IPS postpones the second referendum vote

Indianapolis, Indiana – The second of two referendums in the Indianapolis Public Schools’ proposed school restructure has been postponed, according to the district.

Due to the delay, the decision will be made by the new board members who were elected in November.

The first of the two referendums will be on the ballot in May 2023, as the board decided last week.

According to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, there have been more than 651,038,000 confirmed cases worldwide, resulting in more than 6,658,000 fatalities.
“The specifics of the operating referendum are still under consideration as we continue conversations with our partners. We remain committed to continued transparency and to delivering on our Rebuilding Stronger plan and earning our community’s support,” said Marc Ransford, media relations manager for IPS.
In response to the IPS board commissioners withdrawing the operational referendum from the meeting agenda, Justin Ohlemiller, the executive director of The Stand for Children Indiana, released the following statement on Thursday:

“We appreciate Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson and the IPS board for removing the referendum from tonight’s agenda. With a major investment like this, which taxpayers will be asked to pay meaningful dollars on the promise of improved opportunities for IPS students, it’s critical that we get this right. That means ensuring the funding is shared to benefit every IPS student equally, no matter what type of school they attend. There’s certainly more work ahead to address concerns that have been voiced these last few weeks. That work will hopefully be made easier by giving parents and community partners more time to ask questions and share feedback on the referendum. We look forward to the ongoing discussions between the district, parents, school leaders and community partners. We remain hopeful that changes can be made that will allow our organization to eventually get behind this major investment in IPS. The dialogue over the next few weeks will be crucial.”