Dear John,

Like you I’m sure, at INPEA, we are SO looking forward to the holiday break! December is always a busy time, but in January we really kick it into high gear. The legislative session begins January 9th and being a budget year, we have high hopes for another historically successful session! We are also heavy into planning for INPEC 2023. Watch for our “Call for Presentations” as we put together an engaging program for our Indiana non-public school educators. 

As we enter into this holiday season, we hope that you and yours find some time to relax and enjoy friends and family. This is a great time to reflect on all of the gifts and blessings in our lives. At INPEA, I am truly thankful for my friends/co-workers here at INPEA. Andrea and Beatrice are passionately committed to our mission and our members. We have a board of very busy people who carve out time to support the vision of INPEA. And, we have YOU, our members, who give your blood, sweat and tears for the betterment of the students entrusted to your care.

We are truly blessed and we look forward to what’s ahead in 2023!

Sincerely,

John, Andrea, and Beatrice

The INPEA Team

P.S. The INPEA office will be closed from Friday, December 23 through Sunday, January 1. We will be working remotely on Monday, January 2 and will resume normal office hours on Tuesday, January 3.

Gearing Up for the 2023 Legislative Session

The Indiana General Assembly will reconvene for the 2023 legislative session on Monday, January 9. This session has the potential to be transformative for non-public schools and build on the successes we made in 2021 but we will need everyone’s help! 

Our priorities for the 2023 legislative session are:

1. Protect and Defend:

• Religious Liberty
• Choice Programs
• Push Back on Additional Regulations

2. Pursue Further Choice Expansions and Improvements

• Eliminate Pathways
• Kindergarten Eligibility
• Increase Financial Eligibility (Possibly Universal Choice!)
• Technical Fixes (Birthday Eligibility and Fees)

We need EVERY school to own this responsibility. As we gear up for the 2023 session, we ask each school to help us in the following ways:

1. Appoint a legislative liaison (grassroots coordinator) to keep school leaders and families informed of what’s happening at the Statehouse that impacts non-public schools. INPEA will provide training for these folks as well as content that can be shared in your school communications. 
2. Set two public policy goals for the year. Work with school leadership to complete the 2023 Legislative Planning Worksheet. 

Legislative Liaison Corner

If you were unable to attend one of our in-person legislative training sessions this month, please plan to attend the virtual training on January 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Register at https://bit.ly/INPEAJan5. This session will be recorded and sent to all Legislative Liaisons, but attending in-person will provide you with the opportunity to ask questions of INPEA Executive Director John Elcesser. We are still gathering contact information for new Legislative Liaisons so we plan to send a welcome communication with additional information in early January. 

This information can be copied and pasted into your school communications:

Family Stories Needed!

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) is the voice of non-public schools at the Statehouse. INPEA and the Institute for Quality Education are teaming up to produce legislative tools that tell the good news of school choice and non-public school education. We are looking for:

• General stories about how choice or our school have impacted students’ and families’ lives.
• Stories about graduates who were the beneficiaries of school choice and have gone on to school or work and have success stories to tell.
• Stories about families impacted by the 2021 expansions AND families that just missed the financial cut off and still need assistance.

If you have a story to share or have a story idea, please reach out to INPEA Communications and Member Relations Director Andrea Anderson at aanderson@inpea.org. It is vital that INPEA has a variety of families to highlight throughout the legislative session to continue demonstrating the need for school choice expansion. INPEA is in dire need of families who are willing to share their stories so please reach out! 

Save the Date: INPEC 2023!

As schools plan their calendars for the 2023-24 school year, please consider scheduling two professional development days on October 26 and 27 so you and your teachers can attend INPEC 2023. INPEA and our INPEC planning committee work for 12 months putting together a program that is engaging and valuable for our member schools. It is a cost effective way for teachers and administrators to get current research-based practices and strategies. It is also one of the few PD opportunities that focuses specifically on things impacting Indiana’s non-public schools. Please note that both Title IIA and EANS funding can make this affordable to bring your staff as well. We hope to see you there, but more immediately, please keep INPEC 2023 in mind when building your school calendars! Let’s all “Unite with Passion and Purpose!”

