INDIANAPOLIS — Three City-County councilors plan to introduce a new proposal in January to create a first-of-its-kind public education fund program.
The program would provide more money to support thousands of public school students in Marion County.
Council Majority Leader Maggie Lewis, Councilor Keith Graves and Councilor Leroy Robinson plan to sponsor the proposal.
The councilors worked closely with RISE Indy to gather insight into the needs of families and students.
"It's an opportunity for the council to come alongside a very strong not-for-profit in our community but to also come alongside families who really need support in that education space,” Lewis said.
Earlier this year, Mayor Joe Hogsett challenged the council to identify opportunities to make Indy an “education destination.”
"So, we took that charge and then began chatting with leader Lewis about what we could do and what could be innovative,” said Jasmin Shaheed-Young, the president and CEO of RISE Indy.
The money for the program would come from developers who receive economic incentives from the city for large capital improvement projects.
"Those doing business with the city, who are receiving funding for capital projects, we are asking one percent of that funding to go to this initiative,” Lewis said.
Lewis said this will not impact the city’s bottom line and it would only apply to projects after the proposal is approved.
A special committee will be selected to oversee the funds and program.
To be eligible for the support, the child must be a public school student and live in Marion County. The household income also must be significantly lower than the income threshold used to qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
“All of that funding will be available for parents to be able to access, which is an incredible opportunity for a lot of families that are struggling and kids that are struggling to get the resources they need to thrive,” Shaheed-Young said.
The money will focus on improving literacy and math proficiency, reliable transportation and comprehensive support services for students.
The proposed program is similar to Indy's “Percent for Art” program which was adopted back in 2016. It requires developers who receive tax-increment financing dollars, to aside some of that money for public art. The amount they need to spend is based on one percent of the city’s incentives.
This new proposal will be introduced at January’s City-County Council meeting. It will then be sent to the education committee for approval before being sent back to the full council for a final vote in February.