Education committee reviews Office of Education Innovation 2026 budget; Circle City Readers added to general fund

The Indianapolis City Council Education Committee heard a presentation on Sept. 16 on the Office of Education Innovation’s proposed 2026 budget, including the first-time inclusion of the Circle City Readers tutoring program in OEI’s general fund and a $2 million city allocation for India Achieves, EmployIndy’s postsecondary support initiative.

Shana Cavazos, director of the Office of Education Innovation, told the committee, “I am here to present our 2026 budget.” She said OEI is the charter school authorizer in the mayor’s office and currently oversees “48 schools serving about 19,000 students across Indianapolis.” Cavazos described the office’s revenue streams, including a self‑generating charter school fund funded by an authorizing fee and a general fund allocation that this year will house Circle City Readers’ operating costs.

The nut graf: The hearing focused on how OEI finances authorizing work and direct student supports. The office plans to keep its authorizing fee at 1% of the state’s foundation amount, use that fee to support oversight and data systems, and add $400,000 from the general fund to cover Circle City Readers for the coming year while the committee asked for further detail on program costs and subgroup outcomes.

OEI structure and oversight

Cavazos outlined OEI’s responsibilities: authorizing charter contracts, evaluating schools across academics, finance, governance and site visits, and posting annual public reports. She said OEI has nine full‑time employees and conducts annual reviews, and that renewal decisions are made by OEI while initial authorization decisions rest with the Indianapolis Charter School Board. Cavazos described the charter school fund as a fee assessed beginning in a school’s fourth year. “The fee is equal to 1% of the state's foundation amount multiplied by student enrollment,” she said, and OEI projected about $1.3 million in revenue for 2026 from that fund while noting some late payments will adjust prior-year figures.

Circle City Readers: operations and results

Holly Morgan, OEI deputy director who oversees Circle City Readers, described the program as “a high dosage literacy tutoring initiative” now entering its third full school year. Morgan said tutors are paid community members who deliver lessons in small groups (two to four students) three to four times per week during school small‑group instruction time so students do not miss core lessons. Morgan said the program served “just over 450 students across 10 different schools” in the 2024–25 school year, represented 12 languages, and that 76% of participating third graders passed the iRead 3 assessment in that cohort. She also said DIBELS progress monitoring showed 41% of the lowest‑performing students moved to a higher proficiency level during the year.

OEI presented cost and staffing details: the program now appears in OEI’s general fund with a $400,000 allocation for 2026; OEI reported about 37 tutors across 10 schools and said tutors start at $22 per hour and work about 16 to 20 hours per week. Cavazos told the committee OEI estimates the charter‑fund revenue and is budgeting conservatively to meet a 4% reserve requirement while maintaining program investments.

India Achieves: postsecondary support and funding request

Ken Clark, executive vice president for EmployIndy, described India Achieves (India Achieves) as a workforce‑focused postsecondary completion and scholarship program launched in 2018 that works with local college partners and Marion County high school graduates. Clark said the city allocation being requested for 2026 is $2 million, devoted to Promise Scholarships and completion grants for Marion County students, and that EmployIndy pairs those scholarships with case‑management and coaching support on campus. Clark said IU Indianapolis has integrated coaches on campus and that the program has targeted completion rates of about 90% for IU Indianapolis students, with lower historical completion rates for Ivy Tech students (about 70–75%). He said India Achieves’ broader operating budget is roughly $5 million but that the council‑request portion is dedicated to scholarship dollars and direct student aid.

Committee questions and follow‑up requests

Council members asked for additional detail on comparisons with other authorizers, the composition of OEI’s portfolio and the mechanics of the authorizing fee. John Barth (District 7) asked how OEI’s portfolio compares to IPS; Cavazos said OEI’s schools enroll roughly 19,000 students while IPS direct‑managed schools enroll about 20,000. Councilors also asked for subgroup breakdowns of Circle City Readers participants and assessment results; OEI said it can provide participation data but that some subgroup proficiency results are subject to state reporting limits when cohort sizes are small. Cavazos noted the office’s public reports and dashboards host much of the performance information and said OEI would send corrected revenue figures and requested data after the meeting.

Why it matters

The budget moves tutoring previously funded outside OEI into the city’s operating budget, signaling an intent to sustain Circle City Readers beyond one‑time or external grants. Council funding for India Achieves supports scholarships tied to local completion coaching that EmployIndy says has yielded high completion rates for some university partners. Committee members pressed for more disaggregated data to assess equity and impact for students with disabilities and English learners.

What’s next

OEI completed its presentation and the committee invited additional follow‑up materials on revenues, subgroup participation and assessment reporting. No formal committee vote on the OEI budget was recorded in the transcript. The committee adjourned after public‑comment and follow‑up questions.