Indianapolis, IN

IPS school board asks for a voice in legislature

Published

12 months ago

January 31, 2025

IPS school board asks for a voice in legislature

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The Indianapolis Public Schools board took a stand against bills at the statehouse that could dismantle the district in a statement at its Thursday meeting, calling on the public to share their concerns with lawmakers.

But in a rare move for a board that has in recent years prided itself on presenting a united front, some board members wrote separate additional statements calling for change from the powerful education reform organizations that have faced heightened criticism since the legislation was introduced.

The board’s statement, which members took turns reading before a crowd of over 50 people, is the district’s latest response to a legislative session that could challenge the district’s future viability. House Bill 1136, the most extreme bill facing the district, would dissolve IPS and its elected school board and replace it with charter schools overseen by an appointed board. Another bill, House Bill 1501, would strip the district of its power over transportation and facilities.

A third proposal would force IPS to give charter schools what charter advocates have long pushed for: more tax dollars. These bills all come as Gov. Mike Braun advocates for property tax cuts statewide and the district faces a severe budget shortfall in the coming years.

“All together, the picture that comes into focus is challenging but clear: There simply is no scenario where the district looks in a decade the way it does today,” board member Hope Hampton read from the statement.

The board’s statement adds to the city’s increasingly politically charged education environment. Roughly 30 people spoke in public comment on Thursday, at times shouting back at the board during their individual statements and pushing for more time for public comment. The legislative proposals have not been heard in committees at the Statehouse yet, and some argued that HB 1136 is a bargaining chip to force IPS to share more property tax revenues with charter schools.

In its statement, the board said it will “show an authentic willingness to work together” as it did in 2014, when the legislature passed the Innovation schools law. But the board also nodded to a potential overabundance of schools for the district’s population of roughly 40,000 students, and said that closing or consolidating schools “can not rest only with our district.” It also said “all of our public schools must be included in this solution.”

The board called House Bill 1136 “a non-starter” that would destabilize the district’s financial foundations and strip communities of their voice. House Bill 1501 would create confusion and raise taxes, the board said. And Senate Bill 518 would shift tens of millions of dollars from the district to charter schools.

“Revenue loss on that scale — which could approach half the district’s operations fund budget — would unquestionably force us to close 20 or more district schools and cut many jobs throughout the district,” board member Ashley Thomas read from the statement.

Board members call for unity, scrutinize pro-charter groups

In individual statements, some board members took aim at the growth of the charter sector and the Mind Trust, Stand for Children, and RISE Indy — groups that advocate for their own interests and run their own programs but are also supportive of charter schools.

Stand for Children and RISE Indy have political action committees that have also donated tens of thousands to IPS school board races.

Board member Nicole Carey scrutinized the number of charter schools in the city, noting that other states have caps on charter schools.

“It is not efficient to have too many schools operating in silos, each with their own administration, each pulling from the same limited pool of resources,” she said.

Carey also called on the Mind Trust, Stand for Children, and RISE Indy to use their power at the statehouse to ensure all students get what they need.

“But that’s not what’s happening,” she said.

Board member Gayle Cosby described the three groups as “intent on destroying public education by any means necessary.” (Charter schools are public schools but privately operated.)

Through a spokesperson, the Mind Trust reiterated its support for solutions to increase access to transportation and facilities.

“The Mind Trust believes Indianapolis Public Schools remaining a strong and stable district is important to the vibrancy of Indianapolis,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “There is no truth to claims that the Mind Trust is working to destabilize IPS. In fact, the opposite is true. Our teams have worked collaboratively for years to advance outcomes for all public school students.”

In a statement, RISE Indy said it takes pride in its work to elevate Black and Brown voices in political spaces.

“We unapologetically advocate for every public school child because marginalized students exist in all school types,” the statement said.

Parents with Stand for Children, which organizes parents to advocate on educational topics, did not speak to the specific claims against the group but publicly commented on the need for support for charter schools, some of which they say offer their child a better education.

Board member Thomas called for unity, urging the public to focus on challenges students face every day, such as poverty and crime.

“While we should be fighting the real monsters, we are turning around and fighting each other,” Thomas said. “We won’t always agree with one another, but if we continue to split hairs simply to keep division moving, then we will continue to be dog-walked.”

The public voices opposition, concern on charters

Most of the roughly 30 people who spoke at the meeting Thursday were opposed to the expansion of charter schools and the dissolution of the district.

