Education Committee Budget Hearing for Office of Education Innovation – September 15, 2026

The Education Committee of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Public Assembly Room to consider the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the Office of Education Innovation (OEI). The meeting also featured updates on the Circle City Readers tutoring program and the Indy Achieves postsecondary success program. No votes were taken; the committee requested a corrected budget presentation and discussed oversight, program impact, and future funding.

Discussion Items

OEI Budget Presentation

• Director Shana Cavazos presented OEI's FY2027 budget. OEI oversees 50 mayor-sponsored charter schools serving over 18,000 students. The budget is funded primarily by a 1% charter authorizer fee (statutory cap is 3%) assessed after a school's third year. The 2027 proposed budget totals $2,895,492 across all funds, a decrease of $848,108 from the 2026 revised budget (which was $3,743,600 – $4,620,409 depending on appropriations for Circle City Readers and other programs). The reduction is due to moving Circle City Readers funding to a separate fiscal ordinance ($400,000) and a reduction in Indy Achieves general fund support ($1.5 million, down from $2 million).
• Councilor Dan Boots asked clarifying questions about the appointment of the Indianapolis Charter School Board (6 by mayor, 3 by council), the scope of school site visits (conducted by independent evaluators contracted by schools at a cost of roughly $10,000–$15,000), and the diversity goal for charter school boards (currently 52% members of color, goal 55% in 2027). Director Cavazos explained that the goal is appropriate given that about 75% of students are students of color.
• Councilor Jessica McCormick noted a discrepancy between the presentation's total budget figure ($4,620,409 for 2026) and the Hyperion report. Director Cavazos acknowledged a possible error and agreed to provide a corrected PowerPoint including spring fiscal allocations.
• Councilor Michael-Paul Hart inquired about Irvington Community Schools, a mayor-sponsored charter facing a significant budget deficit. Director Cavazos confirmed OEI monitors deficits quarterly and that Irvington is up for renewal. She stated OEI does not run schools but supports their boards in financial decisions. Councilor Hart expressed concern that OEI’s oversight may not have prevented the deficit.
• Councilor Jesse Brown questioned the incentive structure for opening new charter schools, suggesting the low fee encourages proliferation. He asked how many schools OEI has closed (one in 2025) and how many are on improvement plans (four or five). He also pressed on why OEI doesn't charge the full 3% fee to generate more resources for oversight. Director Cavazos replied that OEI's fee is set to sustain its operations, not to fund schools, and that the office's staff of seven is adequate.
• Councilor Keith Graves asked about collaboration with the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC). Director Cavazos said OEI participated in discussions about common accountability frameworks.
• Councilor Perkins requested a clean budget be sent to the committee after the meeting.

Circle City Readers Update

• Holly Morgan, OEI Deputy Director, presented results from the high-dosage tutoring program for K-3 students. In 2025–26, the program served over 500 students across 10 schools (including mayor-sponsored charters and IPS innovation schools) with over 13,500 tutoring sessions. Students performing “well below” benchmark on DIBELS improved by 20 percentage points—three times the national average. At one partner school, CCR students increased the share at benchmark by 25 points vs. 8 points for non-CCR peers. The program employs 39 tutors, 35% new, 65% returning, and has a diverse age range from 18 to 80.
• Councilor Boots asked if schools would fund CCR themselves going forward. Morgan said they are open to discussions with schools and philanthropic partners, but no commitments have been made. Councilor McCormick noted spring semester funding was provided in the fiscal ordinance and advocated for continued support.

Indy Achieves Presentation

• Ken Clark, President & CEO of EmployIndy, presented the Indy Achieves program, which provides Promise Scholarships and Completion Grants for Marion County residents attending IU Indianapolis. Since 2019, the program has awarded 10,255 scholarships and 1,476 completion grants, producing 793 and 835 graduates respectively. Indy Achieves students have a 12% higher retention rate than peers. The FY2027 budget request is $1.5 million ($1.35M for direct student support, $150K for administration), down from $2 million in FY2026 because Ivy Tech has adopted a similar model (Ivy Achieves), reducing need for coaching there. Clark noted that about 80% of IU Indianapolis graduates from Marion County stay in the county, offering a strong return on investment.
• Councilor Hart asked about tracking graduates’ residency. Clark said they rely on university data indicating most remain in Marion County. Councilor Graves questioned how completion grants reach students who have stopped out; Clark said the university partners to identify eligible students.
• Councilor Brown asked about the gap between Indy Achieves and Ivy Achieves. Clark explained he would like to resume providing completion grants at Ivy Tech, but leadership turnover has stalled an agreement.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken.
• The committee requested that OEI provide a corrected, clean version of the budget presentation including all spring fiscal allocations.
• Discussions indicated continued council support for Circle City Readers (spring funded) and Indy Achieves, but with scrutiny on oversight and program sustainability.
• The chair (Councilor Perkins) made a closing remark about the need to address universal pre-K as a root cause for early literacy gaps.