“While I concede this election,
I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
– Vice President Kamala Harris
Thanks to everyone who supported my grassroots campaign for a seat at the table for public school advocates on the IPS School Board. You have helped create a growing awareness of outside business interests that corrupt our local school policies at the detriment of our collective futures.
In the middle of many folks’ election-result depression, I want to point out that there is a growing community awareness of the corruption in our local school governance, in our Mayor’s office, and in our state legislature. This is a bright spot in this year’s election cycle for IPS that is as significant as Dr Gayle Cosby’s successful campaign for District 2. That is a big win for the community to have an independent voice on the board. IHMO, she is the best candidate for IPS School Board that we’ve had for many, many years. And I am proud to have worked with her to call out the negative impacts of PAC control over our schools. I am also proud to be one of four candidates that intentionally avoided the political strings attached to dark PAC money. Current Commissioner Kenneth Allen even campaigned on being “not for sale”, an indication that there are, in fact, expectations that come with the dirty money he accepted four years ago to defeat the popular Liz Gore.
Democracy is not easy, but it’s always worth fighting for. Through the gloom, today is a day to consider how to build on the momentum of this new voter enlightenment of a civil rights issue of our times. Let’s continue to spotlight education disinformation by speaking up with validated facts and research. They cannot beat the truth if the truth be told.
Over 5,000 votes is way more than all the signatures on all the petitions Stand for Children – Indiana ever collected for it’s school board political theater. My voters’ signatures are actually validated and double validated with official IDs. Unlike everything that RISE and Stand does, no one was paid or trained or assigned to work on our campaign – 100% volunteer effort by passionate, local citizens who know what we stand for and aren’t just taking blood money to put cash in their pockets.
Our campaign ran on a fiscally reasonable and responsible $1 per vote – all locally-raised money that mostly went into one mailing and some video media. Compare that to the PAC-funded operation that will cost something north of $10 per vote when it’s reported in January, mostly funded by out-of-state billionaires through an established, corrupt, political network. TBH, all the money and labor supporting RISE/Stand candidates will never be known. I always consider that true education advocates would prefer to spend all that money to improve the lives of students and teachers. Instead, it’s used to control the conversation and silence opposition to their profit-focused goals of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
In some ways you could say the current District 1 seat is a ten year investment by the PACs that funded my opponent for that long. So for anyone to jump in to contest an uncontested PAC candidate, especially someone like me with little name recognition and zero training or prior consideration to be a politician, I believe 5,000 votes is a very good result. We have opened many more eyes to what’s going on behind the scenes, too. Most people I talked to at early voting poll sites agreed with our insights but could not vote in District 1. The awareness is growing.
So let’s work through the emotional crush of the other 2024 election results with an ardent commitment to build on our grassroots efforts to communicate the truth about IPS outside influencers. I hope you all will work towards shining more light on the actual issues and not the distractions. Be sure to follow the Indianapolis Education Justice Coalition (IEJC) and my campaign page on FB and IG. There’s a shadow over our public schools in Indianapolis today. Let’s join together to become the light over dark.
2024 WFYI VOTERS GUIDE FOR ALL IPS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
ZONE MAP FOR IPS SCHOOLS
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1iSot6GxA0NOU054FNo5i03DLQ92WAeo&femb=1&ll=39.78542746849217%2C-86.0845174801427&z=12
2024 CAMPAIGN VIDEOS
If you want an independent voice that puts the needs of all Indianapolis Public School children over profiteering education experiments on low-income children that make up 80% of our district, then vote for Alan Schoff for IPS School Board. I’m the grassroots candidate on the ballot for the District 1 supported by local teachers and local AFL-CIO workers.
I jumped into this school board race at the last minute as an everyday citizen to stand up for democracy against outside special interests. No one was running against Ashley Thomas, a proxy for the people she has worked for for the past 10 years – Stand for Children and RISE Indy. These political groups have undue influence over our local school board elections. We must have voices of reason on the board to scrutinize their policies that benefit privately-run business operations – businesses that profit from taxpayer dollars at the expense of our publicly-run classrooms. Taxpayer money for education is going to more people in management at the expense of actual teachers who work tirelessly for our future. Vote for me to speak up and say something. Alan Schoff for IPS Schools Board of Commissioners District 1, near-east and southeast of downtown Indy.
Let’s help Indianapolis Public Schools heal from the unnecessary turmoil that’s driven by PACs not educators. Let’s fulfill and improve the equity goals of our Rebuilding Stronger strategic plan and allow Superintendent Dr Aleesia Johnson to build on this foundation without further undue outside influence for the next five years.
While I can’t make policy changes alone, at the very least I can be a voice for the silenced majority in this district by calling out the corruption for what it is and fighting against the mayhem that disrupts student learning. For the record, 31 of privately managed Charter schools in Indianapolis have closed in the past 22 years, some in the middle of the year even, leading to more turmoil and untold students falling through the cracks. Tens of thousands of students and families have had their lives disrupted through unnecessary school closures and management changes that have have caused more harm than good.
Let’s focus on improving our actual public schools through our community-guided Rebuilding Stronger plan instead of playing the privatization game of the political Charter school industry that is fulfilling Project 2025 education goals.
Make it make sense. Vote for stable, nurturing learning environments, better community engagement, and arts for all children in the district boundaries.
Vote for Alan Schoff IPS School Board District 1
Paid for by Alan Schoff for the Campaign for Alan Schoff Indianapolis Public Schools Board of Commissioners District 1
Advocate for Indianapolis Public Schools
Calm the Chaos in Our District – Create Transformational Community Schools – Arts for Every Child