Public education in Indianapolis is under siege:
- We have unelected charter operatives, who have worked for decades to undermine truly public schools, installed to run the agencies deciding which schools live and die;Â
- and a ballot challenge aimed at silencing a public education advocate so voters have no choice but the charter industry player.
- In some good news, Warren Township School Board showed what fighting for our collective public goods looks like, by standing in opposition to a harmful data center in their community.
First up, a charter lifer now runs the unelected agency that can make funding decisions for our schools. On Wednesday, the Hogsett-controlled Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC) board unanimously installed Karega Rausch as executive director – at a salary that will be multiple-six figures that comes directly from money that should go to classrooms. Rausch spent the last decade as CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizer, running charter policy for two Indianapolis mayors, and leading Stand for Children Indiana. Handing the very real power that IPEC holds to someone with such a deep anti-public school history tells you exactly whose interests come first. We condemn this selection, and believe that the power held by IPEC is fundamentally illegitimate.
Next, IPS District 4 candidate Lindsey Cornett, who is running for the seat vacated by Allissa Impink and got verbal support from Impink back in June, is fighting a challenge to strip her from the ballot. The challenge was filed by a resident who declined to comment when asked about his motivations by WFYI. The complaint leans on a disputed filing-deadline technicality, a challenge to how Cornett labeled her own party, and a single signature. Her opponent, Chris Bultman is the regional director of external affairs at Concept Schools, which, you’ll be shocked to hear, is a charter school management organization. We stand with Cornett’s right to make her case to voters.
Finally, some good news! You may recall that back in April, the Warren Township school board became one of the first elected bodies in the city to pass a resolution opposing the DC Blox data center near the Pennsy Trail. The unelected Metropolitan Development Commission approved the data center anyway on July 15, over sustained community opposition. The board reaffirmed their strong opposition the very next day, despite being courted by DC Blox directly. This is precisely what we need from our democratically elected school boards in the face of ongoing privatization. Let’s make sure ALL of our school boards do the right thing for our communities!
Join Central Indiana DSA’s organizing efforts fighting for accountable, fully funded and fully public schools, for the public good, and against every attempt to hand control to unelected corporate interests. Head to centralindsa.org/events to get plugged in!