- Good evening, everyone.

Thank you so much for being here tonight for the 2022 IPS School Board Candidates Forum.

We are so glad you're here.

This forum is presented in partnership between WFYI Public Media, Chalkbeat Indiana and the Indianapolis Public Library.

We really wanna thank the Central Library for hosting us tonight, so please give them a hand.

(audience applauds) As you entered tonight, you should have received, if you wanted to, an index card where you could write down a question to be considered for our audience Q&A.

For those of you who are viewing online, thank you for being here on Facebook or YouTube.

You can also enter your questions in the chat, and our moderators will send those questions for consideration for our candidates.

In addition to a story about the candidates who are present tonight, you'll also find continuing coverage from both teams at WFYI and Chalkbeat.

They will continue to cover the school board elections in Marion County this year.

And so we hope that you will find that reporting helpful as you try to make informed choices during the election.

Tonight, one reporter from WFYI and one reporter from Chalkbeat Indiana will moderate the conversation.

But before I introduce our moderators, I have a few notes.

One, I wanna especially thank Michael with the NAACP of Greater Indianapolis tonight.

He is here, so if anyone's interested in registering to vote, you can find Michael just outside these double doors.

So we thank the NAACP.

Also, restrooms, you probably already know this, but just in case, are straight out those double doors on the left-hand side.

So you can see them if you walk straight.

They're on the left.

Please take a moment to silence your phones.

We wanna make sure that this candidate's forum is as clear as possible.

This event is being recorded, so you can find a recording in English and with Spanish subtitles in a couple of days.

So we look forward to you all viewing it or sharing the recording with people who weren't able to join us tonight.

To those of you who observe Yom Kippur, we wish you a meaningful fast.

And we also wanna acknowledge that this week is a part of the Hispanic Heritage Month, to recognize the contributions and cultures of both Hispanic and Latino communities.

Finally, we ask that you be respectful tonight.

Audience members, please do not disrupt the candidates as they try to respond to questions, and candidates, please don't make any personal attacks.

We're happy you're here.

Now I'll turn it over to Elizabeth Gabriel with WFYI Public Media, and Amelia Pak Harvey with Chalkbeat Indiana.

Please give them a hand.

(audience applauds) - Hi, I'm Elizabeth Gabriel with WFYI, and this is Amelia Pak Harvey with Chalkbeat Indiana.

Thank you for joining us this evening.

Tonight we're going to talk about the Indianapolis Public School's Board of Commissioners race.

And this year is a little unusual.

IPS, the largest school district in the state, had the fewest number of candidates since 2012, and there's only one contested race.

- Thanks, Elizabeth.

I'm sure you all know this is a pivotal moment for IPS.

The district has announced a plan to close schools and overhaul grade configurations, and they're doing this all at a time while they're grappling with declining enrollment, an impending budget shortfall and low academic performance.

So now is a chance to hear from candidates about some of the most important issues in the district.

Tonight we're hearing from the four candidates who are running for three seats.

You all have until Tuesday, October 11th to register to vote.

While we go through this program, if you have questions for the candidates, please write them on a note card, and we'll be happy to come around and collect those from you guys.

If you're watching this online, you can also type them in the Facebook chat, which we'll be monitoring, and you can tweet about the forum using the hashtag #IPSforum.

- So to kick things off, we'll start by giving each candidate 30 seconds to introduce themselves, just so we can get to know you a little better.

So you can mention things like which district you're running for, whether you have kids in the district, and why you're running.

And we'll first start with Nicole, then go to Angelia, Hope, then Kristen.

- Thank you, Elizabeth.

My name is Nicole Carey.

I am running for IPS School Board District Commissioner in District Five.

I am running because I have five kids that inspire me every day.

The oldest is 11, so she's in the thick of it, and my youngest is just eight weeks old.

And I am a fierce advocate for their education, and I feel very called to advocate for all children.

My oldest three are inside the district.

And working with teachers and in the district has given me the opportunity to see what collaboration with community looks like, and that's one of the things that I would really like to elevate.

- Good evening.

I'm Angelia Moore, and I'm running for IPS School Commissioner At-Large.

I'm the proud parent of four IPS students.

Three have graduated, one is currently a freshman, and I'm a graduate of George Washington myself.

And so my family and I had to be very creative in making sure we made choices that best fit our students to make sure they were successful.

And I just wanna make sure that we are hearing, listening, and supporting and valuing the voice of all parents, and ensuring that they have the tools to make the right choices for their students.

- Good evening.

My name is Hope Hampton, and I'm running for IPS School Board in District Three.

I grew up in my district.

I lived near the fairgrounds as a kid.

And I have served this community for more than 30 years with kiddos around the community and schools from both district schools in IPS and also at other schools outside of our school district.

I've worked with kids as a social worker and therapist, and helped prepare kids who are first generation college to get to college.

That was my story.

I was a kid who was first generation.

Went to Northwest High School, and because of some programs that came into school and saw me, I was able to go to IU and pursue an education and get my degree in social work.

