“Everyday we wait, more children are falling through the cracks,” stated Justin Ohlemiller, executive director of Stand for Children, to a crowd of media and supporters.
Ohlemiller, along with a group of Indianapolis Public School (IPS) parents and their children, gathered at IPS headquarters to present 1,000 signatures to school officials, including Supt. Dr. Lewis Ferebee. The signatures, which were collected physically and electronically, were from supporters of Stand for Indiana’s parent plan titled “Every child, every neighborhood: A parent vision for excellence in IPS.”
The 11-page document details a set of demands for better principals and teachers, higher performing schools in every neighborhood and a greater support system for parents and guardians–that the group desires to be implemented in the next strategic plan for IPS.
Cynequa Goodridge, a product of IPS and a member of the committee responsible for the plan’s creation, said her involvement in Stand for Indiana came as a result of her concern for School #103 where her second grade son attends. She said she was unaware the school was failing.
“He’s been there since kindergarten and he’s had two wonderful teachers and some positive experiences,” she said.
Goodridge’s story is not uncommon. Currently, over 15,000 IPS students attend D-or F-rated schools. That number covers more than half of IPS students.
“There is some inequity that exists where some neighborhoods of poverty don’t have access to great schools,” said Ohlemiller. “We want to see those schools transformed into high performing schools.”
In May, news of Ferebee’s preliminary conversations with city officials to create a common enrollment platform that would include access to charter school enrollment garnered a mixed response from the public. Some who opposed the idea saw it as a potential misuse of the district’s resources and a move that may prove to be more beneficial to charters as opposed to IPS.
When asked if future charter/IPS collaborations were of concern to the parents, Ohlemiller said they were not.
“I think these parents aren’t worried about school type, I think they are concerned about the type of education their children are receiving,” he said. “The message here today is they want IPS to deliver a high quality education to the children in Indianapolis and whether that is through traditional neighborhood schools or through partnering with other school entities, those are all acceptable options.”
Ferebee made a few statements upon receiving the petition signatures.
“As you know we’ve been embarking on this strategic plan process for some time and it is an amazing feature to have parents here today to help us draft the vision and the direction for IPS,” said Ferebee. “We are very fortunate to have this feedback, particularly from our parents because we know we need you to be involved to insure all our students realize excellence in our schools.” Ferebee shared IPS seeks to have their strategic plan launch this August.
IPS school board members Diane Arnold and Mary Ann Sullivan were there to echo those sentiments. “We hear you, we value you, and we know everything we do is about you,” said Sullivan.
Ohlemiller said their group is optimistic about what the future holds for the school district.
“This is an administration that understands that change is needed – this is different than it has normally been in IPS,” he said. “We have an administration that is willing to listen and wants parents to be engaged and wants to listen to their ideas and take ownership of the fact that its about student results and achievement for kids – its not about adults.”
For more information on Stand for Children Indiana, visit Stand.org/Indiana.
