Charter School Creates Concerns

The Honor Academy Charter Elementary School is still waiting for approval to locate on a vacant site at 3440 Guion Road. This is south of Westview Hospital. A decision should be made the end of the month when the charter board meets January 22 to give it the thumbs up or down. If approved, then the petitioner faces the DMD for a zoning change. The zoning petition is seeking a "special use" on this zoned residential site. This meeting is scheduled January 25 at 1 p.m. at the city county building.

Dan Roy, Charter School Director for the Mayor's Office, said the charter school board initially received six applications for charter schools, but only two merited to go through the process. The other charter application is Achievement Charter Academy, located on 4020 Sherman Drive. Charter Development Company LLC petitioned both applications.

Roy said the charter schools are public schools but are not bounded by school district lines. A student can apply for enrollment to any charter school if there is enough space. Charter schools have some flexibility from the Department of Education educational requirements except for the ISTEP Tests. He said the charter schools are audited for performance by the charter board.

Marsha Volk Bugalla, attorney, said the charter application is 71 pages of detailed explaining how the plan would be executed to achieve academic results. It also includes a detailed budget explaining the cost of operations to run the school's 45,006 square foot facility. School board members will not be elected in the public school setting.

Honor Charter Academy will accept 470 students ranging from Kindergarten through fifth grade during its first year. By 2012, it will accommodate 704 students including eighth grade

If approved, Honor Academy Charter Elementary School will contract with National Heritage Academies (NHA) for management services. NHA also manages Andrew J. Brown Academy Charter School.

Flackville Neighborhood Association member Nada Maynard attended the January 4 Eagledale Neighborhood Association meeting to rally the troop to oppose the charter schools because it drains resources and students away from the Indianapolis Public Schools. However in a January 6 phone call, Maynard said The Flackville Neighborhood Association opposed the project because of traffic and drainage issues.

She noted the proposed site is located at a dangerous curve along Guion Road. She thought this curve would become a dangerous intersection for bus traffic leaving and entering the school.

Maynard said she is trying to locate accident reports to document her observations since she has lived in the area for fifty plus years.
She also expressed a concern about drainage since this area has had a history of flooding. A flood occurred in 1978 that filled her basement and into the main level into her house. She described the event as a flash flood with little warning to evacuate.

One neighbor, residing on 32nd Street, stated they had to leave the area by boat in the 1978 flood.
Maynard said in 1989, the Department of Public Works constructed a concrete canal to enclose Little Eagle Creek as part of a flood control plan. She said that helped with some of the flooding. However, the structure has not been the perfect panacea to end all of the neighbors' troubles. Maynard explained the 2003 Labor Day flood caused raw sewage to flow into their basements.

Both residents remain cautious of the proposed plan. They are doubtful the plan can improve drainage of the affected area. They both agree this area cannot accept any additional surface water run off.

Michael Brown, Indianapolis Public School Board member representing district five, said "charter schools are fine but there are enough charter schools in the city." He noted the charter schools are siphoning students out of the IPS system.

"IPS loses about 800 students per year that results in closing of schools or consolidation. That is equivalent to one student per grade," he said.

IPS Superintendent Eugene White requested the Mayor place a moratorium on charter schools for a while to help with the declining school enrollment.
Fortunately, Brown said pink slips will not be issued to teachers this year. The school corporation expects to lose 200 teachers to attrition.

He pointed that IPS has 29 magnet schools for students to concentrate in a particular area of academics. IPS offers adult programs that include satellite programs on the westside.

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