(MIRROR INDY) — It’s unclear who is leading the City-County Council’s Education Committee.
Six members of the committee met on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to hear an education budget presentation — apparently without a chairperson.
The occasion marked the first meeting since a Democratic campaign volunteer told IndyStar she experienced abuse during and after a romantic relationship with eastside Councilor Keith Graves, who formerly led the committee. Graves, who has not been charged with a crime, denied the claims.
Council President Vop Osili announced Graves would step down from the role in a statement in July. The statement didn’t address who would replace Graves in the leadership position.
Very little has been said about education committee leadership since.
The uncertainty comes amid a busy time in Indianapolis education. It’s both the city’s 2026 budget-writing season and the Hogsett administration has been given an important role leading the new Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, a group that could make big recommendations affecting the future of public school education.
Education committee leadership unclear
As council members walked into the meeting Sept. 16, they could be overheard asking one another questions about who would lead the committee moving forward.
Councilor Jessica McCormick, a westside Democrat, conducted the meeting and multiple committee members addressed her as “madam chair” during their opening comments. However, McCormick referred to herself at the start of the meeting as the committee’s vice chair.
McCormick is a career educator. She’s spent a dozen years running an engineering program offered jointly between Butler University and the former IUPUI campus, according to her biography found on the council website.
When approached after the meeting, McCormick and a city staff member directed Mirror Indy to the council’s office for questions about committee leadership.
A council spokesperson did not immediately answer emailed questions from Mirror Indy.
Graves also attended the meeting, but did not speak about his position on the committee. The councilor still appears listed as chair on the education committee’s website.
A busy time in Indy’s education landscape
The uncertainty comes as the city’s role in Indianapolis public education continues to grow.
Mayor Joe Hogsett serves as chair of the newly formed Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which is tasked with studying public education within IPS boundaries and making recommendations for how IPS can work more collaboratively with charter schools.
Councilors’ roles in this effort so far have been minimal. Though, Councilor John Barth asked questions during the Sept. 16 meeting prompting officials from the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation to think about whether schools across Marion County, even beyond the IPS boundaries, should be held to a uniform set of academic standards.
The councilor said the alliance’s charge to look at public education solutions across different types of schools has him considering what could be done beyond district lines.
“That fact that that is happening, it made me think ‘Well, if we’re starting to think globally, then what can we do globally to really focus on quality more than operations?’” said Barth, a northside Democrat. “If we can start thinking about quality and implementing (it) positively in schools around the county, then that might be a discussion worth having.”
Other committee conversations centered on whether money from developers receiving city tax incentives should be directed to local schools. Proposals were raised earlier this year, then stalled after apparent disagreements over how the developers’ money should be used for educational purposes.
Shaina Cavazos, director of the Office of Education Innovation, also gave a budget presentation during the September meeting. So did Ken Clark, the executive vice president of finance and operations at EmployIndy.
The Office of Education Innovation’s budget is expected to remain steady, though EmployIndy’s Indy Achieves program is expected to receive $500,000 less from the city in its 2026 budget.
City officials say that’s because of a change in the state’s 21st Century Scholars program. Indy Achieves previously helped students apply to the popular college scholarship program, but a change in state law now requires 21st Century Scholars to auto-enroll eligible students.
The program, which helps IU Indianapolis students complete college, will receive $2 million from the city in 2026.
“We did this in conjunction with the mayor’s office and the controller and a lot of discussion to come up with this final determination of $2 million,” Clark said. “We feel really comfortable with $2 million and we feel like we can effectively still serve all of the students at IU Indianapolis.”
The city’s total budget is expected to come before the City-County Council for approval Oct. 6.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.