MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday September 23, 2025
Media Contact:
Kayla Mattas
Marketing and Communications Director | She, Her, Hers | Stand for Children Indiana | M 765-721-2833 | [email protected]
Parents, teachers to deliver 2,000 signatures to mayor, ILEA to showcase broad support for bold changes in IPS
Indianapolis — A group of Indianapolis parents, educators and youth will hand over more than 2,000 petition signatures to members of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA) during Wednesday’s public meeting. The petition supports the ideas outlined in Together We Thrive — a community-driven vision for student success first presented to ILEA members in August.
When:
6 p.m. | Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Where:
Broad Ripple Middle School, Mini Auditorium
1115 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Together We Thrive calls for a series of bold changes to Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and the local public charter school sector, including:
- Expanding transportation access so every school offers services for students who lack parental transportation;
- Unifying all public schools—IPS and charter—under a single IPS district governed by a board of both elected and appointed members;
- Empowering schools with the freedom to make decisions that best serve their students;
- Holding all schools accountable through a shared set of data-driven expectations and growing quality programs in every neighborhood;
- Redirecting more tax dollars to classrooms — elevating teacher pay and reducing administrative overhead; and
- Ensuring the next IPS referendum reflects these ideas for a reimagined system of schools in IPS.
IPS educator Bony Georges and Dontia Dyson, a father of two boys attending Matchbook School #63, will speak at the ILEA meeting before delivering the petition signatures to Mayor Joe Hogsett and members of the task force. Georges and Dyson helped co-author Together We Thrive and gathered signatures in communities throughout IPS over the last two months.
“These aren’t just names on a page,” said Dyson. “They’re families who’ve faced real barriers and still believe in the power of coming together for our kids.”
“We’re not here to debate school types,” added Georges. “We’re here to build one system that sees and supports every student.”
About the recommendations created by advocates:
Together We Thrive was created by a diverse group of parents, students, educators, and neighbors from every corner of Indianapolis—united by a shared commitment to better public education for all. The advocates delivering the petition are volunteer leaders affiliated with Stand for Children Indiana, a nonprofit that has worked for nearly 15 years to elevate community voices and improve education outcomes for historically underserved students in Indianapolis.
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