Greetings!
In this season of Thanksgiving, it's especially important that we take time to reflect on our many blessings. Considering the past twenty months and its many challenges, our list of blessings at INPEA has remained unchanged:
- The opportunity to work with schools committed to their mission and the success of their students.
- School leaders whose vision, passion and commitment is reflected in the success of their schools, faculties and students.
- An INPEA board of directors who, in the midst of very demanding jobs, share their time and talents for the betterment of all Indiana non-public schools.
- To reside in a state that sees the gift that non-public schools are to its residents.
- To have elected officials committed to the ideal that parents know what’s best for their families and give them the ability to make choices that are in the best interest of their children’s education.
- To be able to make a difference in the lives of Hoosiers.
Wishing you and your families a happy Thanksgiving,
John
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2022 Legislative Session Right Around the Corner
On Tuesday, Nov. 16, the Indiana General Assembly convened for its annual “Organization Day”. House and Senate leadership spoke to their agendas for the upcoming session. Speaker Todd Huston, in his remarks, referenced the expansion of school choice in the last session and reiterated his commitment to continue to build upon empowering parents relative to their child’s education.
The 2021 session was huge for school choice! Many more families will and already are taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity. But please remember, the battle is never over! Our advocacy efforts will continue to be paramount. Last session, many more schools engaged in the process, and for that we are thankful. It did make a difference!
Now we have to build upon our successes and even increase our engagement efforts. It’s time for all schools to own this responsibility. Our requests are simple: appoint a legislative liaison (grassroots coordinator), set two public policy goals, like inviting legislators into your building, and to inform and mobilize your school communities when needed. We’ve come too far to sit back and get comfortable. We - and our families - have too much at stake!
As we finalize our legislative agenda, we’d like your input. Please complete this survey. It will only take five minutes. Thanks much!
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Special Education Study
We are in the third quarter of our special education study with ADAC. Data has been collected from IDOE, school leaders have been surveyed, and a random group of LEA special education offices have been surveyed, as well. Five in-person and one virtual training have been conducted. Lots of valuable information was gleaned from the trainings, as well as great opportunities for networking. The hope is to have a final report completed in December with presentations to the INPEA board of directors and IDOE in January.
The school leader survey will remain open until Nov. 23. If your school has not submitted a response, PLEASE do so ASAP. It’s a vital part of the study.
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Dues and Data
Thank you to the many schools that have already submitted your dues. It is much appreciated! Also, thanks to the schools that have submitted their data survey. This information is very valuable as we move into the upcoming legislative session. If your school has not submitted yet, please do soon. Thanks so much!
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EANS
IDOE is waiting to hear back from the USDOE regarding their revised EANS 2 application. As you are aware, EANS 2 will be more focused on schools with high poverty.
IDOE is trying to get as many schools and students access as possible, but the feds have not approved - to date - anything below a 20% poverty benchmark. We continue to work with IDOE on the residual EANS 1 funds. Stay tuned!
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INPEA Conferences
INPEC 2021
We're still tying up all the “after conference” loose ends (e.g. collecting Title II registrations from LEAs). Our total registrations were the second highest in the last four INPECs. Our keynotes were a hit, especially Gerry Brooks. Thanks again to our speakers, volunteers and attendees. It was great to get back together! Here are a few more pictures that you might enjoy.
INPAC 2022
Now shifting gears to our Indiana Non-Public Administrator's Conference, which is scheduled for September 22-23, 2022, in Carmel at the Renaissance Hotel. The planning committee is beginning to put the program together. If you have suggestions for keynotes, speakers or session topics, please send them to John at jelcesser@inpea.org or Peg at pdispenzieri@dol-in.org
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Educational Scholarship Account Program
The ESA (Educational Scholarship Account) program, which was passed on the budget with the voucher expansions, is scheduled to be implemented in the 2022-2023 school year. The state treasurer’s office is building the program infrastructure in preparation for a spring rollout.
You may remember this program - at least initially - will be available only to students with special needs that meet the income requirement. We anticipate scheduling information sessions initially for school leaders to help with your participation decisions. We expect there will be parent information sessions scheduled at some point, as well. In the meantime, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to John. A very general overview can be found on the treasurer’s webpage.
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Indiana Dashboard
As you are probably aware, Indiana passed legislation that did away with school accountability consequences (two consecutive "D" or "F" grades) in exchange for providing additional transparency through dashboards. The concept is to create a “Portrait of the Indiana Graduate”.
The model is based on five key characteristics (i.e. Academic Mastery, Career & Postsecondary Readiness, Communication & Collaboration, Work Ethic, and Civic, Financial & Digital Literacy). The next layer involves how the characteristics are measured. They are defined as headline and informational metrics. The PowerPoint that was used to provide an update to the State Board can be found here.
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Tell Congress Not to Exclude Faith-Based Providers from Pre-K & Childcare Bill
A note below from our national organization, the Council for American Private Education (CAPE):
Congress is considering legislation that would have an enormous impact on the delivery of pre-kindergarten and childcare services in this country. Unfortunately, the bill as currently drafted would severely limit the ability of faith-based providers to participate.
Please contact your U.S. representative and senators and tell them that they cannot expand access to pre-k and childcare by reducing the number of providers parents can choose from.
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A note from Indiana Dept. of Health
Thank you for your dedication in communicating vaccine efficacy and safety to your faculty, staff and school families. At the end of last week, over 900,000 children ages 5-11 had already received one dose of a COVID – 19 vaccine.
Here is a joint letter from the HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra, and Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, sharing opportunities for states, communities, and schools to work together to help accelerate vaccination among school-age children. Vaccination is the best tool we have to keep our students safe from COVID-19, maintain in-person learning, and prevent the closure of schools and cancellation of valued extracurricular activities. And vaccination, paired with prevention strategies that are layered and implemented correctly – such as masking, testing, tracing, distancing and improving ventilation -- can significantly limit COVID-19 transmission.
Please find additional resources here. Doctors, nurses, researchers and community health care workers provide facts and dispel misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, in English and Spanish, in this FAQ video series from KFF with the Black Coalition Against COVID and UnidosUS.
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COVID Learning Loss
There has been lots of discussion regarding the impact of COVID on student learning. IDOE released statewide data showing the overall loss in ELA and Math. They have also released learning loss data by school. You can access your school’s data via IDOE online here.
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Annual Report
INPEA is blessed tremendously by your annual membership dues that allow us to continue operating the way we do. Do you ever wonder where your dollars go and what we do throughout the year? Take a look at our annual report from this past fiscal year and see how you've helped us make an impact!
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Applications Open for The Drexel Fund Founders Program
Now more than ever, families need passionate school leaders to reimagine how children learn. Are you working to bring your idea for a new private school to fruition? Do you need support in bringing that idea to life? Apply to The Drexel Fund Founders Program: a prestigious one-year paid fellowship for innovative leaders with a strong plan to launch high-quality private schools for low-income children. The fellowship will begin in July 2022, working toward a school launch in Fall 2023.
Applications are now open! The first application deadline is December 1, 2021.
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Many thanks to our business partners! |
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*Would you like to be come an INPEA Business Partner or know a business that would be a good fit? Check out our website here or contact John Elcesser at jelcesser@inpea.org for more information!
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Mission
The Indiana Non-Public Education Association serves as an advocate, promotes engagement, and strives for the advancement of non-public schools.
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(317) 236-7329
1400 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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