Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis councilors still considering new city education fund

Published

12 months ago

March 6, 2025

Indianapolis councilors still considering new city education fund

INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Ideas for a new city education fund are still in the works.

Councilor Keith Graves, chair of the City-County Council’s Education Committee, told Mirror Indy after a public meeting March 4 that despite not making the committee’s agenda this month, proposals for the fund are still being worked on.

“To get full buy-in from our education community, from our colleagues on the council and from our constituency, it has to be well produced,” said Graves, an eastside Democrat.

He did not say when he expects a completed proposal to come back before the council.

“It’s not something we can do haphazardly,” Graves said. “We’re not in a rush, because we want a great product.”

Two visions for city education fund

Earlier this year, councilors considered two proposals for a new fund that would capture money from private developers seeking public funding and put it toward public school education.

One proposal, sponsored by Graves, sought to create a grant fund overseen by a committee of council and mayoral appointees. But, councilors in late January voted against this proposal.

Graves said at the time that his proposal didn’t go far enough to help kids and that he expected a new proposal to be introduced this month.

A draft of that proposal, provided to Mirror Indy by another councilor, suggested a different kind of fund that would give money directly to families.

It also proposed giving two oversight committee seats to representatives selected by RISE INDY, a nonprofit with a history of support for local charter schools.

City effort comes amid broader funding debate

The nonprofit said at the time that it looked forward to working with Graves and other councilors on the new proposal.

But, RISE INDY has since found itself at the center of a broader debate as lawmakers consider a polarizing bill that would push some property tax money away from traditional public school districts and into nearby charter schools.

Three people in the council’s education committee meeting March 4 carried signs reading, “Fully Funded Fully Public” and “No education slush funds.” The Central Indiana AFL-CIO has also launched a campaign opposing the fund. Its online petition has collected 800 letters.

And the meeting came a day after about 40 people marched to the City-County Building in support of Councilor Jesse Brown, who has spoken critically of RISE INDY and was recently expelled from the city’s Democratic caucus.

Graves told Mirror Indy after the meeting that the timing of councilors’ proposals was unrelated to the larger conversation about public school funding. He said RISE INDY has been “extremely helpful” but not necessarily a partner in the city’s education fund effort.

A RISE INDY spokesperson also addressed the effort in a statement provided to Mirror Indy.

“We trust city-county councilors to determine the best path forward to get resources to high-needs families in public schools across this city,” the statement reads.

The council’s education committee is scheduled to meet next on April 8.

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

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Indianapolis, IN

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

Published

4 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.

Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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