|
January is always a month of celebrations for non-public schools, and next week we will celebrate Catholic Schools Week, National Lutheran Schools Week, and National School Choice Week. Next Monday, January 27, is INPEA Day at the Statehouse. We look forward to celebrating all of our non-public schools and our 50th anniversary with legislators and other leaders. We hope to see many of you there!
In Indiana, we are blessed to provide Hoosier families the opportunity to choose one of many quality non-public schools to partner with in the education of their children. We have a LOT to celebrate!
The INPEA Team
John, Chris, Andrea, and Beatrice
| |
|
James McNeany Named Next INPEA Executive Director
The Indiana Non-Public Education Association is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has selected James McNeany as its next executive director. He will begin his new role in June and will assume full responsibility upon the retirement of John Elcesser in July.
McNeany has served as the principal of St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville since 2013. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Legislative Advocacy Committee for INPEA.
To read more, view the official announcement here.
| |
The INPEA Board of Directors recently approved the dues structure for the fiscal year 2026. The K-12 per student dues will increase by twenty-nine cents and the pre-K per student rate will increase by nine cents. The average of all INPEA schools will see an increase in dues of $73; dues for smaller schools increase on average by $38 while dues for larger schools will increase on average by $140. | |  |
|
Please join us for INPEA’s 50th Anniversary Gala dinner! The gala will take place during INPEC on Thursday, September 18, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Member schools will be able to purchase a table of 8 for $1,250 and individual tickets will be available for $125. More information about purchasing tables and individual tickets will be shared by the end of February.
| | |
|
Legislative Updates
It has been a busy month in the Indiana General Assembly. As the bills move out of committee, we will need our stakeholders ready to engage with their legislators. Watch INPEA’s legislative engagement video to learn about the importance of being engaged this session.
Bills We Are Following
INPEA is tracking more than 50 bills related to education. Here are a few of the bills we are following:
-
HB 1002 Various Education Matters removes and repeals various education provisions and expired education provisions in Title 20 code.
-
HB 1201 Education Matters deals with attendance and discipline and has little direct implications for non-public schools.
-
HB 1515 Education and Higher Education Matters gives non-public schools access to STEM teacher recruitment grants and the principal institute, allows non-public schools to establish police departments, and allows parents to petition IDOE to reconsider Choice Scholarship eligibility due to data error.
-
SB 36 School Counselors deals with counselor ratios and responsibilities with the intent to reduce non-counseling responsibilities for guidance counselors. This should not impact our non-pub schools who already have a low student to counselor ratio.
-
SB 146 Teacher Compensation attempts to increase public school teachers’ salaries to a minimum of $45,000.
-
SB 255 Education Matters attempts to provide flexibility for licensing STEM content area teachers and clarifies religious instruction release time.
-
SB 373 Department of Education includes a number of issues but only a few that are applicable to non-pubs. It proposes changing the structure of summer school funding from a percentage of budget to a per student calculation. It also allows IDOE to delete non-functioning SGOs with no activity over a three-year period.
| |
|
Legislative Liaison Corner
Please share this content with your school community. You can cut and paste this into your regular communications.
The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) is proud to be the voice of Hoosier non-public schools at the Statehouse! The 2025 legislative session is underway and INPEA is focused on the goal of getting universal vouchers for all Hoosier families. To accomplish this, INPEA needs non-pub families to be dialed in throughout the legislative session. Follow INPEA on Twitter or Facebook and subscribe to their newsletters to stay informed about what’s happening at the Statehouse. View INPEA’s 2025 advocacy video to learn more about how you can get involved this legislative session.
INPEA continues to collect family stories about the impact of school choice and the need for universal vouchers for all Hoosier families. If you would like to share your family’s story, visit https://bit.ly/ATFLParentStory.
| |
|
INPEC 2025 Call for Presentations Deadline Extended to January 31!
We are looking for presenters to submit exciting, informative, and motivating programming for INPEC 2025! Please encourage your team to submit presentation proposals related to any of our nine learning strands:
- All Things Indiana
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Early Childhood (Pre-K-Grade 2)
- Effective Instructional Practices
- Improving Math Performance
- Leadership
- Meeting the Needs of All Students
- Networking Across the Curriculum
- The Science of Reading
Proposals are now due January 31, 2025. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/INPEC2025CFP.
