Indianapolis, IN
New board overseeing IPS and Indianapolis charter schools begins work on November referendum question
The new mayor-appointed board overseeing Indianapolis Public Schools and the city’s charter schools held its first meeting Tuesday, taking initial steps on decisions that will reshape how nearly 43,000 students are educated across the district boundary.
The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, or IPEC, met for about an hour at the City-County Building. The meeting was largely procedural but set in motion two of the most consequential choices facing the board in its early months: whether to put a new IPS operating referendum on the November ballot and who will lead the municipal organization day-to-day.
The nine members unanimously adopted rules of procedure, named Michael O’Connor of Bose Public Affairs as acting executive director and passed a resolution authorizing a request for funds to operate, pay for staff, consultants and other expenses — the first use of IPEC’s authority to draw on property tax revenue. The board set a distribution percentage of up to 3% of local property tax revenues for IPS and charter schools, as allowed by the new state law that created the authority.
“We are building a municipal organization from scratch that has not existed anywhere else in the United States,” said David Harris, who chairs the corporation board, and was also Indianapolis’ first charter school director and founded local education reform organization The Mind Trust in 2006 “This is a big assignment for us.”
The board takes on an ambitious charge by state lawmakers: reshaping a divided education system so that every public school student in the IPS boundary has access to the same resources. Reform advocates see it as the long-sought fix to a fragmented landscape that has left charter schools without equal footing. Traditional public school supporters see it as a slow dismantling of a district already weakened by declining enrollment and a looming budget shortfall.
The multi-step process for the corporation to approve a referendum for IPS and the city charter schools would begin immediately. “How many dollars?” O’Connor said about one of the many decisions the board must make. “And how many years?”
A public hearing will be held before the board makes a decision toward the end of June. State law requires final action by Aug. 1 for a question to make it on the November ballot.
The current IPS operating referendum expires at the end of this year. IPS projects ending the year with a $40 million cash deficit. Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, has said the district is already cutting staff and programs.
Mayor Joe Hogsett, who also sat in the audience, said he wants to hire a permanent executive director “the sooner the better.” Hogsett will select the candidate, and the board votes on the appointment.
O’Connor said a job description will be posted as quickly as possible and that the position will draw on the duties spelled out in House Enrolled Act 1423: “building a transportation that works efficiently and effectively and serves all of our kids; building a facilities program that assures all of our children are learning in a safe and welcoming environment. And then an accountability system that represents the needs of all of our kids is developed and then maintained.”
The salary range will be “both competitive and appropriate for the job of this nature,” he added.
O’Connor said he will stand up three working groups in the coming days — on the referendum, on staffing and finance, and on the accountability framework IPEC owes the legislature in a preliminary report due in August. IPS School Board members Ashely Thomas and board member Hope Duke Star pressed for parents and outside experts to be included in those groups.
In addition to Harris, president and CEO of Christel House International, the board includes other charter school leaders: Janet McNeal, president of Herron Classical Schools; Dexter Taylor, director at Paramount Brookside; and Edward Rangel, founding CEO of Adelante Schools.
A website for IPEC could be online as soon as Wednesday at indianapolispubliceducationcorporation.org, with board contact information, documents and meeting details. The domain will eventually shift to .gov.
O’Connor said public comment will be taken at meetings where decisions are made on taxes and budgets. The board’s next meeting is May 28.
Eric Weddle is WFYI’s education editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or follow him on X at @ericweddle.
TODAY
Mostly cloudy and muggy with scattered showers around at times, and thunderstorms becoming more likely this afternoon. Highs reach the low 80s, with a light east wind. Much of the morning still looks manageable, but by later today a few storms could become stronger, especially across the southwest half of central Indiana, with locally heavy rain and gusty winds the main concerns.
TONIGHT
A few showers and thunderstorms may linger through the evening before coverage gradually fades later tonight. Lows settle in the upper 60s, with a light northeast breeze. It will not rain all night everywhere, but the evening still carries enough of a storm threat to keep a weather eye nearby.
TOMORROW
Partly sunny, warmer, and much less active. Highs climb into the mid 80s, with a light south wind around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, and most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Partly cloudy and warm, with lows in the low 70s and a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, so it will feel a bit more summerlike than recent nights. Quiet weather continues.
MONDAY
Sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. This looks like the hottest day so far this season, and heat index values over 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s. A light south southwest breeze continues overnight, and there will be very little cooling after sunset. It stays dry, but the muggy feel hangs on.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where the heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
7 DAY FORECAST
After today’s storm chances taper away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through Thursday all trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better chance for storms not returning until Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after Saturday becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A jogger heard splashing from the White River near the Indiana University Indianapolis campus on Friday night and called 911.
About an hour later, three divers with Indianapolis Fire Department found a man’s body about 15 feet from the shore, and six feet down, said Battalion Chief Rita Reith.
Crews were called just before 7 p.m. Friday to the intersection of University Boulevard and Blake Street. That’s near the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, and the NCAA Hall of Champions in downtown Indianapolis.
It was not immediately known why the man was near the river.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will work to locate the man’s family.
IFD said this is the ninth fatal drowning in Marion County in 2026 and the second in two days.
Indianapolis, IN
Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern brings dirty soda craze to Indianapolis with alcohol-free menu
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern is broadening its appeal this season by introducing a new alcohol-free menu geared toward younger guests, joining the popular dirty soda craze sweeping the nation.
Previously focused on the 21-and-older crowd, the tavern has expanded its offerings to include customizable dirty sodas, loaded lemonades, and Alanis—largely thanks to inspiration from 14-year-old staff member Rylynn Bradley, daughter of manager Lindsay Bradley.
“We’ve had the tavern for a couple years now where we cater to our 21 and over crew, but we’ve kind of noticed a need for those under 21,” Lindsay Bradley said. “They want to come up and get a slushy, you know, hang out with mom and dad.”
The tavern offers a rotating selection of drinks featuring about 20 different syrup choices, including both zero sugar and regular soda options.
Among the customer favorites are:
- Dirty Cotton Candy Alani: A vibrant mix of blue raspberry, edible glitter, cotton candy Alani, and cotton candy cold foam
- Bomb Pop: Combines cherry, Sprite, and blue raspberry-infused cold foam for a refreshing taste
“It’s so customizable, which is what we really like about it,” Lindsay said. “You come up, you see the syrups, you see the soda. If you want a drink, we’ll make it.”
Teen Inspiration
Rylynn Bradley, who helped inspire the menu expansion, says working at the tavern has been a valuable learning experience.
“It is such a great opportunity. It helps me learn how to do new things and try to work on my communication skills a little bit better,” Rylynn said. “It’s really fun and it’s one of my favorite things that I do.”
Friends of Fred Network
Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern is part of Friends of Fred, a local network that helps food trucks in the Indianapolis area connect and support each other.
“We all network together, we look out for the best of one another,” Lindsay said. “That’s what you get with Friends of Fred.”
The timing of the expansion coincides with National Food Truck Day, though weather challenges reminded the team of the unpredictable nature of the business.
“The weather has completely derailed almost everybody’s plans today, so that’s food truck life in a nutshell,” Lindsay said.
Where to Find Them
The tavern will be at White River State Park for the upcoming drone show event, serving both its alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink selections.
For those interested in connecting with the Friends of Fred network or finding the tavern’s location, visit the Friends of Fred Facebook page. Look for trucks displaying the “Friends of Fred vetted member” sticker.
Along with the new alcohol-free dirty soda selection, the tavern continues to offer slushies, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, catering to a wide range of tastes throughout the Indianapolis food truck scene.
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