Indianapolis Local Education Alliance Vote on Governance Recommendations (Dec 17, 2025)
Indianapolis Local Education Alliance Vote on Governance Recommendations (Dec 17, 2025)
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance convened for its tenth public meeting to present final recommendations to the Indiana General Assembly regarding the governance, transportation, and facilities of the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) district. After 14 hours of public comment from hundreds of citizens, the Alliance discussed two proposed models and a final consolidated recommendation to establish an appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation. The meeting concluded with a vote of 8-1 to forward these recommendations to the state legislature, despite significant public opposition arguing the plan undermines democratic control.
Consent Calendar
- No routine items were presented or voted upon as a separate consent calendar; the meeting proceeded directly to extended public comment followed by the presentation and discussion of final recommendations.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Opposition to Appointed Governance: Speakers including Keon Michael Brown (former consultant and teacher), Chloe Ramsey (Shore High School student), and Liam Bosnagle (North Central High School student) argued that the proposals strip elected school officials of their democratic rights, effectively removing parent input and transferring power to unelected boards and the mayor's office. They characterized the move as an oligarchic structure favoring private interests over public education.
- Concerns Regarding Charter Schools and Profit: Madison Whitcomb labeled board members with charter stakes as radicals and accused the board of treating education as a profit ratio rather than a community good. Daniel Brunes advocated for a unified system under the elected IPS board single authorizer, expressing concern that tax dollars are currently flowing into a "nebulous cloud" for charters without accountability.
- Support for Independent Transportation Authority: Several parents, including Celinda Lemus (Spanish/English), Latoya Tahiru, Abba Celinda Lemus, Kyle, and Flor Maldonado, expressed strong support for an independent transportation and building authority. They argued that the current fragmented system fails families, particularly immigrants and those with learning disabilities, and that a neutral body is necessary to ensure safe, reliable transportation and building maintenance for all students regardless of school type.
- Support for Elected Board Retention: Speakers such as Melissa Lavella, Christina Smith, Chelsea English, and Addison Hunley insisted that the democratically elected school board must be preserved. They argued that voting is the people's voice and that appointed boards dilute community accountability. They called for the elected board to remain the single authorizer for all school types.
- Support for Unified System with Appointments: Some speakers, including Dante Dyson (speaking for himself), Bonnie George, and Swantella Nelson, supported the creation of a neutral, independent authority to oversee buildings and transportation to close the achievement gap and ensure stability, arguing that politics is currently hurting students and that a unified system is more efficient.
- Faith Community Testimony: A coalition of clergy supported the public, stating that the proposed removal of elected officials amounts to "powerful political overreach" and urging the Alliance to include faith leaders and parents in the decision-making process to protect children.
- Specific Systemic Issues: Speakers like Marie Hitesey and Dr. Brian Duart raised concerns about the lack of accountability for charter schools receiving public dollars, the failure of the current system to fund special education adequately, and the high cost of fragmented governance.
Discussion Items
- Presentation of Final Recommendations: The Mayor and an Alliance member presented a proposal to create the "Indianapolis Public Education Corporation" (IPCEC), a nine-member appointed board (appointed by the Mayor) comprising three IPS board members, three charter school leaders, and three at-large experts. This body would be authorized to levy property taxes, manage transportation for all public schools within the IPS boundary, and manage facilities.
- Superintendent's Endorsement with Reservation: Superintendent Dr. Johnson expressed support for the recommendations, citing the current "fractured" system, inequitable access to opportunities, and the $24 million annual deficit in special education funding. He supported the move to ensure stability and the requirement for all schools to provide transportation, though he acknowledged the plan is imperfect.
- Alliance Member Dissent: One Alliance member voted against the recommendations due to the "level of ambiguity," the creation of a new layer of bureaucracy (the appointed IPCEC) that distances parents from decision-making, and the transfer of power from voters to the Mayor. They cited a false choice between the current status quo and the proposed plan, arguing other paths exist that preserve democratic control while addressing funding and transportation issues.
