INDIANAPOLIS – As IPS prepares to close three of its seven high schools, there has been an increase in teachers leaving the district.
One former Broad Ripple High School teacher left his position after 10 years in fear of job instability.
The teacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he submitted his letter of resignation before the final decision was made to close the school. He said he noticed changes within the school over the past two years.
"We started seeing the building being nearly empty, lots of unused classrooms. We knew that some big change was going to have to happen,” he said.
The teacher mentioned he wasn’t surprised when Supt. Dr. Lewis Ferebee announced the recommendation to close the building, but he knew it was time to look for new opportunities.
"It was, a lot of it, the uncertainty, just not knowing where I would be a year from then, not knowing whether the school would be open still, not knowing if it were closed, what I would end up being in the future, whether I'd be teaching, where I'd be going," he said.
Though he made the decision to leave, he said it wasn’t easy.
"I felt like I was betraying people. I really did,” he said.
PREVIOUS | IPS wants your input for possible high school closures | Protesters upset about IPS high school closures | IPS plans to close Broad Ripple High School, convert Arlington and Northwest to middle schools | IPS parents displeased over possible high school closures
According to personnel reports, the IPS School Board approved the resignation of 419 teachers and other certified personnel between April 27, 2017 and August 31, 2017, which is a 33 percent increase from 2016.
IPS officials said the increase in resignations is closer to 14 percent, but it’s unclear where the discrepancy lies.
A spokeswoman said the number included temporary employees and those fired due to license difficulties.
The district plans to offer a $5,000 stipend to teachers who stay through the end of the school year.
RELATED | Broad Ripple High School students, alumni celebrate possible last homecoming | Community gives opinion on how Broad Ripple High School should be used
Top Trending Videos
