On March 12 advocates and staffers went to the statehouse to support House Bill 1498. They shared about their belief in school accountability and the need for action to ensure no school can fail year after year. They spoke to the importance of 9th grade, and asked for an A-F system with an indicator that holds schools accountable for closing the opportunity gap.
I know from personal experience that being on track in ninth grade is the track to success. I am sharing my story because I believe our state needs an intentional approach to focus on the success of those students in ninth grade, as that year has proven to be the most consequential indicator of success in a high school career.
The data and research are crystal clear: ninth graders who end their first year of high school with enough credits to become sophomores are three to four times more likely to graduate on time – the linchpin for success in life. This ninth grade indicator is a better predictor of high school success than all other factors, including race, income, ZIP code, etc.
On March 5, two parents and two students affiliated with Stand for Children Indiana waited at the Statehouse for over five hours to testify on Senate Bill 518. These advocates testified in favor of the bill because of their love for Indianapolis– and their strongly held belief that IPS can and must change to meet the needs and challenges of all 42,000 children within the district. Organizationally, we support this bill because we know there is a significant funding gap between school types in Indianapolis, with charters receiving an average of $7,900 less per student compared to traditional schools. When you total up this gap, it means public charter schools are receiving over $100 million less in funding compared to traditional public schools in IPS. We hope that through this bill, IPS and state leaders who are both opposed and supportive find some desperately needed common ground and a path towards ensuring our public schools are funded fairly.
Please take a moment to watch advocate testimony on Senate Bill 518:
During the February IPS Action Session, several parents and advocates affiliated with Stand for Children Indiana went to the podium to speak up. Check out what they had to say in the below videos:
“I hope we can continue to support teachers that inspire students and encourage them to stay inside the classroom so that future students will have a better chance at learning and thriving both inside the classroom and out in the real world.”
We need to dramatically increase pay for our most effective teachers. Watch my story to learn about my teacher who went above and beyond when I needed her:
From supporting educators to increasing our graduation rates, it’s critical that our legislators work to ensure our schools and students have the funding, tools, and resources they need to prepare young people and our communties for long term success.
Help us advocate for students this legislative session by pledging to take action!
I attended and then walked out of the last IPS Action session. I walked out angry and I walked out hurt. I walked out feeling fully disregarded and disrespected.
If you missed it, all the commissioners took turns stating their personal reasons for opposing specific bills. When it was Commissioner Gayle Cosby’s turn, she decided to attack several organizations, including Stand for Children Indiana.
But she didn’t just attack Stand Indiana as an organization, she attacked parents like me. When she said parents like me should be discounted because we read from “scripts” and are paid to speak at school board meetings, I was livid.
And here’s why:
Stand for Children Indiana may have led me to that IPS podium, but they have NEVER told me what to say. Her words told me that she believes parents aren’t knowledgeable enough and we don’t care enough to speak our truth.
Stand for Children Indiana may have helped me learn how to find and use my voice and make my voice louder, but again…they never told me what to say.
Stand for Children Indiana may have helped me get to a meeting, removed barriers and obstacles that so many parents like me face, but again…I have my own voice.
Stand for Children Indiana has asked me and thousands of parents like me what we want for our kids. They have listened to me and have never asked me to say anything but my truth.
And today, I am angry. I am just as angry as I was at the January action session.
I would never expect every commissioner to share my every view. But I do expect respect and what Commissioner Cosby did during the last board meeting, making parents like me feel like everything we have done for students was worthless, was fully disrespectful.
I expect MORE of our elected officials and you should too.
After you sign this pledge, I’ll be in touch with next steps and ways you can join me.
On Tuesday, February 11, several advocates went to the statehouse to support Senate Bill 518. The statehouse was packed with both people who support and oppose this bill. We support Senate Bill 518 because we know there is a significant funding gap between school types in Indianapolis, with charters receiving an average of $7,900 less per student compared to traditional schools. When you total up this gap, it means public charter schools are receiving over $100 million less in funding compared to traditional public schools. If we removed the charter vs. traditional framing, and all the built-up politics that have sewn division rather than generate solutions, I would find it hard to believe any person would argue that two public schools in the same zip code should have vastly different resources.
It is our hope that the dialogue with district leaders, bill authors and community partners will continue, and that there is openness to solutions that acknowledge the fact we must do right by all 42,000 public school students within IPS boundaries.
Advocates who testified in favor of equitably sharing property taxes with all public school types waited for hours in order to testify and while they were limited it time, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to hear what they had to say:
“My son has attended both traditional public schools and public charter schools. The value of his education didn’t change between those two buildings, but how much of my taxes went toward his education did. It’s definitely unfair when you think about the fact that I live in this community where I pay taxes. My neighbor lives in the same community, and we may pay the same taxes, but their child goes to a traditional public school and therefore, their student’s education is valued much higher.”
Good morning.
My name is Sasha Fletcher, and I am a parent of a public high school student here in Indianapolis. I am here today to speak about Senate Bill 518 because I believe that how much we value a student’s education should not be determined by the type of public school building that they walk into.
