Indianapolis Public Schools enrollment has dropped by roughly 3.7% in schools it manages directly since last school year. The decline of roughly 800 students was driven almost entirely by falling middle school enrollment.

The pushback against the legislation comes as IPS faces yet another session that could leave the district even more financially strapped and struggling for survival.

if more than 50% of eligible students were enrolled outside, that public school district would be dissolved and replaced with a charter system governed by an unelected board.

A controversial bill in the Indiana legislature could force the dissolution of public school districts across the state, including Gary and Indianapolis, raising alarms among educators, legislators, and Hoosiers.

Sixty-one percent of students who live in the Indianapolis Public Schools district boundaries attend other districts, public charter schools or private schools.

The IPS school board members spoke out publicly Tuesday night against a bill that would force all of the schools in the district to become charters.