Judge Rules Indianapolis Mayor Can Revoke Project School's Charter

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard was within his authority as a charter school authorizer to close The Project School, according to an e-mail from the school’s leader.

The mayor announced he would revoke the struggling school’s charter two weeks ago, citing poor performance on state standardized tests. School leaders had received a temporary restraining order halting action from the mayor’s office, but now parents will have to find somewhere else to send their kids.

“Ultimately, the judge ruled that the law, as written, gives the mayor the authority to do what he did,” Tarrey Banks, the school’s founder, wrote on Facebook.

Banks told supporters he still planned to teach this year, and a parent meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday to discuss how to move forward.

Last week the mayor’s office held an enrollment fair so parents could place their children in other schools. But more than 220 parents said they’d rather send their students to The Project School if the school opened as scheduled on Aug. 6.

We’ve written about why the fight for The Project School matters outside of Indianapolis. On Wednesday, we’ll explain how the expansion of school choice in Indiana will shape the rules that govern charter school accountability.

The Indianapolis Project School has a sister site in Bloomington that isn’t affected by the mayor’s decision. It’s chartered through Ball State University.