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Dear John,
Is it really that time already?!?! I’m afraid it is!
INPEA has been traveling around the state doing our “back to school principals meetings tour”. It is always one of our favorite times of the year as we get to spend some time with our awesome school leaders. This year not only did we have a laundry list of legislation to discuss as well as a multitude of changes in Indiana’s approach to education (e.g. diplomas, ILEARN, A-F, reimagining high schools), but we also got to debut INPEA’s newest team member, Associate Director, Chris Brunson. Welcome, Chris!
It’s been a busy summer as we helped to roll out the new choice expansions passed in the 2023 legislative session. We’re hearing lots of positive news about enrollments and the families impacted. It’s never too late to say thank you to our legislators.
As schools get up and running, we hope to schedule a number of school visits prior to the next legislative session so we can see firsthand the great things going on in our Indiana non-public schools and bring that good news back to the Statehouse! Stay tuned!
End of Summer Blessings,
John, Chris, Andrea, and Beatrice
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Welcome, Chris Brunson!
We are excited to welcome Chris Brunson to the INPEA team as our Associate Executive Director! In his new role, Chris will oversee INPEA’s fund development efforts and will also support our schools in our advocacy and professional efforts.
Chris brings a wealth of experience and expertise in governance and operational vitality including strategic planning, donor development, federal and private grants management, as well as Choice Scholarship Program compliance and advocacy. For the past 11 years, Chris served as Director of Finance and Operations for the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He is mission-driven and a champion for equity in educational opportunities for all families. We are thrilled to have him join our team!
Chris and his wife Bethseba, an educator, have three children in elementary, middle, and high school. He is a member of Grace Assembly of God Church and currently serves on its Board of Elders. He enjoys traveling, especially to visit family in Kenya and to support schools, churches, and health initiatives in Haiti.
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Register for INPEC 2023!
Have you registered your team for INPEC yet? What are you waiting for?! We encourage principals to use INPEC strategically for professional development and school improvement. Want ideas? Reach out to us!
INPEA Executive Director John Elcesser has developed his annual conference top 10 list… the sessions this year are outstanding and he couldn’t pick just 10 so he made it a baker’s dozen!
John's Top 10 List (Baker's Dozen Edition)
13. Dan Elsener's "Practical Approaches to Significant Fund Raising to Advance Your School's Mission" on Thursday, October 26 at 3:15 p.m.
12. Kristie Ennis' "Engaging Students in Self-Directed Learning" on Thursday, October 26 at 3:15 p.m.
11. Ignacio Lopez's "What's EQ Got to Do with It?" on Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
10. Jason Russell's "Ready or Not? Preparing for Critical Incidents and Active Violence" on Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 a.m.
9. Kevin Baxter's "Leading Up - How to Navigate the Complexities of Leading While Being Managed" on Thursday, October 26 at 3:15 p.m.
8. Susan Abelein's "GROWing with Operational Vitality" on Thursday, October 26 at 3:15 p.m.
7. Scott and Tammy Barron's "Effectively Dealing with Difficult People and Conversations" on Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 a.m.
6. Steve Haffner's "The Trust Advantage in Education: How High Trust Propels Schools and Educators to Greater Success" on Friday, October 27 at 12:30 p.m.
5. The entire Science of Reading Strand! Watch out for these speakers:
- Jamey Peavler (sessions on Friday, October 27)
- Anne Elsener (sessions on Thursday, October 26 and Friday, October 27)
- Lacey Ladd (sessions on Friday, October 27)
4. Christie Bonfiglio's "Inclusive Education: Preparing to Welcome, Serve, and Celebrate ALL Students" on Friday, October 27 at 10:00 a.m.
3. David Allsopp and Sarah van Ingen Lauer's two sessions on engaging struggling math learners on Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 a.m. (Grades 3-9) and 1:00 p.m. (Grades 6-12)
2. Joy Roberts and Julie Widman's "Classroom Disruptions: Routines, Relationships, Co-Regulation" on Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 a.m.
1. Keynoters Todd Whitaker (Thursday) and Ted Neitzke (Friday) and their breakout sessions.
We hope to see you October 26 and 27 at the
Indiana Convention Center for INPEC 2023!
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Update Your Contact Information!
With the new school year comes new changes in administration. Please let us know if you have new leadership at your school so we can update our records and keep you in the loop! Please send an email to Andrea Anderson with new contact information for school leaders. It is important that we have accurate information by September when we send out dues invoices and member surveys.
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Choice Expansion Rollout Materials
INPEA and the Institute for Quality Education have prepared a communications toolkit to assist you and your families with communicating the new changes to the Choice Scholarship Program, Tax Credit Scholarship Program, and the ESA Program. Here are some helpful links from the toolkit launch webinar from June 27.
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Planning for the 2024 Legislative Session
As we continue to work through all the changes from the 2023 session, we are already planning for 2024. 2024 is not a budget year so that significantly limits the types of bills that can be proposed. Even with that in mind, we still need your input because it is important that our legislative agenda reflects the needs of those of you in the field. If you have ideas of things that need fixed or could be a new initiative benefitting our students, email us at jelcesser@inpea.org or cbrunson@inpea.org. If you’d like to set up a time to discuss ideas, we are certainly open to that as well. Call our office at 317-236-7329.
