Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, left, and school board member Allissa Impink testify during the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy at the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday. Feb. 11, 2025. (Rachel Fradette / WFYI News)
Legislation that aimed to dissolve Indianapolis Public Schools won’t move forward in the Indiana legislature.
That’s because the committee required to advance House Bill 1136 won’t hear it, according to the office of Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis). Behning chairs the House Education Committee.
The bill proposed converting 50 Indianapolis Public Schools campuses into charter schools, citing thousands of students who live in the district but choose to attend other types of schools.
In an emailed statement Thursday, IPS spokesperson Marc Ransford said the district will continue to “advocate for policies that serve all children well, minimize disruption for our students, staff, and families, and maximize taxpayer resources.
"While we celebrate this outcome, the issues at the heart of these bills remain important and we will remain diligent in ensuring the language from these bills is not inserted elsewhere."
While some saw the proposal as a way to force broader discussions about the district, it angered people in Indianapolis and across the state because it sought to eliminate school district systems and elected school boards.
A coalition of advocacy, education, and faith-based groups argued the bill would disproportionately impact Black students and other students of color.
House Bill 1136 also targeted Gary Community Schools, Tri-Township Consolidated Schools in LaPorte County, Union Schools southeast of Muncie, and Cannelton City Schools near the Kentucky border in Perry County.
Gary Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said it was encouraging the bill will not move forward.
"We will continue to work with our legislators regarding any proposed bills that impact the Gary Community Schools," she wrote in a statement.
Tri-Township Superintendent Pamela Moore said the district is relieved the bill will not disrupt its schools.
"Our close-knit community and dedicated educators create a learning environment where every student is known, supported, and encouraged to reach their full potential," she said in a statement to WFYI.
What’s next for IPS at the Statehouse
Indiana’s 2025 legislative session is nearly halfway through and must conclude by the end of April.
Bills that fail to advance out of committee or pass their respective chambers are considered dead, although language from them can still be added to surviving bills through amendments.
That means parts of House Bill 1136 could be incorporated into another bill until the session ends.
The bill’s author, Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty), did not immediately respond to WFYI’s request for comment Thursday. In January, Teshka told WFYI that “fairness” in property tax revenue sharing is part of the bill’s intent but not its sole purpose.
“I would not say that is kind of the overall crux of this bill,” he said. Teshka said the bill focuses on student outcomes.
Property tax sharing has been a dominant topic in education debates this session. This week, IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told state lawmakers that the state’s tax cut plan and Senate Bill 518—which would require property tax sharing with charter schools—would cost the district millions, leading to job reductions and the closure of more than 20 schools.
And IPS would lose about $1.3 million in 2026 under the amended Senate Bill 1 property tax reform proposal, according to the Legislative Services Agency.
Another bill targeting transportation and facilities management for IPS and other districts will also not advance, Behning’s office confirmed.
House Bill 1501, authored by Behning, would have required IPS, and the same four other school districts named in HB 1136, to participate in three-year pilot programs for facilities and transportation management, overseen by newly created local facilities and transportation boards.
"Imagine a future where parents have to call multiple places to answer questions as simple as 'will my child have a bus stop or will this school have the same grades to serve my child next year,'" IPS board member Ashley Thomas said this month. "It will create confusion, raise taxes, and strip our community of local control."
The deadline for bills to pass out of their chamber of origin is Feb. 20.
Rachel Fradette is the WFYI Statehouse education reporter. Contact Rachel at rfradette@wfyi.org.
