Hogsett, IPS names members of group shaping the future of the district. Who they picked
The announcement was dropped at 4 p.m. on the Friday before the city prepares for the Indianapolis 500 and the Memorial Day holiday.
This group, known as the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA), was created out of legislation passed this year under House Bill 1515. Hogsett and Johnson were responsible for appointing the group members, along with the IPS school board president.
The group could make consequential decisions on how the district uses its buildings and transportation going forward, a topic that has generated intense debate from parents on both sides of the argument on whether the district should expand its collaboration with local charter schools.
Hogsett said that the goal of this alliance is to "deepen collaboration across traditional public and public charter schools and support a strong academic experience for all students."
'These accomplished civic leaders are ready to chart a course for the future of education within the IPS boundary,' said Mayor Hogsett. 'I am proud to lead them as we embark on this critical work, and I am confident we will create a plan that ensures a stable, sustainable and collaborative path forward for our schools.'
The members of the new alliance include:
The first meeting of the alliance must be held before July 1, 2025.
Information about future meetings will be shared in the coming weeks, according to the press release from Hogsett's office.
The group will work to conduct a facility assessment on all the schools within IPS's boundaries, including traditional and charter campuses.
It will then make recommendations regarding school facility 'structural changes,' as well as come up with a process for approving or denying future capital referendum requests.
It will also create a template for revenue-sharing agreements between IPS and its charter school partners.
The ILEA must also create methods on how the district can increase collaboration with governmental entities, community organizations or local nonprofits on how to transform school facilities into 'broader community assets for residents.'
The group is meant to create a transportation implementation plan that would consider how to best serve all the district's students, in charter and district-run schools.
More on this SB 1515: This group will guide IPS's future. Hogsett asked lawmakers to make its meetings private
During the legislature's last remaining hours of session, lawmakers added language to the bill that allows the ILEA to be exempt from Indiana's Open Door Law, a policy which gives members of the public the right to attend meetings of governing bodies or public agencies.
The bill's author, Rep. Bill Behning, R-Indianapolis, said that language was included at the request of Mayor Joe Hogsett, and that the group can decide for themselves if it wants the meetings open to the public.
The ILEA's final meeting, where the members will vote on a final proposal, is required to be a public meeting.
The alliance is required to file its final report and recommendations by Dec. 31, 2025.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis councilor Nick Roberts denies claims he groped 18-year-old woman against her will
Another Indianapolis city councilor is pushing back on accusations of sexual misconduct after a woman alleged that he groped her while she tried to push him away during a second date. An 18-year-old woman filed a report with Fishers police accusing City-County Council member Nick Roberts, 24, of grabbing her breasts and butt as she tried to pull away during a kiss on July 12 in downtown Fishers, according to allegations reported by Mirror Indy. Roberts, who has not been charged with a crime, denied the allegations in a Facebook video posted July 29, saying he did "absolutely nothing wrong." "I just wanted to completely deny the allegation of doing anything inappropriate," said Roberts, a Democrat. "Quite frankly, I'm not sure why this slanderous post was made about me, but it's incredibly hurtful not just to me but to my entire family and everyone who knows my character. I was raised to respect all people and I would never engage in unwanted physical contact with a woman without her consent." The allegation against Roberts — lauded by the Indiana Democratic Party as the youngest councilor to win in any major American city after his election in 2023 at just 23 years old — is the latest in a series of sexual misconduct claims made against Democrats in city and state politics. Roberts represents District 4, comprising parts of Castleton and Geist in northeast Marion County. Perhaps the most salient allegations are three women's accounts to IndyStar that Thomas Cook, a former top aide to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, pressured them into unwanted sexual encounters while dangling career growth before them as their superior. Two of the women have also criticized Hogsett himself for sending text messages that made them uncomfortable and allowing Cook to work as an unpaid adviser during a 2023 mayoral campaign despite his knowledge of past issues. More recently, City-County Council member Keith Graves was accused of physical and sexual assault by a woman 30 years younger than him, according to an IndyStar investigation. Council Democrats have promised to make reforms to the city's sexual harassment policies and reporting systems, including an overhaul of the human resources department and the creation of an inspector general to independently investigate alleged policy violations. Critics have said they doubt their intentions, however, after Council President Vop Osili ordered the forcible removal of one Cook