INDIANAPOLIS — High school students were once able to spend their summers taking college classes at Ivy Tech Community College for free. That opportunity is now over.
Ivy Tech announced it is discontinuing its free summer school program this year. In a statement, it said it is due to "a challenging fiscal environment that is impacting all public higher education institutions in Indiana."
"It feels like we're going backwards," said Amanda Schutte, whose daughter received a degree through the Ivy Tech program. "For a college that is supposed to be statewide and super accessible, this feels so backwards."
Schutte said the summer school program provided a way for her daughter to go through college quickly with no debt.
"She graduated from high school on a Saturday, started at Ivy Tech on Monday, and ended up graduating by the following August from Ivy Tech with her associates," said Schutte, who said her daughter will graduate from IU-Indianapolis this summer.
Ivy Tech did not respond to WRTV's requestS for comment.
In its statement, the college said it hopes to revive the free summer school program in the future with state and community partners.
Schutte wants Ivy Tech to find a way. She is a teacher at an Indianapolis Public Schools middle school and repeatedly recommended the program to her students.
"It's truly heartbreaking that this is not going to be a resource to kids that really need it," Schutte said. "The access to this is life-changing."
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