Many are wondering why the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) may close six elementary schools. IPS Supt. Eugene White gave vague reasons for the closings saying only that enrollment is declining more on the district’s east than west sides.
White, however, provided no demographic proof to back up his decision.
That information vacuum, coupled with Indianapolis’ general ignorance about the city/county’s complex, changing demographics has led to a vacuum where the community is confused as to why any school should be closed.
This month, Just Tellin’ It will look at our schools — the changing demographics and the upcoming ISTEP results. It’s time our African-American community takes a sharp, strong look at our public schools.
We need to understand Indianapolis’ changing public school demographics. We need to realize that the kids that were bused from IPS are mostly back. We need to realize that most African-Americans attending public schools in Indianapolis do not attend IPS. We need to understand how serious the enrollment decline in IPS really is.
We need to realize the impact of growing Black enrollment in the suburban counties. We need to understand the impact of 21 charter schools in Indianapolis. We need to realize that while charters enroll one-in-20 public school students, they enroll one-in-12 African-American students.
First, one must understand the stark difference between the overall diversity of Indianapolis/Marion County and the diversity in its public schools.
Overall, the city/county is 26.9 percent African-American; 7 percent Hispanic and 64.3 percent Non-Hispanic whites.
But African-Americans comprise 39.9 percent of the students in the 11 largest public school districts in the city/county. Hispanics comprise 11.2 percent of students while non-Hispanic whites make up 44.5 percent. Indianapolis’ public schools are Blacker and browner and less white than the city as a whole.
The city’s major public schools are hemorrhaging students. Student enrollment in this city/county has been declining for over 20 years, led by a steady decline in white enrollment.
But in the past three school years (2006-07 to 2008-09), white and Black enrollment is seemingly in freefall.
White enrollment in the 11 major school districts has declined by 4,223 students or 6.7 percent. That decline is half the size of the entire Franklin Township schools, twice the size of Beech Grove and three the size of Speedway’s schools.
In those same 11 districts, Black enrollment has fallen 1,757 students, 3.5 percent in the past three school years.
Of the white enrollment decline, every school district except the three southern townships has seen sharp white enrollment declines. Whites are in the minority in IPS, Pike, Washington, Lawrence, Warren and Wayne school districts. Blacks are in the majority in IPS and Pike and almost a majority in (44.3 percent) in Warren Township’s schools.
The wild card in public school enrollment is charter schools. There are 21, 17 chartered by Indianapolis’ mayor and four chartered by Ball State University.
This school year it’s estimated that nearly 7,000 are enrolled in charter schools. As a group, charter schools have a higher enrollment than the Speedway, Beech Grove and Decatur Township schools. More significantly, 61 percent of students in charters are African-American.
The data on charters are incomplete because I had serious problems getting information from the charter schools. It seems charters don’t understand their legal obligation to provide public information to the public; especially the media.
I sent e-mails last week to the city’s charters asking for two pieces of data they’d already filed with the Indiana Department of Education; total enrollment and enrollment by race for the current school year.
The major school districts responded within 24 hours. So did Flanner House, Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, Imagine Life Science Academy, Challenger Charter and Lighthouse Academy.
Unfortunately, these charters failed to respond by this column’s deadline: Andrew Brown, Christal House Academy, KIPP, Indianapolis Math & Science and 21st Century Charter at Fountain Square.
Charter schools are public schools with the majority of their students African-American. Our Black community needs to scrutinize and examine charter schools as closely and as fiercely as we evaluate major public school districts.
Not providing basic public information in a timely manner to Black media isn’t how charter schools will gain credibility with me and our community.
What I’m hearing in the streets
A paltry few Washington Township taxpayers, along with the powerful interests out to destroy township government, are having a field day caterwauling about the Washington Township Board’s alleged 60 percent raise. A raise that’s just some $9,400 out of a $1.7 million budget. The powerful business interests who want to destroy township government, even though they’ve crafted no coherent plan for replacing poor relief in the midst of a recession, think what’s happening in Washington Township is a symptom of what’s wrong with smaller government.
Their solution of these sinister forces is create larger government; giving one county official near absolute executive power. Sort of like Indianapolis’ UniGov system, with its powerful mayor.
But those same powerful interests are silent over the fact that the current Indianapolis mayor is traveling on an Asian trade mission paid for with taxpayer dollars.
When former mayors Bill Hudnut, Steve Goldsmith and Bart Peterson took trade trips; those were paid for with private bucks. Gov. Mitch Daniels’ overseas trade visits, including his most recent Asian trip, was paid for with private dollars. And when spouses or family members of the politician travels, those costs are always paid for by the politician themselves.
Yet, there’s been no outcry from those wailing Washington Township taxpayers, media pundits and the powerful township haters about the 30 grand in tax money spent for the mayor, the first lady and a deputy mayor to travel to Japan and China on a business trip with a seemingly unknown mission, goals and objectives.
Worse, Mayor Ballard strong-armed the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee to front the cash. Something GIPC’s never done. A disturbing new precedent for GIPC to act as the mayor’s travel ATM.
A couple of Democratic City-County Councilors spoke out about this odd arrangement. There should be a greater outcry.
If it’s wrong for the a township board to hike their pay a collective $9,400; then its wrong for a mayor and his spouse to travel on a trade junket costing $30,000 as well.
See ‘ya next week.
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
