Kevin Chavous

Indianapolis – Russ Simnick, President of The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association (IPCSA), is pleased to announce that the IPCSA will host a statewide Conference & Expo.

The Indiana Charter Schools Conference & Expo will take place October 7, 2011, at Christel House Academy, 2717 South East Street in Indianapolis.

Keynote speaker Kevin Chavous is a noted attorney, author and national school reform leader. A leading national advocate for school choice, Chavous helped to shepherd the charter school movement into the nation’s capital. Dr. Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, will also speak at the event.

In addition to the speakers, there will be four tracks of content for school leaders, board members and school developers including: Governance & Leadership, Policy, Advocacy & Legal Issues, New Schools Development and Administration and Operations & Finance.

The cost to attend the conference & expo is $110 for IPCSA members and $125 for non-members. For more information or to register, visit www.INcharters.org or contact Alexis at 317-972-5880 or alexis@INcharters.org.

Imagine Life Sciences Academy-West is a K-6 school located at 4950 W. 34th Street on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Keith Marsh serves as school leader.

The International School of Columbus, located at 3136 North National Rd., Suite E in Columbus, Ind., is enrolling grades 7 through 9, with plans to expand to grade 12 by 2013. Connie Nobbe is the Head of School.

South Bend now has its second charter school with the Xavier School of Excellence, located at 3423 South Michigan Street in South Bend, Ind., a K-5 school that plans to expand to grades 6, 7, and 8 in the coming years. Kelly Carmichael is the Interim School Director.

Finally, the Bloomington Project School, located at 349 S. Walnut St. in Bloomington, Ind., led by Daniel Baron, will serve grades K-5.

“More than 4,000 students sit on waiting lists for a seat in Indiana public charter schools,” said Simnick. “These four new schools expand choice and high-quality education options to greater number of parents.”

The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association offers services, advocacy and support for Indiana’s 49 public charter schools. Nearly 16,000 students attend public charter schools in Indiana. The Association web site is www.INcharters.org.