- Mayor's Defense: The Mayor defended the proposal, emphasizing the critical nature of providing transportation to all students as an equity issue for the most vulnerable children (referencing a specific young man named Mark) and reaffirming the recommendation for the state to fully fund the special education gap.
Key Outcomes
- Vote Result: The motion to move the final recommendations regarding the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation to the Indiana General Assembly passed with a vote of 8 in favor and 1 opposed.
- Recommendations Adopted: The Alliance recommended the creation of an appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation with the authority to levy property taxes, manage facilities, and oversee a unified transportation system for all public schools (IPS, charts, innovations) within the district boundaries.
- Future Directives: The Alliance will submit these recommendations, along with 14 hours of public comment and data, to the Indiana General Assembly for legislative consideration.
- Special Education Funding: The recommendations include a specific directive for the Indiana General Assembly to fully fund special education services within the IPS district, acknowledging the current $24 million annual deficit.
- Authorizer Structure: The plan recommends reducing the number of charter authorizers and maintaining a single authorizer for direct-run IPS schools while allowing for a unified performance framework across all school types.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Good evening. I'd like to call this meeting of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance to order. Thank you all for being here. Tonight is our tenth public meeting of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, where we will compile our recommendations to the legislature. What we recommend will reflect changes from what you may have seen based on the input that the alliance has received over these last several weeks. And we will begin tonight with an additional hour of public comment. Shana. Good evening. As in prior meetings, we are following the public comment procedure shared shared on our website. Based on the sign-ups for this evening, each speaker will have one minute to speak. We will end public comment after one hour. When your name is called and the timer begins, please proceed until the timer sounds. Please be respectful of the time limit and finish comments promptly to allow as many people as possible to speak. Please keep your comments centered on the work before the alliance and note that alliance members will not answer questions or otherwise respond to comments. Comments should address the alliance as a whole, not individual members or staff. Disruptive or offensive comments or similar behavior may result in a five minute recess, and if it continues, adjournment of the meeting, though we don't expect that will happen. Comments submitted online prior to tonight's meeting and emails directed to the alliance were shared with alliance members and will be posted online in the days to come. We thank everyone who has shared their thoughts with us. Okay, thank you. My name is Keon Michael Brown. I am a former consultant for the National Department of Homeless Education and a former teacher at Him. I want to be very clear here. Both proposals stated by ILIA directly strip public school systems of the democratic right of their already elected school officials. This is the biggest problem that I believe this city's location has faced in the last decades. What it effectively does is resolve all immediate direct parent input to how their schools function and how their schools run. Believe me if I'm wrong, but I was raised to believe that democracy is a direct right of every single citizen, and that the parents have every single input to say what is best for their child. What ILEA has effectively stated is that parents do not deserve the right to make decisions what is best for their children's education. And that both of the proposals that ILEA has to uh the ILEA plans to submit to the state remove any sort of democratically public elected system school board and effectively remove them of the power. That is not acceptable. Thank you. Um hello, I'm Chloe Ramsey and I attend Shorage High School. I'm here today because I cannot stay silent weather people in ILEA recommend changes that negatively impact all students in IPS. Some of you walk the hallways of public schools. Yet here you are supporting decisions that could take away the opportunities that help succeed. How can someone value education while voting to strip students of their voice, their board, and their schools? Public schools are the backbone of our community. Here are considering a plan that would take influence away from our elected board, leaving families without a voice in the decisions that affect their children's future. In regards to the transportation proposal, if we want transportation for all students, we need to be transparent on the way to do so and make sure there's a smooth transition into it. So public school transportation isn't being affected. Public schools have given me opportunities, support in a community that helps me grow. They give kids a chance at a future. Something Aliyah is trying to put at risk. So I'm asking Aliyah, do not pass harmful recommendations. Instead, invest in public schools so more kids can attend and keep our schools fully democratic, fully funded, and fully public. Thank you. My name is Liam Bosnagle, and I'm a student of North Central High School. I'm here in solidarity with my peers because public schools are not a commodity to be managed. They are a public good that belongs to the people who depend on them. What's happening through ILEA is not about efficiency or collaboration.
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