Legislation would dissolve IPS, four other school districts. Then charters take over [View all]

Indiana lawmakers have introduced a bill that would dissolve the state’s largest public school district.

House Bill 1136, authored by Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty), proposes converting 50 schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools district into charter schools due to enrollment shifts.

Four other school districts would also be disbanded under the legislation: Gary Community Schools, Tri-Township Consolidated Schools in LaPorte County, Union Schools southeast of Muncie, and Cannelton City Schools near the Kentucky border in Perry County.

The bill states that if more than 50% of students residing within a school district’s boundaries were enrolled in schools not operated by the district as of Oct. 1 of the previous year, the district must be dissolved. School districts’ average daily enrollment is determined on that date annually.

If the bill is passed and signed into law by incoming Gov. Mike Braun, the process to dissolve all five school districts would begin in July. While Braun is a strong advocate for school choice and expanding options for private school attendance, he has not specifically emphasized charter schools in his agenda.

The legislation is drawing local and national attention, with parents and pundits taking to social media to voice alarm or praise, ahead of this week's start of the Indiana General Assembly's 2025 legislative session.

The bill, if approved, would require 68 public schools across the five districts to convert to charter schools by July 1, 2028, according to the bill’s fiscal impact report. Schools with the lowest scores on state assessments, such as ILEARN and IREAD-3, would transition first.

Continued at: https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-house-bill-1136-disband-ips-gary-union-cannelton-tri-township-schools