For more information about INPEC 2025, visit https://bit.ly/INPEC2025.
| |
|
2025 Data Survey Past Due
Thank you to the 180 member schools that have completed this year’s INPEA Data Survey. Survey links were sent to schools in November and December. If you need your school’s survey link, please email Andrea Anderson. We need all surveys completed by the end of the month.
| |
|
Title Grants Support Coffee Chat
IDOE’s Title Grants Support team’s January coffee chat will focus on best practices for equitable services and the LEA/non-public school relationship. Chris Brunson will join a panel of Title Grants program directors to address meaningful ongoing consultation, timely data sharing, third-party service providers, and other keys to successful Title-funded services and resources in non-public schools. No registration is required. You can join the chat HERE next Thursday, January 30, at 10:00 a.m. ET.
| |
|
ADAC Series
ADAC Answers Collaborative Conversations for School Leaders—a dynamic series of 30-minute discussions designed to connect school leaders, exchange ideas, and learn from national experts. Starting February 5th, these complimentary biweekly sessions will explore critical topics like:
- Teacher Retention
- Maximizing Professional Development Effectiveness
- Social Emotional Learning
- AI Policy Development
- Inclusive Education
These conversations offer practical strategies and a collaborative space to strengthen your school community. Read more at the link below.
Always remember that INPEA has a contract with ADAC, so they can support your efforts to access the services and resources due to your students with special needs in both state and federal law. If you have questions about how to access ADAC support services, please reach out to John or Chris.
| |
|
FREE WEBINAR: Write with the WOW! factor
Grades 2-12, ELL Levels 3-5
Want to transform your students’ writing from good to great? Join literacy leader Kristina Smekens for an engaging 60-minute webinar packed with practical, ready-to-use strategies to help student writers elevate their style and leave a lasting impression.
In this free webinar, you’ll discover grade-appropriate techniques to enhance:
- Word Choice: Transform lifeless words into lively ones by teaching students how to use vivid imagery, sensory language, and precise action verbs. Empower them to describe actions effectively, incorporate domain-specific vocabulary, and explore synonyms for variety and depth.
- Voice: Revise writing from bland to bold by showing students how to convey feelings, set the mood through descriptive settings, and tailor tone for specific purposes and audiences. Teach them to use intentional connotations, write from unique perspectives, and captivate readers with a distinctive voice.
- Sentence Fluency: Take sentence structure from ordinary to outstanding by guiding students to lengthen or shorten sentences for impact, create parallel structure, and combine ideas for clarity. Teach advanced writers how to break sentence-writing rules purposefully to craft rhythm and effect.
Kristina will showcase authentic student examples that depict these strategies across different writing genres and grade levels.
Through targeted mini-lessons and powerful writing tasks, Kristina will demonstrate how to teach these essential skills in ways that resonate with students in grades 2-12, including English Language Learners at levels 3-5. Walk away with tools you can implement immediately to help your writers craft pieces that truly WOW.
Space is limited—reserve your spot today!
Webinar Details:
| |
|
Join us for College Goal Sunday on February 23!
Ivy Tech is taking part in Indiana’s biggest FAFSA filing event on February 23! Encourage your students to visit a participating location for College Goal Sunday. Participating campuses across the state will open their doors to the community at 2 p.m. (Iocal time).
Indiana requires all graduating seniors to complete the FAFSA before April 15, 2025 and most colleges and universities, including Ivy Tech, require students seeking financial aid to complete the form. By participating in College Goal Sunday, students can ensure they complete the FAFSA properly and avoid any delays in finding out what aid they’re eligible for. Encourage your students to visit ivytech.edu/collegegoalsunday to find their closest participating campus and to find out what items to bring, so they’re prepared to complete the FAFSA and to take the next step toward college!
| |
|
Tools for Success: Cultivating Leadership
What does leadership look like in K-12 classrooms? At Tools for Success, we believe leadership isn’t limited to titles or authority—it’s for everyone. From fostering inclusive classroom environments to empowering students with collaborative opportunities, educators and administrators play a vital role in shaping the next generation of leaders.
In our latest blog, Owning the Leader Within: Cultivating Leadership in K-12 Classrooms, we explore how leadership can be cultivated at every level—highlighting practical strategies for educators to model and teach leadership skills that empower students socially, emotionally, and academically. Read the full blog for effective tips and let us know your thoughts!
| |
Thank You to Our Business Partners! | |
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!
| |
Mission
The Indiana Non-Public Education Association serves as an advocate,
promotes engagement, and strives for the advancement of non-public schools.
| | |
|
(317) 236-7329
1400 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | | | |
