By Larry Grau, DFER Indiana State Director
The Mind Trust recently presented a plan to dramatically reform the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), Indiana’s largest and lowest performing school system. That plan, “Creating Opportunity Schools: A Bold Plan to Transform Indianapolis Public Schools” provides a road map for taking a huge step forward in achieving the goal of insuring every Indianapolis child’s right to a quality education. At a minimum, the plan should serve as a foundation for a much needed and overdue discussion on how to rescue a school system serving our largest city in Indiana. However, in less time than it would take for any human to possibly read, let alone comprehend the nearly 200 page plan, the criticisms were flying, and the attempts to defend the status quo were flowing in full force.
For the record, the most significant recommendations in the plan call for:
• Dramatically shrinking and restructuring the central administration;
• Using efficiency measures to send about $200 million more a year to schools without raising taxes;
• Providing universal prekindergarten to all 4‐year‐olds;
• Giving teachers and principals more autonomy in exchange for more accountability;
• Providing parents with more quality school choices;
• Changing the governance of the district, by placing the schools under mayoral control.
The responses to the plan have ranged from enthusiastic support from our organization and several others, to the typical chorus of why this or that aspect of the plan cannot or should not be done. It is difficult to have a discussion when thoughtful questions and sincere concerns are drowned out by the can’t and won’t crowd. The initial response to the plan, while not unexpected or surprising, has caused me to be concerned people are not grasping what’s at stake here, not just in IPS but for the state and nation. It is perplexing everyone cannot see and agree there are some things occurring – or maybe I should say not occurring – in our current systems that anyone with a pulse should find inexcusable.