Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Aug. 24.

Students at IPS have settled into a new school year, and the Indy’s Chamber’s Business Advocacy Committee (BAC) has also done its homework on how to maintain momentum in the state’s largest school district: The BAC has endorsed two incumbents and one open-seat candidate for the IPS Board of Commissioners, along with the district’s referendum campaign based on a partnership between IPS and the Chamber.

But the BAC needs your help to ensure our endorsed candidates and blueprint for fiscal stability make the grade on November 6th. What happens in today’s IPS classrooms will shape tomorrow’s workforce and economy – the stakes are too high to stay on the sidelines.

Superintendent Ferebee and the current Board have embraced bold aspirations for IPS – building the best urban school district in the nation. They’ve made strides towards this goal by reinventing the traditional district in favor of greater autonomy, accountability, and access to diverse and innovative learning opportunities for students across IPS.

These efforts are paying off in higher graduation rates, improving test scores and stabilizing enrollment.

But continued progress demands continued strong Board leadership, collaboration with the business community, and added revenue (via referendum) to support implementation of the Chamber’s operational assessment. The assessment created a realistic blueprint for higher teacher and principal pay, greater efficiency and better odds of a winning referendum – but November 6th is a pass/fail test.

To keep IPS on the right track with a Board that’s collaborative and committed to student success , the Indy Chamber BAC is proud to support:

Mary Ann Sullivan (At-Large, Incumbent)

Dorene Hoops (District 5 Incumbent)

Evan Hawkins (Candidate for District 3)

We believe this team, along with President Michael O’Connor and the rest of the Commissioners (who serve staggered terms) will continue to focus on academic outcomes, innovative options for IPS families, and keeping an open door to partners who share these priorities.

Join us at a special BAC fundraiser for our endorsed IPS candidates on September 24th (5:00PM) at the Sanctuary on Penn – more details and register here.

Original source can be found here.