Amy Noel, whose child has a 504 plan for students with disabilities, questioned charters’ ability to serve him.

“How do we know how many charters who are going to say, ‘You know what, I don’t want to deal with this kid,’” Noel said. “What’s going to prevent them from throwing that kid out, and then that kid tries to go to another school, and then what if it happens again? There’s no fallback for those kids.”

Other parents called on IPS to change.

Vilma Hernandez said she pulled her son from IPS when he was placed on the wrong bus and dropped off far from home.

“It made me realize I couldn’t rely on the system to keep him safe,” she said through a translator. “One of the biggest inequities in our system is that families must provide their own transportation to charter schools, even when those schools offer some of the best education in the city.”

Feb. 20 is the last day for bills to pass out of their originating chambers at the statehouse.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Woman Charged with Threatening to Kill U.S. Representative

Published

5 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis Woman Charged with Threatening to Kill U.S. Representative

WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman has been charged in federal court with making threats against a member of U.S. Congress.

Shayla Addison, 28, has been charged with two counts of influencing a federal official by threat. She faces up to a decade in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.

U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI said Addison’s social media posts, phone calls, text messages, and emails to the Congress member included threatening statements such as “Come outside b****, we’ll kill you,” “we will kill you b****,” and “tread lightly.”

After emailing the Congress member, Addison did not stop. She continued to post threats on her Instagram account stating “Shut up hoe I’ll kill you” and “I hope you got mace… cause you gone need it hoe.”

On Tuesday, a guilty plea was filed in federal court on behalf of Addison. If the plea is accepted, the court will set a sentencing date.

This isn’t the first time Addison has made threats towards others. In 2019, she repeatedly called a Firehouse Subs in Brownsburg and threatened to shoot up or blow up the store. Her second incident was in 2023, when she threatened to pour gasoline on the front porch of a home in Marion County.

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Indianapolis, IN

Slew of bills could tighten state’s grip on Indianapolis law enforcement

Published

17 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

Slew of bills could tighten state’s grip on Indianapolis law enforcement

While Republican lawmakers tighten their grip on local policing, critics say they could further erode trust between police and communities.
One proposal would give some National Guard members full authority to police cities and make arrests during emergencies.
Other bills target county prosecutors and hot-button issues like civilian-led police oversight boards and homelessness.

From granting some Indiana National Guard members full policing power to creating a state-appointed special prosecutor to oversee part of downtown Indianapolis, Republican lawmakers are proposing changes that would tighten the state’s grip on law enforcement in the capital city and beyond.

Multiple bills filed this legislative session aim to impose the Indiana General Assembly’s will on local governments like Indianapolis that Republicans perceive to be too lax on crime. Major changes would allow elected county prosecutors to be impeached and grant a governor-appointed special prosecutor authority over Indy’s Mile Square. Subtler proposals would strip power from some civilian-led police oversight boards — a George Floyd–era reform passed by many cities including Indianapolis to increase accountability — and criminalize street homelessness.

Republicans who back such state intervention say that Democrats who run cities like Indianapolis fail to take violent crime as seriously as they should, in favor of more progressive stances on criminal justice issues.

“Their ‘reform’ agenda has meant weaker enforcement, dangerous plea deals and fewer consequences for repeat offenders,” State Rep. Andrew Ireland, R-Indianapolis, said of Indianapolis elected officials ahead of the 2026 session. “The result is predictable: Indianapolis families live in fear while violent criminals walk free.”

Critics say that collectively, the bills align with a recurrent problem: state leaders trying to intervene in cities to score political wins rather than to improve communities. If passed, they say the policies could undermine law enforcement agencies that report to local elected officials and can be readily held accountable, unlike forces sent in by the governor.

“I don’t like the anti-democratic — and that’s with a small d — I don’t like the anti-democratic tendencies of this legislation,” Mark Russell, director of advocacy for the Indianapolis Urban League, told IndyStar.

Giving some National Guard members full police powers

One such proposal that’s moving forward, House Bill 1343, would give select National Guard members full authority to police cities and make arrests during emergencies declared by the Indiana governor. Indiana law currently limits guardsmen’s ability to make arrests to specific situations, like when participants in an “unlawful assembly” refuse to leave.