My son is now attending Shortridge High School.

He's found a good community there, and I'm really excited about it.

And over his educational journey, we've availed ourself of various opportunities to get him to the finish line.

I'm running primarily to really hold our district accountable to make sure that all kids have a seat at the table and their parents whose voice are heard.

Hi everyone, my name is Kristen Phair I'm a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, and a product of public schools.

I spent my career as a deputy state public defender advocating for my clients who were incarcerated.

- Who are challenging their convictions.

My husband and I are parents to three young children.

All three are in IPS this year for the first year, which is awesome.

We've got a third grader, a first grader, and a pre-K kid.

They all attend George Washington Carver Montessori, IPS 87.

It's a beautiful community.

I've been an IPS parent for the last five years, and I will be an IPS parent for the next 13, which is why I'm here, because I'm invested in my children, but I'm invested in every child in this district.

I wanna see success for all of them.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

So now we'll move on to the question and answer portion.

Each candidate will get 45 seconds to answer.

But we've also thrown in a few rapid fire questions.

For those, you'll get 15 seconds to answer.

Elizabeth and I will direct the order for each question, to ensure everyone gets a fair shake.

So, Angelia, we'll start with you for the first question.

This is a rapid fire question.

Followed by Hope, Kristen, and then Nicole.

You'll get 15 seconds.

What do you believe IPS needs most from its school board, and what qualifications do you have to fill that need?

- Wow, that's a powerful question.

Thank you.

I think the district needs to understand we are not alone.

I think that there are many community partners that are prepared to assist and support our students.

And I think that we need to make sure that we are making everyone accountable for the decisions we make, but that those decisions are student focused.

We have great students, great teachers, and great support staff.

And so using all of those resources with the community and parents, understanding that the district is not an island by themselves to educate our students.

- Thanks.

Hope.

- Could you repeat the question?

- Sure.

What do you believe IPS needs most from its school board, and what qualifications do you have to fill that need?

- I think one of the things they need most is to recognize that equity in education is extremely important, and that we have a district that is full of students that are not being served at the highest level that they could be.

I think as commissioners, it's our job to hold our district and our superintendent accountable, and to make sure that they are being transparent in the decisions that they're making.

I think that as one who has served in other organizations and worked collaboratively to do those things, to hold accountable systems, that I'm prepared to do that and work collaboratively with other commissioners to help make sure that we are pushing the cause of equity and accountability and transparency.

- Thanks.

And Kristen?

- Yeah, thank you.

I would say that, as a board member, we are responsible for holding the district to a standard that brings our families and teachers to the table in ways that they have not previously done.

Really listening to our communities, especially our under-resourced communities.

My career was spent listening to my clients, first and foremost, critically analyzing transcripts and evidence, and then advocating for justice and holding our system accountable in the face of inequities.

That translates to listening to our district families and teachers, critically analyzing the budget and any district proposals, and advocating for our kids, holding the system accountable to the promises that Rebuilding Stronger has promised.

- Thanks.

And Nicole?

- So I'm gonna start by why I think that I'm gonna be great.

One of my qualities, I think, is bridging communities.

It's one of my passions, at least, is bridging communities that don't communicate well or have not worked well historically for some reason or another.

And I think one of the most important things that IPS has to do right now is engage the community in an authentic way, and bridge gaps where we haven't historically been able to do that.

And so I think that I'm well positioned to do that.

- Thanks.

For the second question, it's another rapid fire question, I'll hold a little bit more strictly to the 15 second time limit here.

IPS recently released its Rebuilding Stronger plan to close schools and change grade configurations.

This should be quick.

If you got to vote on Rebuilding Stronger as it is, would you vote yes or no?

We'll go down the line here.

So just Nicole, Angelia, Hope and then Kristen.

Nicole?

- No.

- Angelia?

- No.

- No.

- No.

- Great.

- So the next question is a normal question, so you'll have 45 seconds to answer.

In an online voter guide released by WFYI and Chalkbeat, each of you explained which parts of the plan you liked and disliked.

Now I plan to ask each of you different questions based on your responses.

The order will be Hope, Kristen, Nicole, Angelia.

Hope, in your response, you said you had questions about how the district will work to address opportunity gaps between Black and brown students, and ensure students are not being placed in schools that further widen gaps that already exist.

Can you elaborate more?

- Well, I feel like we haven't heard enough information.

It's not that anyone is opposed to plans per se, or people working hard to plan to do a better job of educating children.

I think the issue is that we don't know how many parents are really at the table who have been able to give input into the plan, and if the plans to redistrict and change certain things are what all parents need to get their children up to a successful level in the district.

So if you're making changes, are the choices to replicate the replication models that parents actually want?

- Next will be Kristen.

In your response, you said IPS had an opportunity to allay fears over Rebuilding Stronger by providing families with comprehensive plans for how IPS will implement special education programming, support teachers and ensure financial feasibility under the new model.

What kind of plan do you have in mind for those goals?

