When Federal Judge S. Hugh Dillin ordered 5,500 African-American students bused from the Indianapolis Public Schools to six Marion County township districts, he unleashed the biggest substantive change in the character of our African-American community.
Judge Dillin hoped that busing kids from their segregated neighborhoods would lead to their parents moving into the all-white township neighborhoods.
Twenty-seven years later Dillin’s hopes have been realized. And they’re radically changing Indianapolis and its African-American community. Proof of Dillin’s legacy is found in official 2008-09 school enrollment data and estimates from the Census Bureau’s new American Community Survey.
For the current school year, 1,821 Black students are still bused to the townships, which now have a total Black enrollment of 18,533. In Lawrence and Warren townships, bused-from-IPS students comprise just 1.3 percent of Lawrence Township’s Black students and 1.9 percent of Warren’s.
Wayne Township’s bused Blacks are only 15.5 percent of that district’s Black enrollment.
But the sea change has occurred in Marion County’s three Southern townships. Today, the majority of Black students in the Perry, Decatur and Franklin Township schools live in those townships.
Some 52.4 percent of Perry’s Black students live in Perry; 68.1 percent of Decatur’s Black students live there; in Franklin 72.7 percent of their Black students live there. That in-township Black enrollment has fueled the huge increase in Black population on Marion County’s far Southside.
IPS isn’t the school district for most Indianapolis students. Of the 52,839 Black students enrolled in Marion County public schools, just 36.3 percent attend IPS. The majority (55.5 percent) attends township, Beech Grove or Speedway schools.
IPS is battling the departure of the Black population from IPS. A decline that’s become more pronounced since the 2000 Census. New estimates released Tuesday under the Census’ new American Community Survey program document how severe population loss has been out of IPS.
Countywide, Blacks have left Center Township in increasing numbers since 2000. The Census ACS reports Center’s Black population has dropped 17.4 percent, or 12,108 in seven years.
Meanwhile, the Black population has soared in the townships, led by a 7,633-person increase in Pike; 5,827 in Warren, 4,394 in Lawrence and 4,405 in Wayne. Black population in Washington Township is stagnant. And while the numbers are far smaller, Black population has exploded on the Southside. Up 87.4 percent (1,611) in Perry, 473.9 percent (1,545) in Franklin and 306.8 percent (1,181) in Decatur; mirroring the growth in Black student enrollment living there.
Since 2000, in the IPS district area, Census ACS estimates overall population has dropped by 37,308 or 11.3 percent and Black population dropped 18,837 or 13.2 percent.
In its heyday, IPS’ strength was based on Center Township, which then was home to Indy’s Black community. The rapid migration of Blacks away from Center hastened IPS’ decline. In 1970, 90 percent of Blacks lived in Center. By 2000, just a third of the Black community lived there.
Now, the newest Census ACS estimates says just 25 percent of Indy’s Blacks live in Center, with 16.5 percent living in Lawrence, 16.1 percent in Washington, 13.8 percent in Pike, 13.7 percent in Wayne and 11.8 percent in Warren.
Besides the sharp decline in Black population in the old city/IPS area and the growth of Black population in the townships and suburban counties, Indianapolis’ 21 charter schools are another reason for IPS’ precipitous decline.
This year, the city/county’s charter schools had their biggest one-year enrollment growth ever. Charters are up 1,911 in total enrollment, a 36.1 percent increase. Black enrollment in charters also increased 1,105, or 34.1 percent.
In the last school year before charters (2001-02), IPS had 41,226 students; 24,067 Black. Since then, IPS has lost 7,402 students; 5,900 Black. The 21 charters combined have a total enrollment of 7,206; 60.3 percent of whom, or 4,347, are Black.
Karega Rausch heads the Mayor’s Charter School Office. Hired by former Mayor Bart Peterson, Rausch was retained by Mayor Greg Ballard who’s yet to articulate his vision for charters.
Interviewed on WTLC-AM (1310) “Afternoons with Amos,” Rausch said charters aren’t to blame for IPS’ enrollment woes, citing a bunch of stats to make his point. But the problem is seemingly that the entire charter system was aimed at IPS. Especially with 16 of the 21 charters located in IPS neighborhoods.
Speaking of IPS, officials took exception to last week’s column where I said they’d “been vague” explaining the demographic reasons for closing schools. IPS sent me a PowerPoint presentation made to those in affected neighborhoods. The presentation said that on the far Eastside, where two IPS schools may close, IPS lost 800 students from last year to this.
IPS didn’t reveal that there are three charter schools (Andrew Brown, Monument Lighthouse and Imagine Life Sciences) on the far Eastside. Enrollment in those charters increased 736 this year, including the new Imagine charter, which opened with 596 students.
All the closed and bulldozed apartments in the Meadows area, along with that area’s two charter schools helped doom IPS schools. The many foreclosed and abandoned properties on the near Eastside also exacerbated the closing of some area IPS schools.
The willy-nilly proliferation of charter schools is having a negative impact on IPS. And with their largest student increase ever, our community can’t ignore the impact charters are having on IPS.
But closed apartment complexes and abandoned homes in many IPS neighborhoods are another factor. Constantly changing programs and priorities hurt IPS at a time when parents are demanding consistency and progress from our public schools.
IPS changes missions and programs more than a fashion model changes clothes. Remember IPS’ big move towards smaller high schools? I hear some of those smaller schools have been disbanded.
What about IPS’ legion of alternative schools? I only count two on IPS’ and the State Education department’s Web sites. But I hear there are nearly 20 alternative schools. Why can’t you find info about them?
There’s been lots of talk about reducing IPS and the city/county’s high dropout rate. But all it has been is talk — no action.
Last week, Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern and Washington Township among school districts and Charles Tindley and Andrew Brown among charters demonstrated that Black students can score great on ISTEP tests.
What are they doing right?
Why can’t IPS, Franklin and Decatur townships and these charters, 21st Century/Fall Creek, Monument Lighthouse and Challenge Academy, the districts/schools with the lowest Black ISTEP results, improve?
Improving school performance. Next week.
See ‘ya then.
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.
