Oftentimes when I am going through a challenging time, I remind myself everything that doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger. During these times my only options are death (a prospect I’m trying to put off as long as I can) or an incredible resurgence. I always aim for the latter.
I imagine that Indianapolis Public School (IPS) Superintendent Eugene White feels the same.
Everyone knew White was going to have to cut spending in the city’s largest school district, so it came as no surprise when the board approved his plan to eliminate 357 positions, 269 of which are teachers’ jobs.
White has tremendous tasks to deal with, but I believe one of his primary challenges is enrollment. And there is a big ‘ol thorn in IPS’ side called charter schools.
Over the years, IPS has lost 10,000 students to charter schools and the numbers continue to grow. While I am not blaming charter schools individually for the problem, as they are simply executing their specific goals, I do think some considerations need to be made relative to their impact.
For instance, there are 23 charter schools in IPS’ district. They are clustered within IPS’ radius, but not within other townships such as Washington and Pike. It appears as if there was and continues to be an overt attempt to saturate Center Township (i.e. IPS).
I am always in support of an enterprising spirit and options, so charter schools definitely have a place in our city, but is it fair to oversaturate a specific area, while not existing in other areas? What if a Washington Township family wanted to send their child to a charter school near their home? Diversifying the location of charter schools would not only provide parents in other districts more choice, but it would also seem less like charters are out to get IPS and more like they are genuinely interested in providing quality education options to all households.
While individual charter schools should not be blamed for the woes IPS is currently experiencing, a large portion of the blame does fall on Mayor Greg Ballard’s shoulders.
Regardless of one’s political party, the mayor of a city as large as Indianapolis should always be an advocate for the city’s school system. Although former Mayor Bart Peterson was an integral force in getting charter schools in Indianapolis, he remained a supporter of IPS. Peterson publicly acknowledged the importance of IPS as well as the school system’s contributions to the city. He would also attend various IPS events. So while one of Peterson’s top agenda items was charter schools, he also supported IPS because it is a city school system.
When the talk of charters initially began, I always recognized the potential conflict of interest any sitting mayor could face: charters are mayor-sanctioned, but the mayor also has a responsibility to IPS.
Whether it’s Ballard or Melina Kennedy, the next mayor needs to be an advocate of IPS. Think about it: when a family is considering moving to a new city, they look at the public educational system and see how it ranks nationally. Supporting IPS will help with economic development in the city.
The next mayor also has to have a presence within IPS. Despite what many believe, IPS is thriving educationally – it has more programming and magnet options than any other district in the state, yet people continue to look down upon it. I can only imagine how some IPS students may feel when they see the mayor at various events (including charter school visits), but never at IPS. We can very easily create an inferiority complex among these children if we are not careful.
Parents also need to step up more. I am so tired of parents complaining about uniforms and other IPS rules that have been in place for quite awhile, yet they don’t help their children with homework. It is time for parents to take responsibility for their children’s educational enhancement … they need to step up to the plate and do more for their children, or stop complaining about policies and procedures that have been implemented for years.
You can e-mail comments to Shannon Williams at Shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
