The Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) will have to close schools and layoff teachers and staff again next year.
One reason they must do this is because of last Thursday’s announcement that Indiana’s tax revenues are running $763 million below forecasts. That shortfall and lower tax revenues in the last half of 2009 and possibly in all of 2010 will force serious and perhaps draconian cuts at IPS and Indiana’s nearly 300 other school districts.
I spent Thursday at The Legislative Conference, an annual meeting of lobbyists, legislators and public officials who meet to discuss coming legislative issues. The mood was somber because everyone understood that the recession means less taxes coming in and reduced government spending. Much reduced.
A conference panel on education stressed it was going to be tough just keeping K-12 education spending in Indiana at current levels, with no increases for unexpected expenses or new programs.
Because of the property tax deal, Indiana’s now responsible for all general education funding. And with the recession providing reduced income and sales taxes, Indiana’s public schools are facing potentially the worst of all possible worlds.
IPS is hit hard not just because the district is losing its population, but because of the district’s economics. The estimates released this month from the Census’ American Community Survey (ACS) confirm what IPS officials have said for years. The district contains a disproportionate number of poor and working poor households and families. Of the eighty-five Indiana school districts with populations over 20,000; IPS has the fifth lowest median household income and the sixth highest poverty rate.
It costs more to educate students from poor and working poor families. Yet, IPS’ declining enrollment and declining total population means there’s less state dollars available each year. And the property tax reforms means IPS can’t raise property tax dollars to compensate.
Without that ability to tap extra bucks from property taxes, IPS’ enrollment and population declines means less cash, and more schools will close.
IPS isn’t just plagued with declining population and enrollment, the district is one of the poorest in the state.
With the revenue pressures on K-12 education, it’s imperative that the Legislature temporarily halt new charter schools, especially in Marion County. At a time when public school districts will be decreasing staff and closing schools, new charter schools exacerbate the pressures on districts fighting for scarce tax dollars. Especially IPS, which is saddled with 17 charters in its area — more than any other school district.
With Indiana’s budget crisis, especially in the first two year state budget where Indiana’s paying all general education costs, adding no new charter schools is a prudent action.
The state budget crisis also places doubt on efforts by powerful business interests to eviscerate township government by adopting the radical plans of the Kernan-Shepard Commission.
Those pushing government reorganization use the slogan “We’ve got to stop governing like this.”
Well, if they’re serious about government reorganization, then they should agree with me on the logic and common sense of scrapping Indiana’s antiquated state government budget system.
No credible institution creates and operates on two year budgets. Especially in these volatile economic times. No credible business or non-profit runs their institution “guessing” six months to a year in advance what their revenues will be. Much less a two year guess.
Indiana always gets into fiscal trouble and crisis when Indiana guesses wrong about expected tax revenue and expenses over a volatile two year period. Local governments run on yearly budgets. So does Washington. So can the Statehouse.
Indiana used to have yearly budgets and the world didn’t end. The powerful business interests advocating eliminating township government, especially poor relief, like to crow that government should be run more like a business.
Well, their businesses don’t operate with haphazard revenue guesstimates and two year budgets. Indiana shouldn’t anymore. That’s the real government organization we need.
What I’m hearing in the streets
In the early days of the 20th century, Indianapolis was home to a number of automobile manufacturers. Because of that heritage it was always an article of faith and policy that Indianapolis’ government only bought vehicles from American manufacturers.
Until now.
Mayor Greg Ballard’s decision to buy 85 Toyota hybrids for government use is a radical departure from past city practices and procedures. No previous administration — Republican or Democratic — ever bought non-American-owned vehicles.
The mayor and his staff didn’t publicly discuss why they were changing decades of city policy. They just went ahead and did it, and did it while America’s Big 3 automakers were facing a life and death struggle for survival. At a time when it is touch and go whether American-owned auto plants in Indianapolis and the companies that supply them will survive 2009.
The Toyota decision, coupled with removing crime fighting cameras from high crime areas in Black-majority neighborhoods and other decisions continue to reinforce a perception that the Ballard administration is tone deaf and insensitive. A perception that’s growing into reality in many parts of our African-American community.
And it doesn’t help that the local Republican Party reinforces that perception.
This week, the Republican majority on the City-County Council dumped African-American Councilman Kent Smith from the largely ceremonial position of council vice president. Smith was replaced as council vice president by Councilman Ryan Vaughn.
Smith and Barbara Malone are the lone Black Republicans on the council. Smith chairs one of the council’s lesser committees — Community Affairs. Malone chairs no committee.
This after an election where, other than veteran Judge Cynthia Ayres, there was only one Black GOP candidate for legislative or countywide offices. And after an election where the major Republican countywide candidates pointedly ignored the Black community.
With the Ballard administration doing things like working against increasing racial diversity in the leadership of the Metropolitan Police and the Fire Department and removing cameras from crime plagued Black neighborhoods, the local GOP continues to turn its back on our community.
Next year we won’t have a major election going on in Indianapolis. Next year promises to be a year when Indianapolis wakes up to what its mayor is, or more importantly, isn’t doing.
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.
