanced. Lawmakers also granted Hogsett's request that the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which will guide the future of Indianapolis Public Schools and local charter schools, be exempt from the state's Open Door Law. 'There were small things that didn't necessarily go our way,' said Dan Parker, Hogsett's chief of staff. 'But, overall, I think it was a very good session for the city.' Local control fights happen every year at the Statehouse, but the targets of state lawmakers this session appeared directed less at Indianapolis government and more on other parts of the state. For example, language added to the major property tax legislation closes the Union School Corporation in Randolph County in 2027, and lawmakers increased oversight over universities. Hamilton County, which is growing closer in size and diversity just north of Indianapolis, was almost singled out as well. A proposal attempted to preempt rental cap bans at the end of the session as city councils in Carmel and Fishers simultaneously considered ordinances in their communities. The rental cap language was eventually scrapped. A few of the Hamilton County mayors also became the face of the fight over how much property tax relief to provide homeowners. They pleaded their case with lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun, with little success, to not deplete a major funding source. Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said he felt left out of some of the Braun administration's conversations surrounding property tax reform. 'That's where we can get frustrated by our executive leaders,' Jensen said. 'It's in terms of policies that they propose without even really having conversations with growing communities to understand the impacts.' Whether it's the federal government stepping in on state government decisions or state governments intervening in the actions of cities, counties and towns, groups in power often attempt to insert themselves in decisions happening outside of their jurisdiction, said Paul Helmke, a professor at Indiana University's Paul H. O'Neill School of Public Affairs. Indianapolis and Hamilton County are especially vulnerable to the attention from state lawmakers and the governor's administration because of their roles as growing communities and proximity to the Statehouse during the legislative session, said Helmke, a former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne. 'I remember when I was mayor of Fort Wayne, we were very aggressive with annexations,' Helmke said. 'We were generally able to keep the legislature from changing it until Carmel started doing annexations and then the hammer came down." While Indianapolis, like other local governments around the state, has to contend with potential impacts of the property tax reform in SB 1, the city saw other victories during the session. Indianapolis saw a win in House Bill 1461, the road funding bill that includes tools for local governments to maximize budget dollars for roads. In a mid-April statement after lawmakers sent the bill to Braun, Hogsett called the effort, combined with road funding legislation from 2023, 'the most significant new investment from the state of Indiana into Indianapolis road infrastructure in decades.' Parker, Hogsett's chief of staff, said it was a moment of bipartisanship in working with the Republican leadership at the Statehouse and bill author state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie. 'It was a very good session related to road funding, and that's not just for Indianapolis,' Parker said. 'I think the bill itself will prove that it's going to help a lot of cities and counties that have a lot of lane miles, which is something the mayor has advocated for for a long time.' Lawmakers did propose potential threats to IPS, including a bill that would have entirely dissolved the school district and turn it into charter schools. There were also contentious debates about how property tax revenue sharing with charter schools might impact IPS. But none of those efforts appeared to be specifically against Hogsett's administration, and Parker said Indianapolis should benefit by having the mayor chair the ILEA. 'Working together with the charter schools and the IPS district, hopefully, can come up with a plan to bring stability to the district that is the center of the city,' Parker said. In recent years, Hamilton County cities have found themselves on the same side as Indianapolis in facing local control fights on issues including bans on short-term rentals and the sale of dogs. Last year, for example, state lawmakers nullified ordinances in both Carmel and Indianapolis prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs. This session, though, language that would've squashed ordinances in Carmel and Fishers was floated at the 11th hour. The proposal would have prevented local governments from putting caps on the number of rental properties in their communities, but it was removed from the larger bill by the next morning. Fishers already passed its first-of-its kind rental cap ordinance, while Carmel's is still under consideration. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in April said the city was taken completely off-guard by the sudden legislative action that would have voided rental cap ordinances. 'Yes we were surprised,' he said. 'We had no prior knowledge this was coming, no conversations about it.' Carmel's rental cap plan: 'We want to protect our neighborhoods': Carmel tries to limit rentals with latest ordinance Jensen, in Noblesville, added that his community and others may consider similar rental cap ordinances to fend off out of state investors or bad actors from buying up homes. He said that he wasn't surprised by the legislature considering language that would have banned the ordinances all together. 'Along those lines, the government closest to the people is the one that should be the most impactful and have the most control,' Jensen said. Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam agreed with Jensen in that she doesn't feel Hamilton County was targeted by the General Assembly this session, but is always hoping for more local control on certain issues. '(We're) entrusted to run a $250 million budget, why can't we be trusted with decisions about zoning or housing or public safety or a fireworks policy ordinance,' Finkam said. 'I want us in the city to have as much local control as possible every single time.' Finkam added that the property tax reform, and other high-profile legislation passed this session, impacted the entire state and not just Hamilton County. The Carmel mayor said she's hoping cities can gain more control over regulation of short-term rentals, such as AirBnBs, with future legislation. In Westfield, mayor Scott Willis agreed that he wished for more collaboration when it came to Senate Bill 1. 'If we're going to be making large, big changes in how municipal finance works more collaboration would be good,' Willis said. 'Most of the folks have never sat in our seats. I've never sat in their seats, so I try not to judge them.' The Westfield mayor said he's concerned about future proposals from state lawmakers that could impact local control, including the resurrection of a proposal that would have moved municipal elections to presidential election years. 'The issues that I face as mayor have nothing to do with what the president of the United States is dealing with,' Willis said. 'We'd be so far down ballot, and I'd be answering questions around abortion in Westfield and immigration laws in Westfield, which we all know the city has zero play in.' Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