Whether it’s a public school or a public charter school, our kids should have equitable funding. The students in our public charter schools deserve to have the same opportunities at school as students who attend our traditional public schools. The students in both schools deserve teachers to have better pay; deserve the money to have equipment that they need; deserve to have clean, safe and innovative classrooms; and deserve to have transportation to get them to school.
My son has attended both traditional public schools and public charter schools. The value of his education didn’t change between those two buildings, but how much of my taxes went toward his education did.
It’s definitely unfair when you think about the fact that I live in this community where I pay taxes. My neighbor lives in the same community, and we may pay the same taxes, but their child goes to a traditional public school and therefore, their student’s education is valued much higher.
And in this scenario, I’m not alone. 54% of public school students in IPS boundaries receive an average of $7,900 less for their education. Of 45,500 total K-12 students in the IPS boundaries, only 21,000 or 46%, are in traditional or non-charter innovation schools, which receive almost all the property tax dollars collected.
As a homeowner and taxpayer in Indianapolis, I would like to see my tax dollars applied to both our traditional public schools as well as our public charter schools.
I am really glad to see this bill and hope that it results in the equitable sharing of property taxes between IPS and charter schools.
“We need to look past the politics and the debates about school type. It should be about the students. And I don’t think we should value a student less because of the type of building they are walking into. With the student is where the money belongs. When it comes to education, we should be fighting for the same mission, to make sure our kids get a quality education.”
Good morning.
My name is Shawanda Tyson and I am a public-school parent of two children – one in the 10th grade and one in the 4th grade.
Both of my sons currently attend charter schools — Paramount Brookside and Believe Circle City High School, which is an innovation charter school in the IPS portfolio. While they currently attend charter schools, they have both also attended traditional public schools in IPS. I support both school types and because of this, I would like to see both school types funded equitably.
Right now, our traditional school students receive much more funding than our students who attend public charter schools.
I think we need the equitable sharing of property taxes.
We need to look past the politics and the debates about school type. It should be about the students. And I don’t think we should value a student less because of the type of building they are walking into. With the student is where the money belongs.
When it comes to education, we should be fighting for the same mission—to make sure our kids get a quality education.
I know this would be an adjustment for IPS. I do support and love IPS. But I know it can be done. I have also advocated at IPS for them to share property taxes because no matter the school type my son’s attend, I believe it has to fair. I believe the tax dollars need to go to the students.
It bothers me that we value kids differently based on the type of building they walk into. I just don’t think it is right. All our schools need resources, and every child deserves opportunities and great teachers.
It also bothers me that transportation isn’t always offered at charter schools because they are in charge of funding their own buses and can’t always afford it without their share of these taxes. It means even of a charter school is a good option for your kid…sometimes you just can’t get them there.
I am glad to see this bill and I hope you will support sharing property taxes with all our public schools, including public charter schools. Thank you.
“The benefit I have experienced in innovation schools such as matchbook school 63, the school one of my son’s attends now, has been the autonomy. Their ability to adjust to the needs of students. I have seen and felt this. But along with that choice, I want to see equity in how our schools are funded.”
Hello Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy committee members,
My name is Dontia Dyson. I am here to support Senate Bill 518 because as a parent, I want to make the choice to send my kid to the school that is best for them and I want my child’s public education to be funded the same, no matter if they attend a charter school, innovation charter school or a traditional school in IPS.
I believe we should have equity in how our schools are funded.
I have two children in the IPS district right now. My children have attended traditional schools in the district as well as innovation schools. As a parent, I like to have the choice to send my children to a school that best works for them.
The benefit I have experienced in innovation schools such as matchbook school 63, the school one of my son’s attends now, has been the autonomy. Their ability to adjust to the needs of students. I have seen and felt this. But along with that choice, I want to see equity in how our schools are funded.
All our public schools should be accountable to our kids. All our schools need resources for our kids. All schools need to be able to support our kids with great teachers, buses and making sure they are getting a great education. All our public schools, therefore, should have access to their equitable share of property taxes.
I know my children deserve equitable funding, no matter what public school they go to. The tax dollars should follow the kid.
What we are doing now isn’t equitable for our students or our schools. Please make sure property taxes are shared with public schools of all types. Support Senate bill 518.
Thank you.
“I think if we received more funding, our school can continue to grow these opportunities for students and make it more accessible for all. It would unlock a whole new world of possibilities for our Black and Brown students, as that is the majority population at our school.”
I believe that how much we value a student’s education should not be determined by the type of public school building that they walk into.
The majority of K-12 students in IPS boundaries attend a charter school of some type (innovation or independent charter). However, these schools are forced to perform with a funding gap that averages about $7,900 per student because property taxes do not get distributed to charter schools.
On February 5, three Stand for Children Indiana advocates testified on House Bill 1500. Each advocate shared their stories and explained why they support teacher appreciation grants being used to dramatically increase pay for our most effective teachers. Watch their testimonies here:
