and Home Rule so districts can serve their students well.” FROM SEED GRANT TO STEADY PRESENCE The association began with a grant from the Indiana Department of Education, launched by a group of like-minded districts that saw a gap in representation at the General Assembly. Over the years it has been guided by several executive directors, including Larry Johns and Scott Turney, who retired in 2015. Logani took the helm after serving on that leadership continuum and has kept the focus constant while expanding practical member value. Membership spans about 170 school districts across the state.That diversity is by design. Rural in Indiana can mean a countywide system with thousands of students or a small town district with only a few hundred. It can even be a compact district inside a big city, such as Speedway or Beech Grove, that serves a small and distinct community. “There is no one type of rural and no one type of small town school,” Logani notes.“We have districts with five thousand students and districts with four hundred and fifty. We represent their interests all the same.” EGALITARIAN MEMBERSHIP, EQUAL REPRESENTATION The association’s membership model is intentionally simple. There are no gold, silver, or premium tiers. District members receive the same services, and service members from business and industry can join as partners for four hundred dollars per year to introduce relevant solutions to schools. Everyone pays the same fee, and everyone receives equal representation. “We do not sell levels. Everybody pays four hundred dollars, and everybody gets equal representation.” PRACTICAL VALUE EVERY WEEK What does membership deliver beyond a policy voice: • Dual membership with NREA. Enrollment includes membership in the National Rural 157 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 10 INDIANA SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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