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.
-
Lafayette woman charged with involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting
A 20-year-old Lafayette woman faces multiple charges after fatally shooting an 18-year-old Attica woman Wednesday night.
AES Indiana cuts proposed rate increase by more than half, advocates oppose
AES Indiana has reached a partial settlement in its regulatory rate review that reduces the proposed increase from approximately $21 to $10 per month for residential customers over two years.
Debate grows over Whitestown’s new public safety training facility
Plans for a police training center near the Boone-Hendricks County line are moving forward as nearby residents and the zoning board president question the lack of public review.
Indiana Daily Student says IU fully cuts printing of student newspaper
The student newspaper at IU Bloomington says the university has fully cut the print edition of the paper, and it will not be on the newsstands.