- The last part, could you repeat it?

What kind of what would I have?

- What kind of plan do you have in mind for these goals, to support special education programming, teachers and ensure financial feasibility?

- So I would start by getting more input from the families with the particular neighborhood schools where they're at.

So I think what I'm hearing from families is that they're exhausted, so they haven't... As much as IPS has reached out to families, and we've been getting phone calls, we're tired from the past two years of COVID, families are tired with the repetitive phone calls that are coming in, and they just didn't know the magnitude of what Rebuilding Stronger meant.

So as far as a plan goes, I wanna hear what parents are worried about for their special needs kids.

I wanna know what neighborhood families are worried about.

I can tell you I've spoken to a family a week and a half ago, who I informed that their neighborhood school was changing, and that they would no longer have their K through eight.

I mean, that was uncomfortable, and it wasn't good.

And as far as the high ability kids, their parents too are... Everyone's just anxious and fearful because we don't know what the plan is, right?

And so that's what I would say.

As IPS provides us with more information, I think people will either take comfort, or if they have feedback, I hope that it gets listened to in meaningful ways.

- And, Nicole, you said you wanted to see more transparency from the proposal.

How would you like the district to provide more welcoming environments for multilingual families?

- So it's a question about the transparency or the multilingual families?

'Cause I don't think they were related.

- A mix of both.

- Okay.

- Or you can answer either one.

- Yes.

So I think when I was discussing transparency from the district, I was mostly focusing on I want to understand why this plan makes sense.

What are the financial reasons?

If it's a fiscal stability issue, and this plan really helps us maintain the district, and it's about financial responsibility, what are the numbers that show that?

And transparency, what are the... Where is the data that show that the models that are being replicated are what the community actually wants, and it's gonna be really good for Black and brown kids.

With multilingual learners, there wasn't a ton in the plan for them at all.

And I think that it is really important for us to start to think about designing for marginalized and minoritized kids at the margins so that we can uplift the entire district, not just bits and pieces.

- And, Angelia, what kind of research have you done on the plan now that you've had the opportunity to look at it, and can you offer some parts you agree or disagree with?

- So yes, I've had a chance to review the plan and look at some of the key factors that were discussed during the State of the District.

Replication of programming was one of the things that stuck out to me.

As a previous parent of one of those programs, my students of color did not have success.

Their achievement gap was low.

It was not the worst in the building, but it was low.

And we had to choose at that time to homeschool.

I was employed by the district, and so for me, if we're talking about the goals that the board has set for 2025 and what we would like to see, although those goals are low, we wanna make sure that we are representing students and replicating programs that will get us to those goals.

- So we reached out to a few IPS classes and asked students to provide some questions for the forum.

The next question is from ninth grader Randall at Arsenal Tech.

He asks, firstly, "Is everyone poor here?

Like, what is wrong with the desks, or should we call it chairs?"

And he also asks, "What are you guys doing up there?

Make the classes fun.

Algebra is boring and a bit hard.

If you have to, get a rapper to rap the Algebra.

WFYI and Chalkbeat have reported on IPS's poor facilities, as well as initiatives to make learning more engaging.

How do you plan to improve the student experience?"

And this is a 45 second question, which we'll start with Kristen, Hope, Angelia, then Nicole.

- So the first part of the question was what to do about the poor facilities.

Okay.

I think we all know that IPS is grappling with some major budget issues, and that is what Rebuilding Stronger, in part, is trying to fix.

I think we need to engage with community partners who are invested in the success of our children to leverage those assets.

We've got so many incredible institutions around Indianapolis that wanna be part of our school success.

My school has an awesome partner in Peerless Pump, which is an organization or a company that's right down the road, and they beautify our space, and they provide hats and gloves for our kids at wintertime.

Our community has a lot to offer, and I think those are ways that we can improve quality.

Now, as far as the second part of the question, how to engage kids.

I am not an educator, but I love children and I love the way that they learn.

I think if we retain and recruit our most experienced and dedicated educators, that's how we connect with our children and make learning fun.

You know, we're in dire straits for teachers right now.

And I see my time is up.

Thank you.

- You can keep going.

- Okay.

So we're in dire straits for qualified teachers.

And my fear is if our solution to that is fast tracking credentialing, it's gonna be a race to the bottom for our kids.

So it's imperative that we retain and recruit qualified teachers, and get them in the classrooms and keep them there.

- Hope?

- Thank you.

First, I did smile a little bit because I heard the ninth grade language, and I have a junior at my house so I felt like I was listening to him.

I listened to the plan and, you know, one of the things that stands out is this constant conversation about we are going to bridge this achievement gap.

And that's the thing that makes me smile real big.

We all hear achievement gap bridging and we go, "Yes."

I just don't see how.

I haven't heard how that's going to happen.

So I'm looking for more information, and I think we all are wanting to be taught.

We haven't had much time to digest the information either.

So if I was a student, and I didn't see my child's school on the list, and I hear him say that sometimes it's hot.

