A statewide charter school group has filed a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office against Indianapolis Public Schools alleging that the district failed to comply with a state law requiring it to offer unused school buildings to charter schools for $1.
The complaint stems from the district’s passage of its reorganization plan, known as Rebuilding Stronger, which closes six schools at the end of 2022-23 and leaves a seventh building empty when another school moves locations in 2026-27.
At least three charter schools have signaled their intent to occupy some of these buildings, but IPS officials have said they hope to keep the facilities by lobbying state lawmakers to give the district flexibility under the law.
The Indiana Charter School Network said on Thursday that it filed complaints regarding Floro Torrence School 83, Frances Bellamy Preschool Center, George Buck School 94, Raymond Brandes School 65, Francis Parker School 56, and Paul Miller School 114, all of which will close in 2023.
Marcie Brown-Carter, executive director of the network, said the group is also considering a complaint for the Sidener Academy for High Ability building. Sidener students will relocate to a new building at the site of the former Joyce Kilmer School 69 in 2026-27.
The complaints claim that the school board failed to alert the state Department of Education of its available buildings slated for closure within 10 days of voting to close the schools on Nov. 17, as required by law. The network also alleges that the board failed to seek a certification that the district complied with the law within 15 days of the vote, as required by state statute. The law requires such certification if a school board passes a resolution to “sell, exchange, lease, demolish, hold without operation, or dispose of a school building.”
“If the law were being followed, charter schools would currently be able to publicly request to use those buildings for future classroom use,” Brown-Carter said in a statement. “We look forward to the attorney general’s review of the complaints. All we are seeking is compliance with the law.”
IPS said in a statement that the buildings may have a number of future uses, including administrative offices, training facilities for professional development, or emergency response training, as outlined in the Rebuilding Stronger resolution approved by the board.
Innovation schools, which are autonomous schools within the district, could also use the buildings under an innovation agreement, the district said.
“We want to be very clear that until the end of the school year, there are students and teachers in all of our proposed consolidated buildings, and we will remain focused on ensuring they are well-supported through that time,” the district said.
The $1 law is one of two heated topics the district is contending with as it faces pushback from the charter school community amid its Rebuilding Stronger plan. Charter schools are also pushing for the district to share more of the money it will receive if voters approve a $413.6 operating referendum in May.
The state law—commonly known as the $1 law—requires school districts to offer “vacant or unused” buildings previously used for classroom instruction to charter schools or state educational institutions for sale or lease at $1.
Within 10 days of passing a resolution to “close, no longer use, or no longer occupy” a school building, the district must notify the state, which must then alert charter schools of the building’s availability.
The attorney general’s office can investigate complaints against school districts that fail to comply with the law.
The state Department of Education spokesperson confirmed earlier…