State to take over 4 IPS schools

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett asked for approval from the State Board of Education for the state to take over six failing schools in the Indianapolis Public School system.

The board approved a state takeover of four of the schools Monday.

“I wish these announcements weren’t necessary, but we have a legal and moral obligation to intervene in these schools and give these students the great education they deserve,” Bennett said at a press conference. “We make these recommendations only after carefully considering the unique needs of each school and only with community input. These interventions offer a tremendous opportunity to improve these schools for the benefit of the students in them.”

The six schools Bennett asked the state to take over were George Washington Community High School, Emmerich Manual High School, Emma Donnan Middle School, Broad Ripple Magnet High School, T.C. Howe Community High School and Arlington Community High School.

Broad Ripple Magnet and George Washington Community will remain in the IPS system but will be under the supervision of lead partners — education companies that manage failing schools for the state.

These six schools are in their sixth year of academic probation. Indiana’s Public Law 221, passed in 1999, requires the State Board of Education to intervene in schools that have been on academic probation, the lowest of five categories for public schools, for six consecutive years.

Bennett proposed the state enter into an initial observational contract with the schools for one year, which meant the state would have closely monitored the schools’ progress. The state would have then initiated a five-year contract and would have taken a more active role in the schools’ management.

The State Board of Education altered Bennett’s plans for five-year contracts and instead approved a one-year observational contract between the state and education companies that will manage the four schools during the year.

The State Board of Education will put increased supervision on Broad Ripple Magnet and George Washington Community.

— Zach Ammerman