The Last Day of IPS
Today could be the last day that Indianapolis Public Schools is the largest school district in the State. Friday is the official enrollment count day for schools. And due to competition and years of declining enrollment, this school year could be the tipping point where IPS is replaced by Ft. Wayne schools as the largest district in the state.
On average the district has lost about 1,000 students each year for the last six years. However in the 2008-2009 school year the district lost 547 students. In 2004 enrollment was 39,113 students. This year that number is expected to be about 32,000 students, prior to the voucher program kicking in. According to some new state figures, IPS is losing nearly 700 students this year to the state of Indiana’s new school voucher program which allows public school students to attend private schools, providing they meet certain income criteria.
According to Ft. Wayne Community Schools’ website last year’s enrollment was 31,568, down from a 2004 enrollment of 31,896. Ft. Wayne expects to lose about 320 students this year to the voucher program. If IPS loses another 1,000 students on top the 700 that are taking advantage of vouchers that would bring its enrollment down near the 30,000 mark. So Ft. Wayne schools would have to lose at least 1,500 students this year in order for IPS to stay number one in the state; something history shows is unlikely to happen. And when you throw in the fact that several schools are being taken over by the state, IPS’ enrollment will drop even further.
More devastating than loss of rank is that the loss of students also means a more immediate loss of dollars. Under new Indiana law, not only does the money follow the student, but the old “deghoster” funding formula is gone. Under the “deghoster” a school district that loss students would not see an immediate decrease in funding, instead that money would be phased out over time. In the past that number has gone from five to three years; the most recent change in state law under the education reform measures passed by the Indiana General Assembly make that loss of funding immediate. Proponents of the “deghoster” argued that schools should not be penalized immediately for losing students; however opponents argued the “deghoster” meant taxpayers were footing the bill for the equivalent of more than 13,000 students that didn’t exist to the tune of $94 million.
What is really sad in all this is that instead of working to mitigate these losses, IPS’ leadership has been more like the band that played on Titanic while the ship sank slowly into the water and the passengers who were able jumped into the lifeboats.