accuser from a council meeting. Indy politics: Joe Hogsett wants to move past harassment scandal. Many aren't sure he can The accounts from Roberts and the woman, whom Mirror Indy did not name because she claims she's a victim of sexual assault, are aligned in some respects. But what differs starkly is their interpretation of a kiss during a second date. The two agreed to meet for brunch on July 5 after they matched on the dating app Hinge, Roberts said. Both say the first date went well, according to her text messages and comments to Mirror Indy. As they prepared to leave, Roberts hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She later texted Roberts to say she "had a really good time" and "especially appreciate[d] the kiss on the cheek," according to Roberts. Roberts responded that she could get another "(and maybe more)" next time, by which he says he meant a kiss on the lips. Although the woman told Mirror Indy the remark made her uncomfortable, she responded, "I hope so, I'd like that :)" — meaning another kiss on the cheek. The two met in downtown Fishers a week later, on July 12, for ice cream and an evening stroll along the Nickel Plate Trail. During that walk, Roberts admits that he kissed her on the lips for a few seconds. The woman claims that Roberts pulled her off onto a side trail, where he began kissing and groping her while she pushed him away and told him to stop. He eventually loosened his grip, she said, apparently because someone walked by along the main trail. Roberts denies her account of those events, he said. He told Mirror Indy that the pair walked onto a side trail and kissed for a few seconds. He claims only to have put his hands on her hips. "While on our walk, because of those text messages, I kissed her on the lips for a few seconds," he said in a written statement reviewed by IndyStar. "During the kiss, she did not push me away or ask me to stop. If she had done either, I would have stopped immediately. We then walked for approximately another 30 minutes, and we had a conversation with nothing out of the ordinary." While Roberts described the following moments as unremarkable, the woman told Mirror Indy she was visibly shaken afterward. When they arrived back at their cars, Roberts said, "she leaned in so I could give her a kiss on her cheek and we said goodnight." The woman decided to file a police report soon after the date. Fishers police told Mirror Indy that the investigation is ongoing and refused to comment further. Roberts said he's cooperating fully with the police investigation and will continue to focus on his work as a councilor. "I have faith in the process and believe the facts will prove my innocence," Roberts said in the Facebook video, "and I remain committed toward working for our council district in the meanwhile."


Indianapolis Star
24-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana Democrats need a moral comeback to stage a political one
I'm not a cynical person. I believe deeply in the power of people, relationships, and community to make things better. But when it comes to politics, especially right now, cynicism can feel like the only rational response. The most generous possible description of the current occupant of the White House is that he's a self-dealing narcissist with a mysterious charisma and an emotionally resonant economic critique of the last 40 years. The previous administration, by many credible accounts, functioned as a shadow presidency with an unelected cabal of aides and lackeys pulling the levers of power as the incumbent's mental deterioration accelerated in plain view. The state level, at least here in Indiana, doesn't offer much consolation. Many of our elected officials are unserious about governing; some are actively harmful. There's not a lot to justify even a shred of idealism. In other words, the moral high ground in politics, circa 2025, doesn't count for much. Unless, of course, the moral high ground is all you have. I've been writing this column for about six months now, and most of my ire has been directed at Indiana Republicans. They hold 85%–90% of the power in this state, so it seems only fair they receive a commensurate amount of scrutiny. I could pick more on Democrats, but why? The most coherent argument Indiana Dems have offered over the past decade is: 'Look at those crazy Republicans! At least we're not them!' It's an argument built almost entirely on outrage and a vague sense of moral and intellectual superiority. Yet, in just the past five years, several prominent Indiana Democratic officeholders (of the few that still exist) have been credibly accused of various creepy and distasteful acts. Most of these probably don't rise to the level of criminal offenses, but they are, without question, the acts of morally bankrupt individuals. The only thing worse than the individual acts is the top-to-bottom institutional complicity. The state party refuses to act. Party officials sweep credible allegations under the rug. The City-County Council orders a third-party investigation, which is then immediately hamstrung with lawyerly hair-splitting over 'legality,' when the real question should be about propriety and public trust. And Mayor Joe Hogsett, the de facto moral leader of the party, shrinks from the spotlight and shirks his responsibility. Briggs: Todd Young's political survival means never fully crossing Trump As much as it pains me to say it, this stands in stark contrast to the last time a prominent Hoosier Republican faced a similar scandal. When former Attorney General Curtis Hill was accused of unwanted sexual advances, the GOP replaced him at its convention. When Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor faced (arguably) more serious accusations, the caucus initially voted to keep him in leadership. This might all sound like holier-than-thou primping and preening. After all, as previously established, modern politics is a cynical, zero-sum game. That's why my point isn't really about moral propriety, but about political ineptitude. Indiana Democrats seem to think that because they have so little power, they have to protect what scraps they do have. But I think they're getting it backwards. The question isn't 'how do we hold on to the little we've got?' The question is: 'What exactly are we sticking up for?' To illustrate — because, apparently, I'm the tortured sports metaphor guy — let's talk Bobby Knight. When he was leading undefeated teams and raising banners in the 1970s and '80s, he was untouchable. By all accounts, he was the same guy in 2000 when he was fired for an altercation with a student. But, by then, the program had been mired in mediocrity for years. The glory days were long gone. Knight was expendable, so he was canned. Opinion: I was dragged out by sheriff's deputies. Indiana Democrats stayed silent. Back to the Dems: What banners have their harassing and complicit officials raised? What accomplishments justify the tolerance of such behavior? They hold no meaningful state power. Even their grip on Indianapolis is routinely undermined by the legislature. What exactly are they defending, other than personal relationships and individual careers? I want a credible Democratic Party in Indiana. Yes, I agree with them on many of the big issues. But more than that, I want a real competition of ideas and a political landscape that generates better policies to improve Hoosier lives. Here's the bottom line: The moral high ground isn't worth much in politics these days, unless it's all you have. If Indiana Democrats want to make a political comeback, it begins with making a moral one.

Indianapolis Star
23-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Why young progressives shouldn't give up on Indiana — or flee from it
For progressives living in conservative states, escaping isn't always the answer. And it shouldn't be. When recent college graduates think about where to live, Indiana is a complicated option. There are perks, namely cost of living, but they do not always offset some of Indiana's more concerning aspects, such as the state of politics. It's important to contextualize young professionals. Both Gen Z and millennials tend to lean politically left. As a conservative state, Indiana poses a host of political problems for younger generations, ranging from a lack of reproductive rights to censorship. The state is also one of the least safe for those in the LGBTQ+ community. For recent Indiana University Indianapolis graduate Anna Morgan, the state's neglect of public K-12 education is concerning. Morgan wants to pursue a career in education and is moving to Milwaukee for her master's degree. 'Indianapolis is very pro-privatization,' Morgan said. 'Education is just a big factor for me, and it's been very concerning — especially the past legislative session. The continual targeting of, specifically (Indianapolis Public Schools) ... and now having to share tax dollars and with charter schools, which further depletes the pool of resources.' Briggs: Mike Braun grandstands on Indianapolis crime while murders drop 24% Public transportation and walkability also are key factors for Morgan, a desire common among recent graduates. Indiana offers few places with these amenities outside of Indianapolis' most expensive neighborhoods, another reason why the state doesn't meet everyone's standards. Walkability exists, but if often comes with a price tag. Wanting to leave seems attractive, but it's not a cookie-cutter solution. 'It is a privilege to leave,' Morgan said. 'Navigating [Indiana] is finding the spaces where you can exist within. There is a lot of good people in the red states, and they're doing the hard work ... and it's so motivating to see that.' You need time, money and privilege to move — and not everyone has that — which is why it's important to consider the change that can come from staying. 'Existence is resistance,' Butler University graduate Mae-Mae Han said. "If [you] belong to a minoritized group or marginalized group, literally just being that identity and not being afraid to exist in that as that identity is going against what [conservatives] want.' Han is a graduate of Butler's pharmacy program. She intends to stay in Indiana, even considering how the state is more restrictive in access to health care. 'Learning about just the health care statistics of Indiana has made me more motivated to be the best pharmacist that I can and advocate for patient care,' Han said. 'It's really important for people who do care about making social change to stay in Indiana,' she added. Opinion: Abortion ban, fetal anomaly and a ticking clock: 'an impossible decision' While Indiana's political situation is far from ideal for many young people, affordability is a strong benefit. Han said buying a home feels more doable in Indiana compared to other states. Many suburbs in Indiana are ranked among the best in the country. It makes sense to want to live in an environment that supports your beliefs and identities, but that doesn't make it the best option for everyone. While some progressive young professionals are drawn to places outside Indiana, it's important to consider the progress we can nurture. Conservative politics and legislation can be fought through supporting and advocating for our communities. As dire as the situation is — and will likely continue to become — there is a reason to fight for this. Indiana is our home, too.