The goal is to ensure guardsmen are ready to support local law enforcement during extreme situations such as riots or terrorist attacks like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Larry Muennich said during a Jan. 8 hearing on the bill. Guard spokeswoman Lauren Houck previously told IndyStar that the legislation was partially inspired by periods of “civil unrest, similar to what occurred in Indianapolis and Louisville during the 2020 pandemic” in the wake of Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.

The enhanced policing power would apply to roughly 500 military police who make up less than 5% of the total force of Indiana’s guardsmen, Muennich said. Military police, who already do training on topics like managing civil disturbances and use of force, will be required to do an abridged version of Indiana law enforcement training as part of this change, he said.

“What this is is a tool in our toolkit,” Muennich told the House Veterans and Public Affairs Committee. “It allows us the capabilities when we need those capabilities the most, and it allows us to do it quickly and it allows us to do it responsibly. Because if I can do it now and I can set those authorities now … I don’t have to worry about it when I’m needed.”

The bill moved forward with a 9-3 committee vote, mostly along party lines, and must still be voted on by the full state House and Senate. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun supports the change because “law enforcement deserves every tool and partners they need to keep Hoosiers safe,” he previously told IndyStar.

But multiple Democrats objected to the broad authority this policy would grant the governor to decide when an emergency warrants military police’s involvement. Indiana law allows the governor to summon the guard to active duty for reasons including invasions, public disasters, breach of the peace and, most sweepingly, “any other time the governor considers necessary.”

Amid President Donald Trump’s controversial National Guard deployments nationwide, critics worry a governor could abuse this power in the name of being tough on crime, potentially setting off dangerous encounters with residents. In Tennessee, for instance, where the Republican governor deployed guardsmen to Democrat-ruled Memphis to fight crime, a judge later ruled that crime rates there did not warrant an emergency response under the state’s constitution.

“It’s so subjective: What does [the governor] find to be an emergency for which he could call up the Guard? Even though violent crime has fallen precipitously in Indianapolis, for political reasons, does he think the state of public safety in Indianapolis constitutes an emergency?” State Rep. Mitch Gore, an Indianapolis Democrat and captain at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office who voted against the bill, told IndyStar.

Gore and other critics also said that National Guard members haven’t worked to build community trust the way that local police departments have. In diverse cities like Indianapolis, residents are likely to feel safer interacting with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department than guardsmen who may not share their experiences and don’t report to local elected officials.

“I think everybody wants to be safe, but there’s also just the respect for rights and individual liberties, even in a chaotic situation such as an emergency or a riot,” said Marshawn Wolley, policy director for the African American Coalition of Indianapolis, an advocacy organization made up of local civic groups. “I think the concern would be whether or not the National Guard would have that same level of both training and understanding of policing expectations in this community or any other community for that matter.”

Other bills target prosecutors, civilian-led police oversight

A handful of other bills aim to reshape aspects of criminal justice in Indianapolis more directly.

The most significant examples target Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, whom Republican critics frequently decry as too lenient on crime. Ireland is pushing a constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to impeach elected judges and prosecutors for “crime, incapacity or negligence.”

Another proposal, Senate Bill 145, would require the governor to appoint a special prosecutor who would have primary authority to prosecute crimes committed in the Mile Square area of downtown Indianapolis, starting in 2027. The bill would also force Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett to form a power-sharing agreement between state police and IMPD, or else cede all control over law enforcement in the special district come 2027.

The bill says the state must step in to combat public safety challenges that “negatively impact tourism and economic development” downtown. The author, State Sen. Michael Young, a Republican who represents parts of Marion and Hancock counties, was not made available for an interview.

Calling the proposal “extreme,” Hogsett spokeswoman Aliya Wishner said “the notion that the state would take over public safety responsibilities downtown is a step too far.” Overall, Indianapolis crime in 2025 fell significantly from the previous year, according to IMPD data, with murders and non-fatal shooting investigations both down about 20%.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are also proposing tweaks on hot-button topics like police reform and homelessness.

Senate Bill 284 would weaken certain civilian-led police oversight boards like one in Indianapolis, making them strictly advisory and stripping away their power to pass binding rules. Senate Bill 285, which will be discussed in committee on Jan. 14, would make street homelessness a misdemeanor punishable with a $500 fine or up to 60 days in jail.

Critics like Wolley worry how such bills could further erode trust between police and vulnerable communities.

“The community has worked hard with IMPD to arrive at a consensus standard on what policing should be,” Wolley said. “I think that’s important for any community, so that they are not being policed but rather being served by the police and actually protected.”

Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.

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