Indianapolis Local Education Alliance schedules public meetings

INDIANAPOLIS — The newly formed Indianapolis Local Education Alliance is scheduled to host its first public meeting later this month.

The alliance is a city-led group charged by the Indiana General Assembly to “craft plans that address facility and transportation management” as well as topics like governance structure and increasing efficiency.

The first public meeting of the alliance will be at 6 p.m. on June 25 at the City-County Building, according to a news release. The building is located at 200 E. Washington Street in Indianapolis.

The goal of the alliance, which was created as part of legislation passed this year, is to “deepen collaboration across traditional public and public charter schools and support a strong academic experience for all students,” according to a news release.

The release said the following people are members of the alliance:

• Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett – Chairman
• Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools
• Bart Peterson, a former mayor, former CEO of Christel House International and former senior vice president of corporate affairs and communication for Eli Lilly and Company
• Maggie Lewis, the majority leader for the Indianapolis City-County Council and the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis
• Angela Smith-Jones, an associate vice president for state relations at Indiana University, a former deputy mayor of economic development and former general counsel for the Indy Chamber
• Tobin McClamroch, a managing partner for Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, chair of the Marian University Board of Trustees
• Barato Britt, president and CEO of the Edna Martin Christian Center
• Tina Ahlgren, a teacher at H.L Harshman Middle School who was named the Hoosier Educator of the Year in 2024 and the IPS teacher of the year in 2014
• Andrew Neal, the CEO of Outreach Indiana and the former chief operating officer for the Brookside Community Development Corporation.

“These accomplished civic leaders are ready to chart a course for the future of education within the IPS boundary,” Hogsett said in the release. “I am proud to lead them as we embark on this critical work, and I am confident we will create a plan that ensures a stable, sustainable and collaborative path forward for our schools.”

Two other public meetings are scheduled for the alliance, including meetings on July 23 and Aug. 20. Specific meeting rooms, as well as agendas, will be shared closer to the meeting dates.

“The ILEA provides a valuable opportunity to hear the diverse perspectives of local, Indianapolis-based leaders as we create recommendations in shaping the future of our schools,” Johnson said in the release. “I believe that together we can chart a stronger path that ultimately supports our students, families, and community most effectively. We remain committed to advocating for our families, students, and staff throughout the course of our engagement with the ILEA.”

The alliance is required to report its recommendations back to officials with the district, city and state leaders by Dec. 31.