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IPS adds meeting about possible high school closings following large response from community

Posted at 1:05 PM, May 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-15 06:40:01-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Public Schools has added another community meeting about the possibility of closing three high schools following larger than expected turnout at previous meetings.

The school system has also had to find a new, larger location for one of the meetings.

The district announced last month that they were looking to close three schools because of low enrollment. An internal report showed Arlington High School’s projected enrollment for the 2017-18 school year is only 690, well short of its capacity of 2,175.

Closing three schools could save the district about $4 million per year.

"I remind you that this is a very open and transparent process.  No decision has been made at this point," said Superintendent Dr. Lewis D.  Ferebee.  "At the core, we want to enhance the experience and make sure every student graduates prepared for college or career.  To do that, we want to make sure we maximize the resources."

The IPS Community Meetings are free and open to the public, however, registration is preferred. Pre-registrants' seats will be held until the start of the meeting at 6 p.m. For a full list of locations or to register online, log on to www.myips.org.

"These changes represent the district's commitment to gather as much feedback as possible so the IPS Board of School Commissioners can make a fully informed decision about which schools to close," the district said in a news release. 

The remaining community meetings will be held on the following days:

  • May 15 at Hawthorne Community Center at 2440 West Ohio Street from 6 – 8 p.m.
  • May 18 at Garfield park Burrello Family Center at 2345 Pagoda Drive from 6 – 8 p.m.

PREVIOUS | CALL 6: Three IPS high schools could close for Fall 2018 school year due to low enrollment

IPS PROJECTED SCHOOL ENROLLMENT FOR 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR:

  • Arlington: 690 (has the capacity to hold 2,175)
  • Arsenal Tech: 1,808 (has the capacity to hold 3,000)
  • Broad Ripple: 666 (has the capacity to hold 2,400)
  • Crispus Attucks: 1,375 (has the capacity to hold 1,375)
  • George Washington: 403 (has the capacity to hold 1,900)
  • Northwest: 739 (has the capacity to hold 2,125)
  • Shortridge: 347 (has the capacity to hold 1,475)

RELATED | IPS wants your input for possible high school closures