MAYOR BALLARD ANNOUNCES NEW CHARTER SCHOOL

Mayor Greg Ballard today announced that the Indiana Math and Science Academy-North (IMSA-N) will receive a charter and plans to open this fall. The City-County Council ratified the Mayor's decision by a vote of 21-6.

"I congratulate the school's board of directors and founding group for putting forth a highly detailed plan to create a college preparatory K-12 school that focuses on science and mathematics," said Mayor Ballard. "At the same time, we will hold them accountable for the results they promise to achieve."

IMSA-N seeks to prepare its students for college by creating an effective learning environment of higher standards and expectations, and a curriculum that focuses on mathematics, science, and technology. The school will serve a maximum of 450 students in grades K-8 and 200 in grades 9-12 - and offer a personalized approach to instruction. IMSA-N also proposes to have an extended school day, week, and year in order to ensure that all students have enough time to acquire the academic skills and knowledge necessary to compete for entry into selective colleges. In its first year, IMSA-N plans to serve 400 students in grades K-7 and eventually grow to serve students in grades K-12. The school plans to locate at 7435 North Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis.

The school's board is led by Reverend Kent Millard - Senior Pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church on Indianapolis' north side. Operations of the school will be managed by Concept Schools, a not-for-profit charter management organization that operates 19 schools in four states. While serving a high minority and high poverty student population, 94 percent of schools managed by Concept Schools met federal academic requirements (i.e., made Adequate Yearly Progress) in 2009. Concept Schools' portfolio also includes the top non-selective public school in the City of Chicago and a federal Blue Ribbon award winning school in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Mayor's announcement follows a rigorous evaluation process by the Mayor's Indianapolis Charter School Board, led by former Lieutenant Governor John Mutz. The Board held multiple televised public meetings and thoroughly scrutinized the application over a six-month period with the assistance of charter school staff and external experts in curriculum, governance, and finance. The public meetings and school's application are all available on the City's website at www.indy.gov.

Charter schools are independent public schools that have control over their own curriculum, staffing, organization and budget. In exchange for this freedom, they must meet the highest academic standards. Eighteen Mayor-sponsored charter schools are currently in operation. For more information on Mayor-sponsored charter schools, visit www.indy.gov/mayor/charter.