Rep. DeLaney on 2023 IREAD results: “The evidence is right in front of us: Too many charter schools are failing our children”

The 2023 IREAD results released earlier this month demonstrate a large discrepancy in pass rate between traditional public schools and charter schools. Scores indicate that 81.1% of children who attend traditional public school are proficient in reading by the end of third grade, while charter schools averaged just 66.2%. This comes after the 2024-2025 budget disproportionately increased funding for charter schools by 16.2% while traditional public schools only received an increase of 5.4%. Additionally, taxpayers and traditional public schools in some of our biggest counties throughout the state are now required to share tax revenues from property tax referenda with charter schools that are not subjected to the same performance-based standards. 

“The evidence is right in front of us: too many charter schools are failing our children,” Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) said. “Studies show that reading proficiency by the end of the third grade is a critical marker for academic achievement down the line. Roughly 34% of students in charter schools across the state have failed to meet proficiency standards, putting their students at significant disadvantage. Why do we continue to allow these schools to drain traditional public-school funding just to underperform time and time again?

“If one third of children at any given traditional public school were unable to read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade, that school would be promptly shut down or subject to new management. Local school board officials could be ousted at the ballot box. 

“Charter schools across our state average this unacceptable literacy rate with no public accountability for their private board members and authorizers.

“No more excuses. No more free passes. No more underperformance. Charter schools cannot be allowed to set back a third of their students while siphoning away tax dollars from traditional public schools. We must demand accountability.”