Valor Classical Academy looks to open in Pike Township after Carmel building falls through

A classical charter school affiliated with conservative Hillsdale College is seeking to open next fall in Marion County, retreating from earlier plans to purchase a former Carmel public school building.

Valor Classical now wants to be located near I-465 and Michigan Avenue in Indianapolis.

But Pike Township families denounced the school’s proposed move at a public hearing Monday at a hotel on the city's northwest side.

Speakers Monday who oppose the school’s approval in Pike said the township does not need the classical charter, expressing concern that the school's values will not reflect those of the township or school district. Valor’s charter application emphasizes interest in Hamilton County, where a majority of board members live, a fact opponents mentioned repeatedly.

Larry Young, superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township, said he was not made aware of Valor’s application in Pike until a week before the hearing. Communication with the Pike community is on his list of concerns, he said.

“Valor is not a good fit for Pike," Young said, adding that Valor has “clearly conveyed that they don't know our community, have made no effort to engage our community and quite frankly, prefer to be somewhere else.”

Valor hopes to target students across ten different school districts within a 10-mile radius of the Indianapolis location. The board anticipates interest from students primarily educated in private schools, according to its application addendum submitted in March to Grace College, the charter's authorizer.

Carlos Perkins, former principal of Pike Preparatory Academy, said he was concerned about Hillsdale and its affiliations with conservatism.

“Pike currently supports a diverse population,” Perkins said. “Our fear is that this school will cater to white students."

Perkins noted that Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn has said public school educators are “trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country” and that the college denounced the 1619 Project, which focuses on the impact of slavery on the founding of the United States.

Dr. Gabriel Bosslet, a parent of four Pike students, said he moved to the district because of its diversity.

“My kids are minorities in every class that they're in and I love that fact,” Bosslet said.

Like other Pike parents, Bosslet took issue with Valor’s book list and teaching of Hillsdale's 1776 Project, which includes a line that says the Civil Rights movement "was almost immediately turned into programs that ran counter to the lofty ideals of the Founders."

“I know we don't have to send our kids to Valor,” Bosslet said. “But we don't want this anywhere near us.”

Matching values to target families

Supporters, mostly parents, said Valor will offer their children an education that matches their values.

Carmel resident Rachel Gallo, who homeschools her children, said she will enroll her children in Valor this fall.

“We definitely do not feel the public schools are providing the academic, social and emotional learning environment that matches our values and standards,” Gallo said.

David Wright, Valor’s head of school, assured the crowd the school will welcome everyone no matter where they come from.

“We want to build good characters and strong minds,” Wright said. “That is for every human being. It doesn't matter where you come from, what your level of socioeconomic status is, what your ethnicity is, what your religion is or your race. This is for you and everybody can benefit from this kind of education.”

Valor's search for a home

In its initial charter application, Valor Classical eyed Orchard Park Elementary School in the Carmel Clay School District, hoping to acquire it under the state’s $1 law. The law offers public school buildings that are no longer used for instruction or vacant to charter schools for a nominal or “dollar” fee.

More: Indiana charter schools might lose $1 law but gain referendum money

But the district resisted, arguing Orchard Park was being used for storage and staff training. Valor sued the district.

In January, a Hamilton County judge ruled that Carmel Clay Schools did not violate the state’s $1 law in its handling of Orchard Park, which halted instructional use in 2021.

The ruling issued a blow to Valor and its board who sought the building for its K-6 school for 378 students with plans to expand capacity to K-12 over six years. The school now faces a tight timeline to open by the fall.

Valor has now turned to other potential sites for a home.

Valor’s charter application filed to Grace College states that the school plans to open this fall in a building near I-465 and Michigan Road, but does not list an address due to “ongoing negotiations.” A map shows the new site falls within Pike Township boundaries.

After the meeting, Holly Wilson, Valor's school board president, confirmed that the proposed location is 3600 Woodview Trace, an office building. That building will require a zoning change for school instruction from the Indianapolis City-County Council.

The school is still looking for a building and Pike is only one option.

"This just expands our options," Wilson said. "That's it. This doesn't keep us out of Carmel."

The academy could find a different location or postpone opening, Wilson said. But the school will need to move fast if it does not amend the timeline.

"If we're gonna open in the fall, we've got to do things, yesterday," Wilson said.

What comes next for Valor

The Grace College charter school authorization board, which is separate from the college’s board of trustees, can vote on Valor’s addendum to its charter as early as this month. Valor's location change to Marion County required Grace College to hold a public hearing on the subject, per state law.

None of the private Christian college's board members attended Monday’s meeting.

If approved, Valor would join another classical charter school near Bloomington as part of the rapidly expanding network of Hillsdale College’s dozens of charter initiative schools, which promises a “revitalization of public education”.

Meanwhile, the Indiana state legislature is pondering changes that could make Marion County a more attractive home for charter schools.

Lawmakers are considering giving charter schools in Marion and three other counties a cut of referendum dollars, funds that would be available in Pike but not Carmel.

Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Valor Classical Academy explores opening school in Pike Township