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ASVAB Changes - Concerns
As we have been meeting with principals around the state, we have been hearing about the challenges schools/students are facing with the recent change impacting the ASVAB as a graduation pathway. It was announced that this year’s seniors (Class of 2024) would be grandfathered in but there are still concerns about this year's juniors (Class of 2025).
We are going to schedule a Zoom for high school principals and guidance counselors to explore creative options or any best practices that can be shared. The Zoom is scheduled for September 6 @ 10:00 am ET.
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IDOE Updates
Please read the information below for updates relevant to non-public schools.
Guidance on New Legislation
The IDOE team has prepared this document that can serve as a one-stop-shop as you work to interpret and implement the new laws applicable to your school. They will continue to update and expand this document as they work through the many new laws passed in 2023.
School Improvement Plans Due October 6
The submission window for Comprehensive Needs Assessment/School Improvement Plans (CNA/SIP) is now open. Use of the state CNA/SIP template fulfills all requirements under state law and ESSA for schools identified for CSI, TSI, and/or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ASTI). Submissions are due by Friday, October 6. This memo provides additional information, including links to the CNA/SIP Google doc and CNA/SIP template. Contact IDOE’s Office of School Support and Transformation with any questions.
Indiana Educator Talent Marketplace Webinars
Learn more about how you can use Indiana Educator Talent Marketplace to find great candidates for your open roles. Attend one of these webinars to learn about the marketplace's newest offerings, share tips about how to attract the best talent, and answer your questions.
- Monday, August 1, at noon ET
- Tuesday, August 15, at 1 p.m. ET
- Thursday, August 24, at 1 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, September 12, at 3 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, September 26, at 3 p.m. ET
Click here to register. Contact IDOE's Office of Educator Talent with any questions.
Early Learning Standards PD Sessions
IDOE’s Office of Kindergarten Readiness is hosting three training sessions on the new Early Learning Standards in the Indiana Learning Lab. Learn about the standards, ideas for implementing them, and ways to assess learning in all settings on August 8, August 15, and August 22, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET. Contact IDOE’s Office of Kindergarten Readiness with questions.
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Updates from State Ombudsman
Check out the Title Grants Newsletter which is updated every Thursday. Please check for updates that may affect your local school districts and your equitable share of Title funding. New this week: information about enrollment count dates for Title funding equitable shares and ESEA Title VIII, Part F Guidance.
The Title Grants and Support team has also created a new Title Grants & Support calendar for the field. This calendar will feature Title I-IV and ESSER deadlines, Title Grants events, and other key dates. This link will automatically update as changes occur and is a great resource to bookmark.
Garrett Wilson has recurring office hours to handle federal grant questions every Thursday from 2:00-2:30 p.m. You can join his office hours here.
Garrett has created an Agreement and Consultation document and Waiver of Services Flow Chart and Form for your use.
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Vaccination Information
Please see this report reflecting immunization data for the 2022-2023 school year. The report represents statewide data for Kindergarten, First Grade, Sixth Grade, Seventh Grade and Twelfth Grade including overall immunization compliance along with medical and religious exemption information. This report does not include individual school data points.
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Statewide Pesticide Disposal Opportunity
The Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) is the Indiana state agency that regulates all pesticide use in Indiana. OISC was recently contacted by a school regarding pesticide disposal due to an old and outdated pesticide container being improperly stored in a student area and the pesticide container was accidently knocked off a shelf and created a spill and the fire department had to be contacted. No injuries were reported, but it shows the importance of proper disposal of old and outdated pesticides.
OISC sponsors an annual pesticide disposal event known as clean sweep at six different locations throughout the state to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.). This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 pounds per participant. Over 250 pounds there will be a $2.00 per pound charge.
Upcoming disposal dates are:
All times 9:00 am to 3:00 pm local time
August 15, 2023: Wayne County Fairgrounds
861 N. Salisbury Rd. Richmond, Indiana 47374
August 16, 2023: Jackson County Fairgrounds
476 E. County Rd. 100 S. Brownstown, Indiana 47220
August 17, 2023: Elkhart County Solid Waste
59530 County Rd. 7 Elkhart, Indiana 46517
August 22, 2023: Posey County Co-Op (Gibson County)
235 State Rd. 68 Haubstadt, Indiana 47639
August 23, 2023: Newton County Highway Department
3640 S. 275 W. Morocco, Indiana 47963
August 24, 2023: Hendricks County Fairgrounds
1900 E. Main St. Danville, Indiana 46122
Bring your leak-free and safe-to-transport containers to the collection site. DO NOT mix materials.
Complete this Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Participant Form to the best of your ability. Email cleansweep@groups.purdue.edu or fax the completed form to Nathan Davis at 765-494-4331 no later than August 9, 2023. Questions may be directed to Nathan at 765-494-7108.
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Summer 2023 Updates from Ivy Tech
Fall Term Starts August 21!
Ivy Tech’s fall term starts August 21, so encourage your students to apply and enroll for classes soon! We recommend starting the process about a month before the term begins, to give time for degree planning, financial aid, and other registration activities that need to happen before classes start.
Students can apply to Ivy Tech and register for classes online, or they can visit their local Express Enrollment Center for in-person help. We also offer additional admissions support at our Tuesdays@TheTech events, which are held at every Ivy Tech campus across the state. Remind your students not to miss out on getting a head start on college this fall!
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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!
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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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