INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Public Schools will host three virtual town hall meetings next week to discuss changes to how thousands of students will get to school next year.
Changes to busing and walking to school are part of a cost-savings plan to keep a $15 million budget shortfall from impacting classroom instruction.
The proposals include transferring some high school students from school bus service to IndyGo and enforcing walk zone policies. Approximately 4,173 students who live within their neighborhood schools will be expected to walk to school.
Elementary school students who live within less than a mile from their school are expected to walk, as are middle school students who live within 1-1/4 miles and high school students who live within 1-1/2 miles from their building.
Fewer school buses arrive next year at the district’s four major high schools, Crispus Attucks, Shortridge, Arsenal Tech and George Washington.
According to IPS, a total of 605 students from those schools will be required to use IndyGo to get to class. The students chosen will be among those who live closest to an IndyGo bus stop and will only need one city bus to get to high school.
The town halls will be held over Zoom and people are required to register in advance. The schedule includes:
- 6 p.m. April 12: IPS walk zones and IndyGo. Register here.
- 6 p.m. April 14: IPS walk zones discussion only. Register here.
- 6 p.m. April 15: IndyGo discussion only. Register here.
A Spanish language interpretation will be available for each town hall meeting.
RELATED | New plan to change how thousands of IPS students get to school