And I looked at the list and I saw heating and air and I thought, "Yay, heating and air.

I can go home and tell my son he's gonna have air conditioning in his high school."

But he wasn't on the list.

So even while I'm running to be a commissioner, I can't even make that promise that it's going to feel better or that more supplies will be present.

And I will say, when we do retain these great teachers, and we do get great teachers in the building, we have to listen to them, and the leader of the school.

And we have to allow them to have some authority around how to be more creative and collaborate with the people in their communities who want to make a difference in the school.

I do agree, we have a lot of partners, and we need to be collaborating with them.

And it doesn't have to be a one-size-fits-all, it can be what's best for that individual school in that neighborhood.

And I think if we listen to the great people that we hire to educate our kids and to lead our schools, we might be able to give him exactly what he said, which is, "Teach me algebra in a way that reaches me."

It may not be a one-size-fits-all, and it may not be what the district has done for 40 years.

We're a different district today, and we need to teach kids where they are, and we can then bring them up.

- So this is a fun question.

I have a freshman who wants to play football, and eligibility changes at the end of this first nine weeks.

And so if he does not get the grades he needs, he will not be playing.

And he's like, "I just don't get it.

It's really boring."

And so we've created flashcards.

We do check-ins.

I talk to his coaches, his teachers are considered coaches.

I talk to his coaches every day.

What has he done, what is he missing?

What has he done, what is he missing?

So it takes a village.

And classroom curriculum is just part of the tools that we need to utilize.

And for our facilities, the facilities that we had 50 years ago when I graduated or when my siblings graduated, are the same facilities.

We have partners, as has been stated by my colleagues.

We have partners who are ready to help, we just need to know where to go.

And we also have the largest district in the state, and we can leverage our size for buying power.

Students should not be complaining about desks.

They can't control the leak in the ceiling, but we can get some partners to come in and guide us in making sure that they're comfortable in the seats that they're in while we figure out the capital campaigns around buildings.

- And I would just like to say I agree 100% with everything that Angie just said.

A lot of what you said was gonna be what I said.

But I will just add to that, that I think part of the commissioner's responsibility is to set a vision for the district, and to make sure that we are implementing that vision.

And part of that vision should be not just interested in test scores, in raising the so-called opportunity gap, but it should be how do we provide the best democratic education for the whole human, the whole student, which includes feeling safe and warm and comfortable in your learning environment.

And then having educators that believe in you, that get to know you to a level to know what your best ways of learning are.

And so if you don't rap, but you know that your student would learn best through a rap, what resources can you tap into to make sure that your students are learning?

And that is a style of of education that I am yearning for, where we have a community full of caregivers at home, families, and educators and students that work together in community to figure out how to uplift each other.

And I think that that's something that we're not doing particularly well right now, but we have a lot of room to grow and hope in that area.

- Thank you all for your answers.

The next question is a rapid fire question, so you'll have 15 seconds.

The district has predicted an annual deficit starting next year that could grow to $25 million annually by 2027.

The district has already announced sweeping changes with the Rebuilding Stronger plan, which is supposed to address some of the budget issues.

What other difficult decisions are you prepared to make in order to balance the budget?

And then the order will be Nicole, Kristen, Hope, Angelia.

- So as I mentioned before, I'm not seeing in the plan where that's saving our budget, and where that's helping.

So I need more information from the district in order to be able to provide an answer for that.

But one thing that I definitely want to elevate is that if we decide to close schools, the community has to be involved on the front end of that process.

We can't just let people know what's going to happen to them.

- I 100% agree with that.

As for tough decisions, you know, IPS has recently been granted, after COVID, $210 million in ESSER funds that is slotted to retain our teachers, which is fantastic.

Although I wish that those funds had been dedicated to our teachers as a thank you for getting us through COVID.

"Thank you for coming in after the fact and taking care of our kids while putting yourself in harm's way," instead of, "Please stay while we make these major transitions... without guaranteeing how you are going to fit into these transitions."

Thank you.

- Hope.

- I think there's so much agreement here.

But one of them is about transparency, and being able to have more information about where dollars are going, choices that need to be made early, not after the fact.

I think we just haven't brought enough people to the table.

And so one of the hard things I'd like to do is help to really mobilize us and really push hard on we can't make those decisions until we include our community.

We can't make those decisions without including teachers, who are the hands and feet of carrying out these decisions.

It's unfortunate that both school leaders and parents are unaware of so much.

So one of the pushes that I would like to make is around continued accountability, continued transparency.

That would include specifically with educators and parents.

- And Angelia?

- When I told my kids I was considering running for school board, one of them said, "That's a great opportunity in your next trajectory."

And I told them that I was gonna run on FUBU.

So many of you know the brand For Us By Us, we want our education for us with us.

You don't just have individuals up here running for a campaign.

You have four parents, and we have questions.

- Thank y'all.

This next question will be 45 seconds.

I might interrupt you to wrap it up.

