Leaning Into Your Mission

One of the areas where non-public schools truly shine is in knowing—and living—their mission. Each of our schools was founded with a specific purpose in mind and to meet the unique educational needs of its community. While those needs may evolve over time with each new group of students, the mission itself often remains steady and strong.

As we move into the second half of July, the reality of a new school year quickly approaching tends to set in. Whether you have just a few weeks or a full month left, you’re likely feeling that familiar mix of excitement and anticipation.

My encouragement to you as a school leader: lean into your mission as the year begins. Let it guide your faculty meetings, your conversations with parents, and your welcome to students. As school leaders, consider yourselves the torchbearers of your school’s mission—illuminating the path forward for your communities.

At INPEA, our role is to ensure that each school we serve has the freedom to boldly proclaim and faithfully live out its mission. As school choice avenues expand and more families can access the quality education non-public schools provide, we are committed to protecting the freedom each school has to hold true to its mission and identity.

Many blessings to each of you as you prepare to launch another meaningful and impactful school year.

James McNeany

INPEA Executive Director

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.

Register Today for INPEC 2025!

Have questions about the conference? Download the 2025 Registration Brochure, which highlights individual sessions and provides a good overview of the conference. 

We have built a program featuring dynamic speakers in topics related to nine learning strands. In this newsletter, we highlight the Improving Math Performance strand. Sessions in this strand will explore evidence-based strategies to enhance student outcomes in mathematics across various grade levels. Check out these sessions: 

• Implementing Evidence-Based Mathematics Instruction: Ensuring Outcomes for ALL Students
• Big Ideas to Math Concepts: A Progression
• Engaging Math Activities for All High School Levels
• Maximizing Mathematics Learning Through High Quality Tasks
• A Framework of Support: Meeting Students’ Needs Using a Tiered Approach
• Number Sense Leading to Breakthroughs in Fact Fluency
• What is the “Science of Math” and How Does It Impact K-8 Schools?
• Numerical Literacy
• Effective Strategies for Supporting All Students in Math Class: Practical Tips for Engaging ELs and Beyond
• The 4 Most Important Words Ever Spoken About Mathematics

We hope to see your team on September 18 and 19 at the Indiana Convention Center for INPEC 2025! 

Title Funds

If you are planning to use Title II-A funds to pay for the conference and/or travel expenses, please know that any balances remaining on last year’s Title II-A allocations (FFY23 grant that opened summer 2024) and any remaining carryover from the previous year ARE STILL AVAILABLE for encumbrance through the end of September with liquidation through December. We remain hopeful that the new grant allocations will be released soon. Please reach out to us if the “hold-back” of federal funds is an issue with registration and we can work with you.

Hotels

For information about conference hotels, please download this document. The INPEC room block at the Hyatt is SOLD OUT. There are plenty of remaining rooms available at the Embassy Suites and Westin. The hotel document also includes information about assistance with booking multiple rooms.

Registering 10+ Attendees

If your INPEA member school would like to register more than 10 people for INPEC, we are happy to assist you if you would like to save some time! Group registrations of 10 or more registrants can be submitted using this file template. Please follow these steps:

1. Save the Google sheet linked above and below to your own device as an Excel file (File > Download > Microsoft Excel).
2. Complete the contact information for each registrant. You can use the school’s phone number and street address for all registrants, but each registrant must have their own name and email included.
3. Save the file and email it to Andrea Anderson at aanderson@inpea.org.
4. If you anticipate new hires, we can switch or add the names and contact information before the conference.

Please note, this process can only be used if your school plans to pay via check or purchase order. If you wish to pay via credit card, you will need to register everyone individually.

50th Anniversary Sponsorship Opportunities

Thanks to a generous gift from Mike and Heather McGinley of Indianapolis, the first 50 schools to purchase a full table sponsorship ($1,200) will receive a $1,000 donation to their school’s SGO account. Please note, only schools purchasing full tables are eligible for this SGO gift.

Just 9 tables remain at this incentive level, so reserve your table today! 

Thank you to the following schools for purchasing a table: 

Bishop Chatard High School, Indianapolis

Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne

Bishop Luers High School, Fort Wayne

Bishop Noll Institute, Hammond

Cardinal Ritter High School, Indianapolis

Cathedral High School, Indianapolis

Clear Creek Christian School, Bloomington

Columbus Christian School, Columbus

Concordia Lutheran High School, Fort Wayne

Eman Schools, Fishers

Emmanuel-St. Michael Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

Evansville Christian School, Newburgh

Good Shepherd Catholic School, Evansville

Greenwood Christian Academy, Greenwood

Heritage Christian School, Indianapolis

Highland Christian School, Highland

Holy Cross Lutheran School, Indianapolis

Holy Rosary Catholic School, Evansville

Holy Spirit Catholic School, Indianapolis

Illiana Christian High School, Dyer

Lafayette Catholic School System, Lafayette

Lutheran High School, Indianapolis

Marian High School, Mishawaka

Mater Dei High School, Evansville

Mother Theodore Catholic Academies, Indianapolis

Providence Cristo Rey High School, Indianapolis

Reitz Memorial High School, Evansville

Roncalli High School, Indianapolis

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, Fort Wayne

Scecina Memorial High School, Indianapolis

St. Luke Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Mark Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Monica Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

St. Peter’s Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Franklin

St. Theodore Guerin High School, Noblesville

St. Thomas More School, Munster

St. Wendel Catholic School, Wadesville

Tabernacle Christian School, Martinsville

Trinity Lutheran School, Indianapolis

Help us sell out the Indiana Roof Ballroom! There is so much to celebrate and we hope you will join us! You can find out more about the Gala and purchase your sponsorship or individual tickets at https://bit.ly/INPEAis50. Please direct all questions about Gala sponsorships to Chris Brunson.

