INDIANAPOLIS — On Thursday night, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) board candidates faced voters at the last candidate forum ahead of the Nov. 8 elections. The forum was organized by the education advocacy group RISE Indy and hosted at Global Prep Academy.
"I'm here to hear what these candidates have to offer because ultimately what happens in this school or any other school will have a ripple effect," IPS parent Darrell Roberson said.
Angelina Moore and Nicole Carey are both running unopposed. Hope Hampton and Kristen Phair are duking it out for votes in district three, which covers midtown. The forum was in English with live Spanish translations. Moderator Shcarlett Estrada is a bilingual IPS parent and graduate.
"Having someone to be up there who can speak Spanish can help give confidence to some of the people who were here today," Estrada said. "My mom didn't feel, she wouldn't go to these events because she didn't feel like she should be there and she should be involved. And having someone here who speaks Spanish, it's like, ok let's go."
The Hispanic population is the fastest growing in the city, and there are more Spanish-speaking families in the district than ever before.
According to the Indiana Department of Education, English is not the first language for 21% of IPS students. Candidates spoke about the importance of bringing more bilingual services and staff to support an increasingly diverse city.
"We're seeing a lot of cultural depth in our city that we haven't experienced in years, so it's not just Spanish-speaking individuals, we have lots of new languages that folks in Indianapolis may not have been exposed to before, and it's a good thing for our city and a good thing for our district," Hampton said.
"When I think about their families that usually are also English language learners, and potentially don't speak any English at all, there's a huge barrier to access to IPS," Phair said.
-
Comedian and Indianapolis native Mike Epps opens boxing gym on north side
Actor and comedian Mike Epps is opening a new boxing gym on the north side of Indianapolis. The Right Jab Boxing Gym is on Sutherland Avenue near 38th Street and East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive.
New Teachers' Treasures location to open on campus of North Central H.S.
A new Teachers' Treasures location will open on the campus of North Central High School in April, providing educators with access to free classroom supplies without spending their own money.
Ice jams and muddy fields: The impact of melting ice and snow in Indiana
A lot of snow and ice has melted across Central Indiana this week. Beyond the impact of feeling more like spring, this melting has impacts on Indiana waterways and farm fields.
Man allegedly caught twice on the same day stealing catalytic converters
A man was caught red-handed stealing catalytic converters from cars in an east Indianapolis lot, and police say he came back for more on the same day.