By 2025, IPS wants to see 50% of Black and Hispanic students pass both the math and English section on the ILEARN tests.

But the current pass rate, this excludes the district charter schools, is 5.1% for Black students and 7.9% for Hispanic students.

Do you think those are achievable goals, and what does the district need to do in order to meet those expectations?

How will you keep the district accountable for achieving those goals?

We'll start with Hope, then Kristen, Angelia and Nicole.

You have 45 seconds.

- I think it is.

It sounds lofty, but I'm not sure that we have a choice.

5% and 7% is abysmal, and is unacceptable.

And I think that we're all sitting at this table because we have children, and we care a great deal and wanna make sure that every child is able to have a successful future, and at 5% and 7% they certainly cannot.

And so maybe it sounds lofty, but 50% is not a winning number in most cases.

In most places that's not an A.

We have a long way to go.

And I think one of the things that we have to do, again, is make sure that we include everyone at the table who is impacted by these decisions, and oftentimes, they're hearing after the fact.

- Thank you.

Kristen.

- Yeah.

I think it's, like you said, it's a goal we have to achieve.

And how are we gonna do that?

Well, I think there's lots of ways to do it.

Personally, I believe we need to recruit and retain more teachers of color, train our existing teachers in cultural competence.

You know, our teaching force right now is 88% white.

The majority of kids in our district are kids of color.

And perhaps just as important, I wanna see IPS expand our pre-K program with a focus on under-resourced families.

I applaud them for...

The Rebuilding Stronger includes offering access to more families, which is great.

But I wanna see them expand the program.

- Thanks.

Angelia.

- I think one of the ways that we can... One, the goal is lofty.

It's gonna take some effort.

We're in school year 2022-'23, and so we actually have two years to get to 50%.

If a student has 50%, they fail.

So I don't know if the expectation is too low.

Because if we want our students to be great, and be able to excel, we have to ask of them that.

So if we're telling them that we only believe 50% of them will succeed, we're failing them already.

And then secondarily, I'm gonna push back and say that we need teachers and communities that believe in our students.

Once we have students that believe someone pushes in them and believes in them, we will see the outcome.

They're meeting the standard that we've set for them.

- Thank you.

Nicole.

- And, per usual, I will just continue that comment.

I think that is exactly the missing piece.

Obviously, high academic expectations and rigorous curriculum, which I think are already on the table.

What I'm not hearing a lot of talk about is the deficit ideology that runs rampant with our educators.

I'll tell you a quick story.

I was speaking to an educator recently, and asking her how well she connects with her students of color, and she was very proud to speak.

"I connect with my Latinx students, and we talk about immigration, and we talk about their futures, and how they might go to law school and become immigration lawyers.

And when I talk to my Black students, we talk about Lizzo, and fashion, and we connect on so much culture."

And she, in that moment, as an educator of 10 years, who was very proud of how she educates, realized that she had never spoken to one of her Black students about their future.

That speaks to what we believe students can achieve.

And if the teacher does not believe that the student can pass, that the student can learn, they're not gonna learn.

And that's just one piece to the puzzle, but I think it's an important one.

- Thank you.

- The next question is a rapid fire question, so you'll have 15 seconds, and please be mindful of our timekeeper, Tasha Gibson.

The district has partnered with over 25 innovation schools, most of which are charters.

WFYI and Chalkbeat have covered the recent closures or non-renewals of innovation charter schools like Kindezi and Ignite, and now potentially SUPER School and Urban Act.

What is your position on continuing to work with these innovation charter schools?

The order will be Angelia, who actually used to run the IPS innovation office, then Nicole, Kristen, Hope.

- So as any parent of a program, it is disheartening to see how the transitions happened.

Again, parents want education with them, not for them.

In both situations, the transparency, the timing were not acceptable to parents.

You would have to read the plan, understand the school name, the traditional school name, to understand that those two schools that are on the list have a potential of closing.

Oh, I'm sorry, it was 15 seconds?

Okay, sorry.

- My kids go to an innovation school.

I am really excited about bilingual education.

That's just what works for my family.

And I love that school.

I really would like to see the district, if they choose to partner with an innovation school, that be a true partnership that's supporting all of the kids that choose to go to those models as well.

- I agree with what was said.

For now, I would like to see IPS pause the proliferation of innovation network charters while we focus on the rebuilding plan.

I don't want us to spread too thin right now.

We have schools that are in desperate need of our resources.

Thank you.

- Hope.

- I would second so much of what was said, but I will say that one of the biggest things is that we just have not had enough information.

And as a parent who has used both private education for my child, he's been to a charter school, and now is at an IPS public high school, I think that it is important for us to get a handle on the smorgasbord board of offerings.

We're all a bit confused.

I'm a part of it and I'm confused.

And I second that with everyone.

We need to have more clarity.

(moderators faintly speaking) - This is the last question, then we'll head to audience questions.

This question is once again from Randall, in ninth grade.

You'll have 15 seconds to answer.