Indianapolis Star
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
IPS seeks parent nominations for new facilities, transportation advisory alliance
IPS parents are asked to nominate members for the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA), which will oversee changes to school buildings and transportation. IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson addressed what changes are likely to come due to the legislative session and its financial impact on the district, including a $14 million loss due to Senate Bill 1. Indianapolis Public Schools parents are being asked to send in their nominations for who they would like to serve on the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA), which will help design upcoming major changes to how the district uses its school buildings and transportation. The district is also asking parents to fill out a transportation survey that asks what matters most when considering how their child gets to school every day. IPS's Superintendent Aleesia Johnson sent out a video update to parents this week about the district's future and the outcomes of this year's legislative session on the district. This new alliance was created with the final version of House Bill 1515, which creates a nine-member group that could make consequential decisions on how the district uses its buildings and transportation. The group requires Johnson to nominate one parent who has a child in an IPS innovation network charter school and one parent who has a child in an IPS-directly managed school. The district is asking parents to fill out the online form by midnight on Sunday, May 11, 2025, to be considered. The other seven members of the group will include: Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, or a designee. Mayor Joe Hogsett, or a designee. Four members are appointed by Hogsett, one of whom must be a representative of business. One member appointed by the IPS School board president. The member appointed by the board president must live within the IPS district boundary. The district said that parents should expect to dedicate around five hours each month from June to December to work on the committee. The alliance is required to file its final report and recommendations by Dec. 31, 2025. The group has until July 1, 2025, to hold its first meeting. What work is the ILEA charged to do? The group will work to conduct a facility assessment on all the schools within IPS's boundaries, including traditional and charter campuses. It will then make recommendations regarding school facility 'structural changes,' as well as come up with a process of approving or denying future capital referendum requests. It will also create a template for revenue-sharing agreements between IPS and its charter school partners. The ILEA must also create methods on how the district can increase collaboration with governmental entities, community organizations or local nonprofits on how to transform school facilities into 'broader community assets for residents.' The group is meant to create a transportation implementation plan that would consider how to best serve all the district's students, in charter and district-run schools. To best understand parents' needs around transportation, the district is asking families to fill out an online 10-minute survey about transportation. However, during the legislature's last remaining hours of session, lawmakers added language to the bill that allows the ILEA to not be subject to Indiana's Open Door Law, which gives members of the public the right to attend meetings of governing bodies or public agencies. The bill's author, Rep. Bill Behning, R-Indianapolis, said that language was included at the request of Mayor Joe Hogsett, and that the group can decide for themselves if they want the meetings open to the public. The ILEA's final meeting, where the members will vote on a final proposal, is required to be a public meeting. The fallout of the 2025 session on IPS Johnson also admitted in her video update that this legislative session was an 'incredibly rocky and difficult' one, but thanked IPS parents and community members for coming out and speaking on behalf of the district. She said thanks to parents and community member testimony, two bills were ultimately stopped, one that would have converted all of IPS's schools into charter schools and another that would have taken away complete control over the district's facilities and transportation. However, the district must now deal with the ramifications of Senate Bill 1, which not only reduces the amount of property tax revenue IPS will see in the next three years, but also starting in 2028 will send more of the district's property tax dollars to charter schools. More on SB 1 impact: The Indiana House passed a complex property tax bill. Here are the biggest winners and losers 'So in other words, not only does this bill shrink the overall pie of funding by decreasing revenue, it then creates a win-lose framework that incentivizes intense competition among schools over an even smaller funding pie,' Johnson said in the video. Over the next three years, IPS is expected to lose out on around $14 million in property tax revenue due to SB 1. Johnson went on to say that despite these large, looming cuts to funding, the district will aim to minimize disruptions in students' learning and does not expect any immediate impacts to school operations for the 2025-26 school year. 'We will vigorously pursue savings and cost reduction opportunities, but we will do so while keeping stability for students and families at the forefront,' Johnson said. Johnson also announced that the district will be holding a series of town halls in the coming weeks to better explain to parents the upcoming impacts of this year's legislation. Dates for those town halls will be announced soon. Families can find both the parent nomination form and the transportation survey form at
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This group will guide IPS's future. Hogsett asked lawmakers to make its meetings private
