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

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

12 hours 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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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

Published

24 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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Indianapolis, IN

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Brody Robinson had 19 points in Oakland’s 86-74 win against IU Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Robinson added 13 assists for the Golden Grizzlies (16-14, 12-7 Horizon League). Tuburu Niavalurua scored 16 points, going 6 of 10 and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ziare Wells had 14 points and finished 7 of 15 from the field.

Maguire Mitchell led the Jaguars (7-23, 3-16) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and four assists. Kyler D’Augustino added 14 points for IU Indianapolis. Micah Davis also had 12 points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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