Indiana Learns Matching Funds

Indiana Learns has leveraged the support of 11 matching school corporations and 34 approved learning partners to support students across the state. Eligible families can now access $500 to support learning recovery. This amount will double with the investment of $250 of federal funds per eligible student from matching school corporations.

There are several ways for matching partners to support students. 

1) Matching school corporations can work with Indiana Learns to identify and promote an already approved Indiana Learns partner to their students. 2) Matching school corporations can serve as the learning partner for their students. For more details about completing the process to become a matching school corporation, contact Seana Murphy at smurphy@indianalearns.org.

Download a digital toolkit of resources to help promote the program to your school families.

Literacy Resource Freebies: Useful Teaching Tools to Check Out

By Dr. Anne Elsener

Marian University Center for Vibrant Schools

Dear Literacy Educator,

I hope you are getting lots of rest this holiday break. For this literacy corner, I’m sharing a few free literacy resources that can use. Thanks for all you do to teach Indiana students to be strong readers and writers!

Anne 

IDOE Updates

Title IV Fund Extension

FFY20 Title IV funds have been extended for an additional year. This means you will be able to continue to purchase items from this grant and you’ll be able to make additional amendments if you need to change how the funds are allocated. 

• January 6, 2023 through August 31, 2023 - The last day to submit an amendment window for this grant.
• September 30, 2023 - The last day to encumber (obligate) funds; all activity must be complete by this date. 
• December 15, 2023 - The last day to liquidate funds; all funds must be requested for reimbursement by this date. 

Grant Calendar and State Ombudsman Office Hours 

For a comprehensive list of grants pertaining to non-public schools, please check out this Grant Calendar. 

Garrett Wilson has recurring office hours to handle federal grant questions every Thursday from 2:00-2:30 p.m. You can join his office hours here. 

Winter Recess and Spring 2023 Updates from Ivy Tech

 Kate Wallace, Executive Director of Student Communications

Ivy Tech Community College

The spring semester at Ivy Tech Community College is right around the corner with classes starting Tuesday, January 17. For high school students who may be graduating this December, or those who needed a little time off in-between, it’s not too late to get registered.



Ivy Tech Community College makes it easy to enroll. We have enrollment events, such as Tuesdays@TheTech, which offer one-on-one personalized support to those who attend. During this statewide event, students can visit a local Ivy Tech campus and receive assistance with a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

●    Applying to Ivy Tech

●    Registering for classes

●    Completing enrollment steps

●    Discovering available courses and programs

●    Connecting with Career Coaches

●    Obtaining information about the financial aid process

●    Learning about college affordability programs

Visit ivytech.edu/tuesdays to learn more! Don’t forget – interested students can always stop by campus to speak with an enrollment specialist or take a tour of campus. You can even tour Ivy Tech from the comfort of your own home. Visit ivytech.edu/tours to get started.

Please remember, Ivy Tech campuses are closed for Winter Recess from December 25, 2022, through January 2, 2023.

Blue Ribbon Schools Reminder

Non-pub schools that have registered to apply for the 2023 Blue Ribbon Schools program can find their assessment percentiles in the IDOE School Accountability & Accreditation Moodle Community. Look under Awards > Blue Ribbon. Use the enrollment key “AccountabilityCommunity” to access the information. The deadline for application is Friday, January 13. 

We were thrilled to have three non-public schools recognized in 2022 and we hope to see a few recognized in 2023!

Friends of INPEA Year End Gifts

If you are considering your year-end charitable donations, we invite you to join the “Friends of INPEA!” If you'd like to personally help support us financially, please visit our website and learn more about our "Friends of INPEA" designation or fill out our form to become a "Friend" today!

We greatly appreciate all those who are a part of the INPEA family, past and present; and we are truly excited to see what the future holds. Together with the “Friends of INPEA” and our stellar school leaders, there is so much more we can accomplish! 

Contact: Cathy Tooley

Contact: Dr. Ken Britt

Contact: Dr. Kevin Berkopes

Contact: Alex Urrea

Agudath Israel of America

Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Association of Christian Schools International

Christian Schools International

Diocese of Evansville

Diocese of Fort Wayne- South Bend

Diocese of Gary

Diocese of Lafayette

Indiana Association of Independent Schools

Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod - Indiana District

The Lutheran School Partnership