Just a few weeks ago, I was so proud to meet Diarie, a third grader who spoke at the opening of a new media center at Ernie Pyle School 90.
Thanks to the generosity of this community, we have been celebrating new opportunities for every student to explore their passions all year at the openings of so many updated IPS schools across our city. And, the cherry on top, Diarie and I were also celebrating that we had the same hairstyle!
Ever since, I’ve been asking myself a more sober thought: what happens to Diarie, and so many other students, if those kinds of choices no longer exist?
Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is a remarkable place, and I am so proud that 31,000 students have chosen us to call home. They have chosen a place rooted in a deep history of more than 150 years in our great city. They have chosen a place that recognizes diversity is a superpower. They have chosen a school that meets their needs and the needs of their family. They’ve found a community, and it is our hope and commitment that, every day, our schools are places where students are known, seen, loved and learning.
Unfortunately, a group of state legislators is threatening this vision. Even with over 70% of public school students in the IPS boundary choosing a school that’s a part of IPS, they have proposed legislation that would cause our district to lose $174 million, forcing us to close schools, reduce or eliminate transportation for thousands of students in our neighborhood and innovation schools, and eliminate the jobs of hard-working staff.
The question I continue to wrestle with as the superintendent is, “Then what?”
Then what for the students in Diarie’s third-grade class? Then what for families who have experienced change and disruption time and time again? Then what for our most vulnerable students served in our schools — those who have intensive medical needs or severe learning disabilities? Then what for our students who are newly arrived in this country and learning a new language and culture? Then what for our dedicated staff members — many of whom are tax-paying residents of our district — who will need to find new employment?
Perhaps the weight that sits with me most heavily is that the progress we’ve started to make just this year through our Rebuilding Stronger initiative will be extremely hard to preserve amid the proposed cuts. It will be virtually impossible to continue making our best offerings available to every family in every neighborhood. With a budget reduction of this size, we will have to close schools, scaling back on a variety of academic paths, arts, music, team sports, foreign languages and facilities improvements like the new media center at Ernie Pyle.
At a time when proposed legislation will contribute an additional $183 million dollars to support vouchers over the next two years, our community can choose to come together and advocate that our public-school students get what they need to be successful as well. You will never hear me advocate to keep students from getting access to the resources they need, but the answer cannot be to take away from one group to give to another. In this version of history, everyone loses. The legislation our General Assembly is considering incentivizes schools, families and neighbors to look out only for themselves instead of seeing ourselves in each other. It creates many unanswered questions for which there are currently no answers. It undermines what I believe our elected officials want to see: strong communities, strong towns and cities that, in turn, create a strong Indiana.
Early in the year, I met with a group of community leaders who dared us to think from a mindset of abundance, not scarcity. They dared us to imagine an Indiana where there is enough for all of our children to be served well — regardless of the neighborhood they’re from or the type of school they attended. It can feel daunting to dream like that right now, but I think we have to challenge ourselves to do it. Our kids need us to imagine — and then act — to create that kind of world.
When I think about why our school system matters, I think about the power of Diarie’s experience speaking in front of a roomful of adults, proud of her school and full of excitement for the possibilities ahead for her future.
Diarie walked away from that ribbon-cutting with a feeling every student should have. The power of being affirmed, of being told you are valued. The power of seeing yourself in the leaders around you. Of a shared history and future. The power of being part of a community that invests in you because they know you’re worth it. I hope she remembers, too, meeting her superintendent who had hair just like hers and who she knows will fight for her to have the best future the same way I fight for my own kids.
We need to see ourselves and our children in every one of our students, and fight for strong futures where everything is possible. If we want our city to be a place of abundance, we have to start with our schools. I hope you’ll join me in choosing a strong and stable IPS. Our students, our families and our community deserve it.
Dr. Aleesia Johnson proudly serves as the Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools.
Beautifully said Dr. Johnson. It never should have been a “them vs us” with public and charter schools in Indiana, but the legislators are forcing us to fight over funding scraps. Providing a strong, well-funded education for all students will pay off economically for the state in the long run if legislators can take the time to look past their own noses (and donors).
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