A new group created by Indiana lawmakers will guide the future of Indianapolis Public Schools and local public charter schools — including as it relates to future school building consolidation and revenue-sharing — but members of the general public may not be included in its meetings. Lawmakers in a late-night move last week shortly before the legislature adjourned for the year exempted the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance from Indiana's Open Door Law, which ordinarily gives the public the right to attend meetings of governing bodies of public agencies. The move to restrict the public's right to attend future meetings of the local education group was done without public testimony. The change was requested by the city's highest-ranking public official, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, said Rep. Bob Behning. "The mayor did ask for some additional language regarding the Open Door Law," Behning, R-Indianapolis, told the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee late Thursday evening. "We went ahead and clarified at the request of the mayor that it would be not subject ... so they could have an open public meeting if they choose to, but they don't have to." The final version of House Bill 1515, where the language was included, was approved by the House by a 62-30 vote and by the Senate by a 28-22 vote. It's awaiting Gov. Mike Braun's signature. The group's work could have big consequences for the future of how Indianapolis Public Schools and local charter schools are run. It will conduct school facility assessments for all traditional and charter school facilities within the geographic boundaries of IPS. It will make recommendations regarding school facility "structural changes," as well as come up with a process to approve or deny future capital referendum requests. The group will also come up with a template for revenue-sharing agreements between IPS and charter schools. The group's membership is spelled out in the legislation. It will consist of nine members, several of whom will be appointed by the mayor. It will also include IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson and Hogsett himself, or his designee. There will be two parent representatives. It must complete its work by Dec. 31. During that time, there will be a pause on charter schools opening within the IPS district boundaries, except for those approved by the Indianapolis Charter School Board, which is run mostly by mayoral appointees. State Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, said the purpose of the group is to "figure out how (schools) can combine resources and work together further." The legislation states that although the alliance isn't subject to the public access law, one meeting must be open to the public: the final meeting at which the members vote on the adoption of the facilities and transportation plan. Critics said that's too late for meaningful public testimony. Jesse Brown, a Democrat on the Indianapolis City-County Council and frequent critic of Hogsett's, posted on social media that public officials will "deliberate behind the scenes" instead of in front of constituents. He said Hogsett's administration was "allergic to the public." And IPS' teachers' union, the Indianapolis Education Association, posted on social media: "Who are you hiding from?" However, Hogsett spokeswoman Emily Kaufmann said in a statement that the city and IPS are "aligned on and committed to creating an efficient, transparent structure to carry out the critical work" of the alliance. "As the alliance conducts this work, there will be opportunities for community input and public meetings," Kaufmann said. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Group to guide future of IPS, charters will meet behind closed doors
Indianapolis Star
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
This group will guide IPS's future. Hogsett asked lawmakers to make its meetings private
A new group created by Indiana lawmakers will guide the future of Indianapolis Public Schools and local public charter schools — including as it relates to future school building consolidation and revenue-sharing — but members of the general public may not be included in its meetings. Lawmakers in a late-night move last week shortly before the legislature adjourned for the year exempted the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance from Indiana's Open Door Law, which ordinarily gives the public the right to attend meetings of governing bodies of public agencies. The move to restrict the public's right to attend future meetings of the local education group was done without public testimony. The change was requested by the city's highest-ranking public official, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, said Rep. Bob Behning. "The mayor did ask for some additional language regarding the Open Door Law," Behning, R-Indianapolis, told the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee late Thursday evening. "We went ahead and clarified at the request of the mayor that it would be not subject ... so they could have an open public meeting if they choose to, but they don't have to." The final version of House Bill 1515, where the language was included, was approved by the House by a 62-30 vote and by the Senate by a 28-22 vote. It's awaiting Gov. Mike Braun's signature. The group's work could have big consequences for the future of how Indianapolis Public Schools and local charter schools are run. It will conduct school facility assessments for all traditional and charter school facilities within the geographic boundaries of IPS. It will make recommendations regarding school facility "structural changes," as well as come up with a process to approve or deny future capital referendum requests. The group will also come up with a template for revenue-sharing agreements between IPS and charter schools. The group's membership is spelled out in the legislation. It will consist of nine members, several of whom will be appointed by the mayor. It will also include IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson and Hogsett himself, or his designee. There will be two parent representatives. It must complete its work by Dec. 31. During that time, there will be a pause on charter schools opening within the IPS district boundaries, except for those approved by the Indianapolis Charter School Board, which is run mostly by mayoral appointees. State Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, said the purpose of the group is to "figure out how (schools) can combine resources and work together further." 'Allergic to the public' The legislation states that although the alliance isn't subject to the public access law, one meeting must be open to the public: the final meeting at which the members vote on the adoption of the facilities and transportation plan. Critics said that's too late for meaningful public testimony. Jesse Brown, a Democrat on the Indianapolis City-County Council and frequent critic of Hogsett's, posted on social media that public officials will "deliberate behind the scenes" instead of in front of constituents. He said Hogsett's administration was "allergic to the public." And IPS' teachers' union, the Indianapolis Education Association, posted on social media: "Who are you hiding from?" However, Hogsett spokeswoman Emily Kaufmann said in a statement that the city and IPS are "aligned on and committed to creating an efficient, transparent structure to carry out the critical work" of the alliance. "As the alliance conducts this work, there will be opportunities for community input and public meetings," Kaufmann said.