2025-2026 Member School Dues

Dues invoices were sent via U.S. mail in early June. Thank you to all of the schools that have already submitted their 2025-2026 member dues! Remember, dues are based on the prior year’s enrollment numbers and are due by mid-September. If you have any questions, please reach out to Beatrice Bursten.

2025 Legislative Session Guidance

The IDOE team has prepared a 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 2025. This is an iterative document that will continue to be updated and improved in collaboration with educators. 

Efficiency and Innovation in Facilities and Transportation

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) asked us to help ensure non-public schools are aware of an opportunity to participate in two pilot programs established by HEA 1515. They are seeking collaborative partnerships that support students’ ability to work, play, and learn through innovative sharing of transportation resources and facilities. This could be for curricular or extracurricular programs. IDOE will select up to three applicants for each pilot. 

Potential partners may include public school districts, local organizations such as the YMCA or Boys & Girls Club, transportation service providers, and logistics consultants. If your school has an existing relationship with one of these organizations, consider reaching out to explore a partnership. Here is the IDOE link with more information, including the application, which is due August 15.

REMINDER: Needed–Organization Leaders’ Designation/Confirmation of Security Coordinators and Key Contacts

Access to most IDOE applications depend on the accurate role assignment within the LINK Portal. All superintendents and leaders of non-public schools should login to LINK and review/update who their Security Coordinators are.  

• Instructions for organization leaders on how to designate/update the security coordinators is found here. 
• New Choice schools setup of the LINK portal is found here. 
• If you are a new organization leader of a non-public school and need the first account configured, please email link@doe.in.gov.

The LINK Portal is able to recognize all accredited non-public schools’ local Google G-Suite or Microsoft 365 accounts. IDOE configures the organization’s leader as the first account, and then this person logs in to designate up to two security coordinators, who are responsible for overseeing the setup of roles for others in the organization. Contact link@doe.in.gov with any questions.

Security coordinators for all accredited non-public schools are responsible for ensuring their organization’s key contacts for the upcoming school year are set. Required contacts are Superintendent, Principal, Special Education Director, and Chief Technology Officer. Additional contact descriptors can be found here.

LINK roles, including the key contacts, are designed to be sent from the local Student Information System (SIS) to Data Exchange/LINK. When a person has an account in the local SIS, this is where the LINK roles should be set, according to the SIS instructions. Otherwise, when the staff classifications are resynched/resent to Data Exchange/LINK, they will replace any roles set with what is in the SIS. 

• Security Coordinator instructions can be found here. 
• ICHAMP (Indiana Complaint, Hearings and Mediation Process) will utilize the following LINK key contacts: Superintendent and Special Education Director. It is essential that these two key contacts are reviewed by security coordinators and updated based on any necessary changes. 

A list of key contacts assigned may be found here.

Fall Classes Start August 25!

There’s still time to prepare for fall semester! Have you considered the high school programs Ivy Tech offers? Last year, over 90,000 high school students got a head start on their future by taking dual credit and dual enrollment classes with Ivy Tech. Thanks to these programs, students are able to not only earn credits toward future degrees and certifications, but experience the demands of a college class and improve their time management and study skills.

If you’re interested in seeing how Ivy Tech can help your students pursue their goals, learn more at ivytech.edu/high-school. Fall classes start August 25, so don’t wait! 

Ensure a Smooth Start This Fall!

Prepare for back to school season by making sure you’re set up for success with Friendzy’s faith-based character education program that transforms school culture!

Get started and save your spot for our upcoming Friendzy Training Webinars to ensure you get the most out of your program, learn from Friendzy experts, and connect with other educators who are launching too.

We’re offering two types of live, interactive training webinars this year:

• Launch Sessions for teams new to Friendzy.
• Level Up Sessions for returning teams (Volume 2 and beyond) looking to deepen their implementation.
• Registration is open–snag your spot today!

We’d love to help you start the school year strong before the fall preparations even begin! Also, as a friendly reminder, don’t forget to take advantage of delayed billing if your funding isn’t available yet.

Want to learn more or see Friendzy in action? Reach out to Lead Partnership Specialist Whitney Stovall, MS, NCC at whitney@friendzy.co, or schedule a quick call or demo here!

Let’s keep growing classrooms where every student feels safe, seen, and supported.

My School Options Podcast with Special Guest, Rep. Julie McGuire

What’s driving Indiana’s school choice revolution? Tune in to My School Options’ latest podcast, featuring special guest state representative Julie McGuire, Indiana House District 93. 

This episode breaks down how funding now follows students, why income caps are coming off, and what universal choice means for families. Listen and subscribe at https://bit.ly/44paq3L. 

Contact: Michallene Thacker-Mann

Contact: Mike Rivard

Contact: Joy Roberts

Contact: Katie Lash

Contact: Dr. Ken Britt

Contact: Rob Pizzauro

Contact: Cathy Tooley

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!

Agudath Israel of America

Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Association of Christian Schools International

Christian Schools International

Diocese of Evansville

Diocese of Fort Wayne- South Bend

Diocese of Gary

Diocese of Lafayette

Indiana Association of Christian Schools

Indiana Association of Independent Schools

Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod - Indiana District

The Lutheran School Partnership

American Federation for Children

Council for American Private Education

Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice

Indiana Catholic Conference

Indiana Department of Education

Institute for Quality Education

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education 



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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