Like many districts, IPS has allocated much of their pandemic relief funds toward tutoring services to help with learning loss.

And in his question, Randall asks, "Can I please get a tutor?"

How would you help families who have struggled to receive tutoring services from IPS?

We'll start with Kristen, then Hope, Nicole and Angelia.

- I think if there's anything we learned from that pandemic, it's that virtual learning is not ideal.

My five-year-old came home with an iPad and was expected to learn pre-K, and her teacher was expected to teach her and, I believe, 28 others.

And that was a mess.

So no amount of mandated e-learning or virtual tutoring is gonna fix this learning loss.

- Thank you.

- My child has access to tutoring at school, after school, and sometimes there are peer tutor-mentors.

And so I know it sharpens him to help other students, but he also gets an opportunity to avail himself of tutoring as well.

And I think that we need to try to replicate these things in schools if that is what is working, and we need to press for it and demand it as parents.

- Thank you.

Nicole.

- Tutoring is critical.

I support the initiative, and I'm applauding the billboards.

I think that that's a great way to let families know.

But I think traditionally we do a very poor job of communicating with families.

Even with this plan feedback, you have to have a QR code.

If you're accessing from mobile, how do you access the QR code to give your feedback?

So finding how to actually communicate with families in a realistic way.

- Thank you.

- We have great educators, who are doing their very best.

And I think giving them the ability to make recommendations.

And they've built those family connections and relationships to make sure those parents whose student need it the most have access to it and knowledge of it.

We've done a poor job communicating it.

- Thank you.

- Now we'll switch to questions from the in-person and online audience, as well as questions submitted in advance from registrants.

For this section, each candidate will have 45 seconds to answer.

We'll start with Angelia, Hope, Kristen, then Nicole.

And this question comes directly from the audience.

"With suicide numbers increasing for LGBTQ youth, what are your plans to make spaces more inclusive for those youth?"

- I'm a proud parent of a queer son, and I also teach HIV stigma relief.

And I think one of the things, if we go back to the fundamentals of making sure children feel like they belong in a building, they're valued by their teachers, and that their expectations for their academics are there, we can help support some of those things.

But we also have great community partners that are already in place that do just that.

The teachers don't have to do the work, they just have to let us know that there's a need, and the community is ready to step in.

- I like the idea that we support our teachers.

Mental health is extremely important to me as a social worker.

And being in buildings and watching some children who feel unseen, I think it's important that all of our kiddos feel like they are seen in school, and protected and safe.

And it does not matter what their background, persuasion, sexual preference or orientation is.

Everyone should feel safe in school.

And agree, teachers, that is not their job.

It's their job to make a welcoming space in the classroom, but they should not have to deliver mental health services.

I think we should support them as well, making sure that teachers and students have mental health support.

- I think a lot of this has to do with individual school culture, and that is a top down thing.

The principal sets the tone.

So it's so important that the principal is supportive of the children, and of the teachers that support the children.

We need to fund our schools so that they have counselors.

And not only have counselors, but offer those counselors professional development so they know how to handle the needs of our kids.

But like I said, a safe...

I'm sorry I didn't say this.

But a safe, welcoming community where that child feels safe and where that child has spent time, oftentimes from the time they're a pre-K kid to, well, now it'll be up to fifth grade, but some of the time it's up to now seventh and eighth grade, you know, that's their family, and that does provide a safe space for them most of the time.

And if that's not happening, that's an issue that we need to really handle.

- So by profession, I discuss strategies around diversity, equity and inclusion every day.

And so this question is a little...

It angers me because it just should be obvious.

We should just be human.

We're all human, and we should design policies that are human centered.

And when we design a policy and we're saying, "Wait, this might harm this population," or, "This might harm this group of students," let's slow down and make sure that everyone who might be harmed, is not, right?

And so I don't think that it's a question of who is going to do all.

Like, we all have to do all of the things.

We all have to be accountable to make sure that all of our students feel safe and welcome and belong in IPS.

- Thank you all.

Our next question.

"As the number of Latino students increase, how will you engage them in the election process?"

We'll start with Hope, then Kristen, and Nicole and Angelia.

Hope.

- I think we need to partner with many of the organizations in our community with Latin parents, and bring them to the table, and that way can engage their students more.

I think it's hard to engage students when their parents have no clue, when they're in confusion about the direction of the district, the plan itself.

And so I think it's very important for us to make sure that all of the brown families in particular, especially since we have a district that is 80% plus Black and brown, including our Latinx population.

We need to engage those families, and we need to collaborate with organizations and get a little bit out of our way and less institutional, and a bit more grassroots and community-centered, and get over whether or not IPS leads it, and go to the organizations that serve those families and bring them in purposefully.

- Thank you.

Kristen?

- Yeah, I think it's all about access.

And as English speakers, we have presumptive access to so much.

When you're not a native English speaker, and there isn't a translator at the Rebuilding Stronger meeting, then how are you gonna ask any questions about what's about to happen to your kid?

