Latest news with #IndianapolisPublicSchools
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IPS: Some families must pay for pre-K after budget cuts
This story will be updated. Some Indianapolis Public Schools families will start having to pay for pre-K for the 2025-26 school year after this latest state budget didn't include increases to childcare grant funding and the district's pandemic relief funding is now gone. The district alerted families to the change on June 3 and said it came 'after much consideration of the financial impact on IPS' caused by alterations in the state budget this legislative session and loss of COVID money. In this latest state budget passed in April, lawmakers did not include an increase in funding for Indiana's popular child care subsidy programs, known as On My Way Pre-K, which helps give low-income families vouchers to use for child care. IPS had been heavily relying on those vouchers, as well as COVID-19 relief money sent to districts in the past few years, to fund its pre-K program, making it free for every family in the district for at least the past two school years. However, school districts had to spend those pandemic relief dollars by the end of 2024, and the state announced in December that it would have to bring back its waitlist for the On My Way Pre-K program due to significant growth and not enough funding. More on the waitlists: Indiana lawmakers expanded access to child care aid. Now there's not enough money This latest state budget passed by lawmakers did not address those waitlists and instead funded them just enough so families currently using the vouchers wouldn't be affected. Starting with the upcoming school year, IPS is implementing an income-based sliding scale to help ensure the program can remain funded. If families qualify and apply for the On My Way Pre-K program, they could still access a pre-K seat in IPS for free, if the voucher program has enough funding. Some families may find themselves on the waitlist for this upcoming school year. Here is the sliding scale that IPS is implementing for the next school year: Income-Based Sliding Scale Cost (Per week) Free (Qualifies for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid Free — below 130% of Federal Poverty Level) $0 (MUST complete On My Way Pre-K application to be eligible or have a CCDF voucher) Reduced (Qualifies for Medicaid Free at 130% to 185% of Federal Poverty Level) $100/week Full Pay (Does not qualify for any of the above) $150/week To qualify for a voucher, a family's household income must be below 150% of the federal poverty level, or for a family of two, earn below $2,644 per month before taxes. More on IPS using the vouchers: A new requirement for IPS families seeking pre-K seats is coming next school year For a family of four, the household's monthly income before tax must be less than $4,019 to qualify for the pre-K voucher. The child's guardian must also be working, going to school, attending job training or looking for a job. The child must also be four years old by Aug. 1 and plan to start kindergarten next school year. For families who need help filing out an On My Way Pre-K application, they can email reach out by emailing earlylearningdept@ or call 317-391-1897 or 317-391-7643. For families needing Spanish-speaking assistance, they should call 317-619-4279. The district will also be holding an application assistance event from 2-4 p.m. on June 10-11 at the IPS Education Center located at 120 E. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. 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: Indianapolis schools ends free pre-k for all families after budget cuts
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
IPS: Some families must pay for pre-K after budget cuts
This story will be updated. Some Indianapolis Public Schools families will start having to pay for pre-K for the 2025-26 school year after this latest state budget didn't include increases to childcare grant funding and the district's pandemic relief funding is now gone. The district alerted families to the change on June 3 and said it came 'after much consideration of the financial impact on IPS' caused by alterations in the state budget this legislative session and loss of COVID money. In this latest state budget passed in April, lawmakers did not include an increase in funding for Indiana's popular child care subsidy programs, known as On My Way Pre-K, which helps give low-income families vouchers to use for child care. IPS had been heavily relying on those vouchers, as well as COVID-19 relief money sent to districts in the past few years, to fund its pre-K program, making it free for every family in the district for at least the past two school years. However, school districts had to spend those pandemic relief dollars by the end of 2024, and the state announced in December that it would have to bring back its waitlist for the On My Way Pre-K program due to significant growth and not enough funding. More on the waitlists: Indiana lawmakers expanded access to child care aid. Now there's not enough money This latest state budget passed by lawmakers did not address those waitlists and instead funded them just enough so families currently using the vouchers wouldn't be affected. Starting with the upcoming school year, IPS is implementing an income-based sliding scale to help ensure the program can remain funded. If families qualify and apply for the On My Way Pre-K program, they could still access a pre-K seat in IPS for free, if the voucher program has enough funding. Some families may find themselves on the waitlist for this upcoming school year. Here is the sliding scale that IPS is implementing for the next school year: To qualify for a voucher, a family's household income must be below 150% of the federal poverty level, or for a family of two, earn below $2,644 per month before taxes. More on IPS using the vouchers: A new requirement for IPS families seeking pre-K seats is coming next school year For a family of four, the household's monthly income before tax must be less than $4,019 to qualify for the pre-K voucher. The child's guardian must also be working, going to school, attending job training or looking for a job. The child must also be four years old by Aug. 1 and plan to start kindergarten next school year. For families who need help filing out an On My Way Pre-K application, they can email reach out by emailing earlylearningdept@ or call 317-391-1897 or 317-391-7643. For families needing Spanish-speaking assistance, they should call 317-619-4279. The district will also be holding an application assistance event from 2-4 p.m. on June 10-11 at the IPS Education Center located at 120 E. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN 46204.
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
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
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: 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.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike Epps will speak with Indy youth about gun violence during prosecutor's roundtable
Actor and comedian Mike Epps and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears are partnering to speak to youth about gun violence. The prosecutor's office and Epps are hosting a "youth-centered roundtable discussion on the causes and consequences of youth gun violence," a news release about the May 13 event stated. High school students from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), Warren Central High School and a local charter school will attend. The conversation will be turned into a podcast episode to "highlight the voices of young people — voices too often missing from conversations about violence prevention and public safety." The event aims to give voice to the city's youngest victims of gun violence and provide them an avenue to help shape solutions, the prosecutor's office said. Indianapolis crime: Teen's 'Talking Guns Project' takes honest look at youth gun violence Mike Epps is an Indiana native who has created an HGTV show alongside his TV-producer wife, Kyra Epps, centered around rehabbing houses on the Indianapolis comedian's childhood block. 'Indianapolis is home for me and there's nothing in the world like it. That's why I'm buying back my block,' Epps says in a promotional video ahead of the show's launch in 2023. He's also run into some gun trouble of his own while returning home. In March 2023, while in town to kick off a comedy tour, Epps was found with a firearm in his bag during a security checkpoint at Indianapolis International Airport. Epps said he carried the gun for protection. 'I literally forgot that I had a pistol in my bag,' he said in an Instagram post. He apologized for the incident and no charges were filed. 'World is crazy ... Stay strapped': Mike Epps responds to gun seizure at Indy airport This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Epps will speak with Indy youth about gun violence
