More than six months after Indianapolis Public Schools officials held a series of painful meetings at high schools facing reconfiguration, the school board approved plans to decide which high schools to close and when.
IPS expects to have more than twice as many seats as high school students by next fall, which is exacerbating the cash-strapped district’s financial woes. Over the next six months, district leaders will outline how many high schools they believe should remain open and choose which schools to close.
Here are the most important dates:
(Read the full timeline here.)
April 18, 2017
Community members will get the first hint of what the new high school landscape could look like when the facilities task force recommends how many high schools to keep open. But the board will have the final say, so the number of schools could change.
May 2017
The school board will host community meetings at four sites around the district.
June 2017
The administration will recommend what high schools to close, what academic programs to offer at schools that remain open and what to do with empty buildings.
July and Aug. 2017
The district will host community meetings at the schools it plans to close.
Sept. 19, 2017
The school board votes on what schools to close and what programs to offer at the remaining high schools.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
