By Larry Grau, DFER Indiana State Director
As was demonstrated in Denver not so long ago, school board elections matter. On rare occasion, races open up enough to allow for true change to the makeup of a public school board and consequently, schools. We’ve witnessed firsthand the impact a reform-minded board can have on an educational system. Over the past several years, Denver has emerged as a fast-growing and consistently improving city for public education, thanks to the leadership of forward-thinking legislators and board members.
Now, such an opportunity has once again arisen – this time, in Indiana. The November elections are fast approaching, and the filing deadline for school board races in Indiana has passed. In the case of Indiana’s largest district – Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) – we saw several candidates who support education reform step forward. The board that emerges from these elections will carry the potential to usher in a new era in public education – one in which significant improvements can be made to a district that has failed too many students for far too long.
Two such candidates are Caitlin Hannon and Gayle Cosby, who have both launched aggressive campaigns for different seats on the board – with a message of positive, student-focused reform. Caitlin in particular has garnered the attention of leaders within DFER, as well as other prominent organizations supporting education reform. In addition, Sam Odle a well-respected community and business leader, has also filed to run for the open at-large seat.
DFER Indiana will soon be endorsing candidates for the IPS school board. Given the opportunity to change the trajectory of IPS through new board leadership, we plan on being very active in getting our chosen candidates elected. The vision that we’re going to want to see from Gayle, Caitlin, and others includes:
- A belief that all children should have access to high quality schools regardless of where they live;
- A strong commitment to making significant changes within IPS to lift up schools across the district;
- A belief that IPS’ Central Office needs to allow more dollars to be directly applied to meeting the educational needs of all students in the district.; and,
- An understanding of true school autonomy and the need to develop great educational leaders at all levels of schools, with everyone being held accountable for improving student learning.
We will only support the candidates who are truly committed to reforming the system, and are willing to take action immediately upon taking the oath of office in January. It is not enough to talk about reform or act as if you believe in it. True action must be taken. We have been there and done that when it comes to a few of the current IPS Board members – some of which are thankfully not seeking re-election. Their actions as members have resulted in widespread frustration among reform-minded members, talented teachers, and caring parents and families. This is not a new sentiment, but one we are finally in a position to change.