How do you even know what's about to happen to your child with the changes that everybody's gonna have occur with this new plan?

So we need to ensure that we provide services that give our families the access they deserve.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

Angelia?

- I think one of the first things is understanding we have heard from our community around language justice.

To rebuild stronger and not have language justice called out, which is one of the easiest things to address.

It should be the statement of the board if we are going to support our students of any secondary language, knowing that our second highest population is our Latino population, everything that we do should be in both languages.

And then we go school by school, and we write those things in two languages and we work at certain populations of that school.

But anything coming from the district should be, at least, at the bare minimum, in both English and Spanish.

- Thank you.

Nicole.

- (speaks Spanish) That's just a little flex that we should be speaking Spanish first sometimes, right?

And I think language is just the first step.

It's the most obvious step, but it's not the only thing that we need to do in order to engage our Latino brothers and sisters.

We need to be able to understand how culture is different, how challenges are different, and the onus is on us to do that.

We can't expect like, "Well, our board meetings are Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. We'll see you there."

That's not how we engage families.

And so really understanding the differences in culture and in learning strategies to engage, I think, is extremely important.

- Thank you.

The next question says, "Are you supported by Stand For Children and/or RISE ND?

If so, did they encourage you to run?

Did they give you the idea to run?"

And the order is Kristen, Hope, Angelia, Nicole.

- So I made my decision to run for school board two days before filing.

Shortly after I did, I was reached out to by Stand For Children and RISE to fill out their candidate survey, and I was just reeling so I did not do that.

And I have read both of their platforms and I agree with much of what they say.

I think the big question though, is why are wealthy, out-of-state donors interested in a local school board race?

People invest in things to see a return.

And I'm afraid that wealthy, out-of-state donors see our education system as an opportunity for profit.

10 years ago, things were very different.

That's when big money came on the scene.

Things were very different before that.

School boards were run with very small budgets, going door-to-door, meeting voters where they were at.

Thank you.

- I made a decision to run for school board about two years ago.

And the time was really bad, and I don't think I would've been a great commissioner at that time.

I have been through the RISE Indy...

I have been through some training and support from them, but not pressed to run or any of those things.

As a result of wanting to run two years ago, this year, when I decided to run really early in a way to fight for equity for the families that I know that I have served in this community who I know have been a bit marginalized and I know are experiencing an achievement gap, I was able to gain their support by completing those surveys.

But I also am someone who is a beneficiary of an organization that was a nonprofit that allowed me to get to college.

If it were not for them mobilizing and supporting my parents and bringing them to the table, teaching them how to get me to college, I wouldn't be sitting here today.

- So I signed up for training.

I believe that even as adults, we are lifelong learners.

That training did come through RISE.

My decision to run for school board came from screaming in rooms that our students are in need, it's an urgent need, and no one hearing me.

So taking the stand and stepping up to run for school board was simply because our children need a voice that sounds like them, that looks like them, and has been in their shoes.

So as a graduate, as a parent, as a former employee, my reason for running is to make sure I'm now in a space that I can be heard and help guide that direction.

- So I think I will...

I'm hoping to directly answer this question.

I was not approached to run, I decided to run on my own.

But when I made that decision, I said, "I want to elevate community voice.

I want to bridge the silos of our community.

Do you have money?

Do you support me?

Do you have money?"

So I haven't gotten any money yet, but I'm still asking for money.

- [Angelia] Thank you.

(laughs) - So I do have a QR code if...

Anyway, so saying that, because I think it puts me in a unique position with this political landscape that my race is uncontested.

I don't need to be bought.

I don't think that that's the question, but I do think with all of the money going into the campaigns, it's a really great opportunity to use those funds to elevate community voice.

So I'm asking everybody.

- Thank you.

All right, we'll do one more audience question before wrapping up.

Let's see.

"How do you, as a board member, intend to hold the administration accountable?"

We'll start with Nicole, then Kristen, then Hope and Angelia.

Nicole.

- Is this 45 seconds or... - Yes.

- Okay.

So I've mentioned before, I believe it's the responsibility of the commissioner to set the vision for the district, and then hold the superintendent accountable for implementing it.

And I'm not exactly sure how that process has happened in the past, or how well that's gone, but I do intend to make it my personal mission to make sure that community voice is what's informing the vision for the district.

And I think that that's why we're elected by the community, to be able to carry that vision forward.

So it's accountability to the community to make sure that it's implemented that way.

- Thank you.

Kristen.

- Do you mind repeating the question?

- How do you intend, as a school board member, to hold the administration accountable?

- Well, the first thing I think we need to ask our administration to do is conduct a feasibility study, and partner with each school regarding what programs they're implementing.

And I don't care if it's a choice program, or if it's an innovative network school.

I think that is holding our...

I'm sorry, holding our district accountable to the families it serves, the first step is to go into those schools and have meaningful conversations with them.

And I'm hearing everyone say that across the board, and it's clearly so important to all of us.

Also, you just have to be brave enough to ask the critical questions about our budget, about how these changes are going to bring true equity to our students.

