THE INDIANAPOLIS URBAN LEAGUE AND
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COALITION OF INDIANAPOLIS
REQUEST A RESPONSE FROM
THE INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

IPS Board of Commissioners,
Today the African American Coalition of Indianapolis (AACI) hosted a press conference to address the concerns around the current legislation that could impact IPS schools.
AACI is a coalition of faith-based, civil rights, and community organizations that engage in policy and community concerns. We have not felt there has been any open discussions on those impacts, sharing of resources, and next steps.
Below are several questions that we feel the community needs answers to support IPS on our shared goals for quality education for all students in the IPS school district.
We are interested in your insights on the following questions and would appreciate a response by February 14, preferably in a public forum that we are happy to host. We want to emphasize this is in the spirit of community collaboration and transparency given that these conversations too often happen behind closed doors.
AACI Members In attendance
National Coalition of Black Women
Indianapolis Urban League
Great Indianapolis NAACP Chapter
Fathers and Family
You can watch the press conference on the AACI Facebook page:
Below is the press release issued for the AACI Press Conference hosted today (January 23, 2025) at the Indianapolis, Urban League.
African American Coalition of Indianapolis Press Conference with Questions for IPS Board of Commissioners on Legislation Concerning IPS
Indianapolis, IN (Thursday 23, 2025) – The African American Coalition of Indianapolis (AACI) is requesting a response from the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) Board of Commissioners on the critical questions surrounding legislation impacting the services of the public school organization.
Currently, the board has not addressed community concerns around the financial impacts of these bills if they move forward at the statehouse.
The AACI is a pillar in the community with a collective of over 20 civic-minded organizations that prioritize these key questions, provide comprehensive information to the community, and lead communication with legislatures. Join AACI members and other concerned community leaders for this emergency press conference.
- How will sharing funding with unaffiliated charter schools impact IPS’s traditional school operations, transportation, and support for its innovation schools?
- How does the presence of 11 charter school authorizers impact IPS?
- How does IPS currently support charter schools in the district?
- SB 518 would require the sharing of property tax dollars collected after a referendum. Given the frequent closing of charter schools will IPS request the ability to claw back tax dollars from closed charter schools?
- How do HB 1136, HB 1501, and SB 518 work to ensure all students in IPS, in the IPS boundary, and Indianapolis are served well?
- Who from our community is supporting these legislative efforts and why hasn’t our community been engaged to help find solutions instead of, once again, actions being done to us and not with us?
- Ultimately, who benefits and who is burdened by these policies?