INDIANAPOLIS - The State Board of Education has approved the takeovers of five troubled public schools in Indianapolis and Gary by private companies.
The board endorsed the Indiana Department of Education's recommendations that New York-based Edison Learning Inc. take over Gary Roosevelt High School and that Indianapolis-based charter school operator EdPower take over Arlington High School.
It also approved Florida-based Charter Schools USA as the "turnaround school operator" of three other Indianapolis schools, Howe and Manual high schools and Donnan Middle School.
The companies will spend this current school year assessing and evaluating the schools and developing a plan of action before taking full control next school year.
Indianapolis Public Schools officials have threatened to sue the state over what they consider unfair evaluations of Arlington and Howe high schools. Those so-called community high schools also have 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Including those test results with the high schools, IPS argues, is unfair, insisting the high schools on their own have met or exceeded the state's standard's for improvement.
This is the first time the state is moving to take over what it considers to be failing schools, or schools that for years failed to make adequate improvements.
IPS Superintendent Dr. Eugene White is making what he feels is a strong argument. "Because of the amount of improvement they've shown in the last two years, I don't see how anyone can say they will be better off because we are demonstrating right now that these schools are improving," said White. "Why go to an unknown entity, especially an entity that has never worked with high schools, never worked with inner city high schools, when you have proof right now that we are improving. These students are improving."