It's critical.

- Thank you.

- I think one of the roles of the commissioner is to remember that we do not answer to the superintendent.

The superintendent should be answering to commissioners.

And we can't get this opportunity and then get quiet.

I think one of the biggest issues is that people often run for these seats, and then get to the table and there's a lot of potential group thinking going on.

And while I believe in collaboration, and I believe in having adult conversations, and agreeing and disagreeing, and being able to be intelligent about that, I think our biggest job is to remember that we're supposed to hold our superintendent accountable to fulfill the goals that they set out, and make sure that those goals are pressing for equity, and that we are making sure that we are bringing all of the stakeholders to the table, starting with our parents.

- Thank you.

- Could you repeat the question, please?

- Yes.

As a school board member, how do you intend to hold the administration accountable?

- I'll agree with my colleagues on the farm and say our job is to ensure that the vision is set, the budget is approved, and that we hold the superintendent accountable.

We'll let the superintendent figure out who to hold accountable on her team.

But not being able to clearly define a vision and a pathway to those goals that align with a budget that is reasonable, and having accountability on how that is operated, means that we're not doing our part.

I believe in relational partnerships, but not at the cost of our children.

- Thanks.

Nicole?

- I went first.

- Oh, did you go first?

I'm sorry.

All right, was that everybody?

- That was everybody.

(moderators faintly speaking) - Okay.

I think that'll wrap up our question section.

Thank you everyone for submitting your questions to us.

We're now gonna give each candidate 30 seconds for closing comments, anything that you left out that you wanted to add or elaborate on.

We'll start with Nicole, and then Kristen, and Hope and Angelia.

- So I just wanted to use this time as an invitation to invite you all to authentic conversation.

It's not just lip service to say that I wanna elevate community voice.

Fridays and Sundays, Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons up until the election, I'm going to have community conversations.

If you look for my social media, just look for Nicole Carey and IPS, you can find the location where I will be.

And I invite you to come out and share your concerns and your vision for the district.

- Me?

- Kristen.

- Okay.

Well, thank you to our moderators for being here tonight, and thank you for our engaged audience.

It was great to have you guys.

As a parent with kids who will be affected by these major changes, and as a community member, I am here to hold IPS accountable.

To ensure that they make good on these huge... issues that they're trying to solve.

Our budget issues and our equity issues are critical.

We can't get them wrong.

Thank you.

- [Amelia] Thank you.

- Wow, this has been wonderful and also nerve racking to share in front of everyone, but I'm thankful for the opportunity.

And I'm running because I really, really believe in kids.

Somebody believed in me, and there were people who said, "Hey, you might not be all the way prepared, but we think we can help you get to school."

And I have spent three decades doing just that in this community, tapping kids and working with kids, whether it is counseling them or working with them and helping them to understand how they might be able to access the best quality education and get a successful future that they want.

And so I'm really running now to hold our district to be accountable and transparent to us parents to help every kid have that opportunity as well.

Not just a few, but all.

And make sure that we are not having a school district where third graders are not prepared to read.

It's just completely unacceptable.

And so the whole reason I'm running is to hold our district accountable, to support our educators, who are really the greatest resource and do the hands and feet work every single day, support them and make sure that parents are heard.

- [Amelia] Thank you.

- First, I wanna thank you for the opportunity to be here, and thank you to our timekeeper for attempting to keep us on task.

But I just wanna share quickly, this is not something I'm doing for anything other than the students.

For many times, students are the last people we think of, and that's because we're adults.

I've served as a CASA for the most vulnerable students in our city for over 20 years.

There's no need that each student in our district shouldn't have an advocate.

And so I wanna offer you each the opportunity to get to meet with me this Saturday at Cleo's Bodega.

Come out, learn more, ask more, but understand that my only goal is to make sure that our students are heard, valued and understood.

- Thank you.

- Thank you for all of your responses, and thank you everyone for coming out tonight.

We've discussed a lot, so if you would like to re-watch this forum, you can watch it at WFYI and Chalkbeats' Facebook pages, and also WFYI's YouTube page.

Amelia and I will be holding a Twitter space conversation tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. to discuss the responses from this discussion, as well as other Marion County School Board races.

And you can also go to each of our websites to view voter guides for all Marion County races.

And now we'll hear closing comments from MJ with Chalkbeat Indiana.

- Hello everyone, I'm MJ Slaby, and I'm the Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Indiana.

And I just wanted to say thank you all so much for attending tonight, both in person and online.

Thank you to Amelia and to Elizabeth for all their hard work tonight and in preparation for this event.

Thank you to our candidates for their thoughtful responses, and to the entire WFYI and Chalkbeat Indiana teams for all their hard work tonight to make this forum possible.

We hope tonight was informative and helpful.

Please continue to follow Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI as we have more school board election coverage as election day nears.

And don't forget that early voting starts October 12th.

That's next week already.

And please have a great night and a safe trip home.

Thank you.

(audience applauds)