Irvington charter school leaders resign as network attempts to close $2.85 million deficit

Two leaders of Irvington Community Schools resigned Wednesday in protest, citing management decisions and budget cuts as the Indianapolis charter network struggles to close a deficit of more than $2.8 million.

Later in the evening, many teachers canceled their activities in an apparent protest, forcing the network’s elementary, middle and high schools to cancel classes on Thursday.

The disruptions come as the schools — one of the city’s oldest charter systems — face a renewal decision from the Mayor’s Charter School Licensing Office in December and a notice of deficiency from the office. It also follows a tumultuous period for the network’s board, which last year restarted the search for a new CEO after students and staff protested against a potential candidate who was also board president.

The school finished the 2025-26 school year with a $2.85 million deficit that CEO Rachel Maldonado said, which started this summer, still needs to be made up. This year’s enrollment was 710 students, below the 817 projected by the network, necessitating a 6% budget reduction of approximately $700,000, according to August and September reports from the governing board. meeting minutes.

At a board meeting Wednesday, staff protested budget cuts — sometimes yelling and arguing with board members — and what they called a lack of transparency about the network’s attempts to achieve financial solvency.

The reductions include two rounds of layoffs of about 10 people, according to Maldonado, and a pause in substitute teaching services that it contracted out to a vendor. The board also voted Wednesday to suspend contributions to staff pension plans, prompting one teacher to step down in protest.

In a public comment, Irvington Preparatory Academy Principal Jana Goebel announced her resignation effective at the end of November. She cited problems with the CEO search, arguing that school leaders urged the school board to delay the CEO search because finances were shaky.

“They chose to move forward with this search and rewrote the job description to include the duties of chief financial officer,” said Goebel, who worked 15 years at the school. “Transparent and collaborative leadership has always been the backbone of our particular community. Unfortunately, this type of leadership has not been present recently.”

Board members did not directly address Goebel’s claims about the CEO search during the meeting.

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools, privately run by nonprofit boards rather than elected officials. These boards operate under contracts awarded by one of several state permitting agencies, including the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office.

The network reported about 28 days of liquidity in September, below the 45 days in line with City Hall standards.

Shannon Williams, the network’s director of special education, also announced her resignation. She raised concerns about the network’s ability to provide legally required services to students with disabilities after the recent round of budget cuts, which she said included two teaching assistants and a speech-language pathology assistant.

“I’m worried about students losing their services. I’m worried about staff being overworked. And I’m worried about an upcoming lawsuit that I promise you is about to happen,” Williams told the board. “I no longer feel safe in my position and I cannot see my students suffering. »

Staff at the meeting questioned whether it would be necessary to give up their paid time off due to reduced substitute services, asking board members to consider their comments. Some also wondered whether the middle school building would be offered for sale to another charter school operator in the city.

“If the decisions made lead to Ms. Goebel’s departure, I fear it will be just the first sign that Irvington is losing everything that made us a haven within education,” said Grace Aki, a dual-credit visual arts and art history teacher at the high school. “Because the fish is rotting from the head down and the impact is already being felt.”

The town hall denounces shortcomings

Maldonado told WFYI the network has no plans to sell a building. The board voted Wednesday to grant Maldonado authority to explore all opportunities to close the deficit.

Maldonado, told the crowd she was working to make the network solvent, but asked for patience from staff while she finds solutions.

“I promise you, when I walked into Irvington, I didn’t expect what I started to find,” she said. “I apologize for this position, but I’m 10 toes away to help us out of this.”

Madison Monfreda, a board member and alumna of the school, told the crowd that the board had been meeting over the past year and emphasized that decisions were not made lightly.

“My goal is never to put the school in danger,” Monfreda said. “Unfortunately, financially we are in a horrible situation.”

The charter network’s authorizer, the Mayor’s Office of Educational Innovation, had already placed the school on a Level 1 Notice of Deficiency last June due to financial reporting issues, according to OEI documents. The advisory was upgraded to Level 3 in October due to concerns about the network’s financial viability, office director Shaina Cavazos said.

“We understand that the school needs a sustainable path forward,” Cavazos said. “Our goal is to work with them in whatever way we can to ensure they can continue.” »

Contact WFYI education reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@wfyi.org.