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Lewis Ferebee may seem like an unlikely champion of charter schools. The son of educators whose own career has been built by rising through district schools鈥� leadership ranks in the South, he has a decidedly traditional educational pedigree. His dissertation at East Carolina University argued that public-school-choice provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act didn鈥檛 improve student achievement. And on top of all that, he鈥檚 the head of a struggling urban school system that many argue has been hurt even more by a fast-growing charter sector.

But Ferebee shrugs off attempts to categorize him.

Soft-spoken with a Zen-like demeanor and eyes framed by tortoiseshell glasses, the 41-year-old superintendent of the Indianapolis school district has shown he plays aggressively by his own rulebook鈥攐ne that includes robust partnerships with the city鈥檚 charter school leaders.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this idea that you have to be on one side or the other鈥攜ou can鈥檛 wave both flags,鈥� Ferebee says of district and charter schools.

鈥淭he more we encourage people to wave both flags, the more effective we will be in educating our children.鈥�

Like many urban districts, the Indianapolis school system has daunting challenges: It鈥檚 been losing enrollment for decades, leaving a concentrated population of low-income minority students within its borders, while passing rates on state assessments for the 2014-15 school year were not quite at 30 percent.

In its heyday in the late 1960s through early 1970s, the district boasted more than 100,000 students. Today, that number hovers just under 30,000.

And with the city鈥檚 and state鈥檚 embrace of charter schools and vouchers, competition for that shrinking pool of students is fierce. Currently, around 15,000 students attend charters in Indianapolis.

But rather than seeing charters as an enemy to fight off, Ferebee is enlisting them as allies. To stanch decades of enrollment loss and improve student outcomes, especially in the district鈥檚 worst-performing schools, he has asked a select few of the city鈥檚 charter school operators for help. Ferebee鈥檚 authority to do so stems from a new state law that he helped craft that has allowed the district to create 鈥渋nnovation network schools.鈥�

Five charter groups have now signed up to be innovation network schools, and legislators expanded the law statewide last year. The district was also recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further promote district-charter collaboration.

Under the law, the district can either contract with an outside operator, including a charter-management organization, to take over the management of a failing school, or let a charter school operate out of an empty or under-used district school building. But the opportunity isn鈥檛 limited to charter operators. Almost anyone, including educators from regular Indianapolis schools, also can apply to run an innovation-network school.

Striking a Balance

Although innovation-network schools get charterlike autonomy鈥攑rincipals control matters such as the curriculum, and they鈥檙e free from union contracts鈥攖hey still fall under the district鈥檚 umbrella. The schools are accountable to the school board, which can shut them down if they鈥檙e not meeting the terms of their contracts.

The district also provides crucial services that charters often struggle with, such as offering free transportation, finding and managing facilities, and providing special education. In exchange, the district counts enrollment numbers and student-test scores from the innovation-network schools as part of its overall data picture.

Ferebee has even leveraged the new law to bring a failing school that had been taken over by the state back into the district fold.

Even with his unusual embrace of charter leaders as a part of his strategy for repairing Indianapolis鈥� ailing public school system, Ferebee says he remains a believer in neighborhood schools. His goal, he says, is to strike a balance.

鈥淭he underpinning of giving students choice, it鈥檚 this idea that you鈥檙e not going to be cursed with a poor-performing school,鈥� Ferebee says. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a noble idea, but I think this plan that we have in Indianapolis is providing that option in the neighborhood.鈥�

Of the five innovation-network schools, most serve students who live in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Sitting at his desk on a rainy autumn day, Ferebee types on his MacBook, both he and his laptop reflected on the varnished surface of his large desk. He鈥檚 just finished listening to members of his staff practice presentations they are scheduled to deliver that evening to the school board, and now he waits for a call from a superintendent in Florida who wants to ask about Ferebee鈥檚 experiences with a certain federal program.

Like his low-key manner and sleek way of dressing, Ferebee鈥檚 office is sparse and polished: His electronics are Apple products. The art on the walls is in black and white鈥攁ll of it done by students. Directly behind his desk chair hangs an image of civil rights icon Rosa Parks on a bus.

Family Business

Ferebee likes to tell people he鈥檚 part of the family business鈥攂oth of his parents were educators. Both were the first in their families to go to college.

