Emotions run high as IPS prepares to name 3 high schools for closure on Wednesday

About 50 protesters gathered outside Indianapolis Public Schools headquarters Tuesday night ahead of the expected announcement of which three high schools will be recommended for closure next year. 

Commuters driving north toward home from Downtown on Delaware Street pumped their horns, honking at the signs lining the street. Behind them, protesters with a portable speaker system led the group in chants. 

"This is what democracy looks like!"

"Listen to your town! Slow it down!"

The small but vocal group called on IPS to halt plans to close three of its seven high schools for the 2018-19 school year.

The IPS administration is expected to make those plans public at noon Wednesday and discuss them at Thursday night's school board meeting. However, the board isn't expected to take final action on the plan until September.

The board met Tuesday night, too, but didn't discuss school closures. 

That didn't stop protesters from discussing it, though. About a dozen people signed up to speak during the board's public comment time. 

"There are so many ways we can utilize these public high schools," said Elaine Bultman, an IPS teacher protesting Tuesday. 

The meeting showed a deep distrust between the public in attendance and the administrators they addressed. About a dozen speakers lined up to address the board, a process that turned, at times, into a dressing down. 

"The question is not should we close schools, but should we make any decision with the current leadership?" said Antonio Alexander, member of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis. 

Speakers questioned the board and district leadership on their motivation, their loyalties and whether there were "big money" interests behind the very local, very personal decision to close schools. 

"The process being taken to close schools is negligent," said Christina Smith, an IPS parent. "As a collection of IPS students, parents, community members ... we urge you, theelected IPS board, to truly listen to the community concerns raised about this process."

This spring, the district announced results of a task force charged with studying how IPS was using its facilities. That task force recommended the district close three high schools, consolidating its shrinking high school population into four remaining schools. 

There are currently a little more than 5,000 high school students attending IPS in schools that could house nearly 15,000. 

IPS' position has been that operating all of those schools is ineffective, irresponsible and unsafe.

District officials have said they have no choice but to close schools. The district has been losing students, particularly at the high school level, for decades. 

The district is predicting it could save $4 million a year by closing three high schools and reinvesting that money into programming. The district is moving to a "choice" high school model, where each high school will have its own career academies and students will be expected to choose their high school based on its programs — not its location. 

In order to make that work well, Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said, the district will prioritize its centrally-located high schools to make that choice easier for students. 

Last week, Ferebee told IndyStar the district is committed to not saddling neighborhoods where schools are closed with abandoned buildings. 

The district will consider reuse options for buildings that are closed, as well as the potential for sale and redevelopment. Ferebee said the district also listened when community members suggested reusing schools for central services and considering non-school buildings for possible sale, as well. 

Ferebee said the IPS headquarters building, 120 E. Walnut St., is on the table for consideration but will not be part of the high school discussions. 

Two additional IPS high schools  — Howe and Manual — were taken over by the state and are currently being run by Charter Schools USA. Should those schools be returned to IPS, the district would recommend closing both of them, too. 

The district will make public its plan for school closures Wednesday, and will review it with the school board Thursday night. No matter which schools are slated for closure, the decision will likely be met with more resistance. 

"We heard loud and clear 'not my high school,'" Ferebee said, "but it will be somebody's high school."