Even so, Ferebee鈥檚 parents encouraged him to pursue a different career path from their own鈥攐ne that would make him more money. But as he closed in on finishing a degree in prepharmacy at North Carolina Central University, Ferebee found himself drawn more to the classroom he was volunteering in at a local school.

He called home and had what he described as his most emotionally charged conversation he鈥檚 ever had with this parents.

鈥淭hey said if you鈥檙e going to do this, you have to have an obligation,鈥� Ferebee recalls. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like an oath was taken that day, that I鈥檓 committed to ensuring that all students get a high-quality education. It鈥檚 something that drives me on a daily basis.鈥�

It鈥檚 a quality that Ferebee鈥檚 former boss in the Guilford County, N.C., school district said he recognized immediately in the then-principal. Terry Grier, the superintendent in Houston, who held the same position in Guilford County, says his other principals would complain about the hurdles their students faced鈥攑overty, gangs, and a lack of positive role models鈥攂ut not Ferebee. Grier remembers the first time he visited Ferebee鈥檚 school shortly after he became principal.

鈥淚 noticed at Lewis鈥� school that the visitor parking spaces were close to the front door鈥攖hat鈥檚 normally where the principal and secretary park, but not at Lewis鈥� school,鈥� says Grier, a 2015 Leader To Learn From.

鈥淚f I was trying to write a how-to book for young superintendents, I鈥檇 say model yourself off of Lewis Ferebee in Indianapolis.鈥�

Although innovation-network schools arguably have been Ferebee鈥檚 most notable accomplishment in Indianapolis, other initiatives he has spearheaded have been focused as much on efficiency as collaboration.

Last year, in a cost-cutting effort, Ferebee laid off several administrative employees and created a single service-center hub that handles all calls, scheduling, and other clerical work. No one in the central office, including Ferebee, has his or her own secretary.

Confronting Pushback

Even earlier in his tenure, after deciding to thoroughly review the district鈥檚 $338 million annual budget put together by his predecessor, Ferebee discovered that the budget improperly showed the district carrying a $30 million deficit when, in fact, there was a slight surplus.

That discovery helped underwrite a pay raise for the city鈥檚 teachers鈥攖heir first in five years.

Although he鈥檚 cultivated many admirers in the local charter school and business communities, other groups are more ambivalent.

鈥淏y one token, the teachers are happy, they get a long-overdue raise,鈥� says Rhondalyn Cornett, the president of the Indianapolis Teachers Association. But she鈥檚 uncomfortable with the innovation-network schools.

鈥淚 feel like that is privatizing education,鈥� she says.

And some community members remain wary of Ferebee鈥檚 agenda for change, according to Amos Brown, a well-known radio host on Indianapolis鈥� local Radio One station, a broadcasting company geared to African-American audiences. Brown, who died late last year, often discussed local education issues on his show.

On the flip side, several leaders in the local charter school and business communites say they are thrilled by Ferebee鈥檚 willingness to collaborate and to slim down the central office.

His calm mien in the face of controversy is also an asset, they say.

Among them is David Harris, the founder and CEO of the Mind Trust, a nonprofit organization that supports the development of new charter schools and leaders in Indianapolis. The district has been working closely with the Mind Trust to recruit and train leaders for the innovation-network schools.

Recalling how Ferebee testified in front of the Indiana legislature while trying to get the bill passed to create innovation-network schools, Harris says the superintendent was 鈥渃ourageous.鈥�

Because the new schools would be free from union contracts, Ferebee got a lot of pushback from teachers鈥� unions, Harris says.

鈥淭heir allies were pretty shrill with him on the floor. He was unflappable.鈥�

Other charter school leaders have been impressed by Ferebee鈥檚 interest in visiting their schools and the new marching orders he gave his district principals鈥攖hat they were all to start cooperating more with the charters.

Although Ferebee is the first to admit there is still competition between the two sectors, he doesn鈥檛 think that should stop them from sharing ideas and resources鈥攁ll in the name of providing better instruction and savings.

That marks a sharp change in tone from previous superintendents, which local charter school founder Earl Phalen described as flat-out hostile to charter schools. Phalen is the CEO and founder of a charter school near downtown Indianapolis and the first charter school operator to take over a low-performing district school through the innovation-network school initiative.

At first Phalen balked at the idea鈥攖here was no road map, but plenty of pressure to get it right the first time. In the end, Ferebee persuaded him to take the plunge.

鈥淲e took the risk, because of my impression that this is somebody who I will follow and I will get my organization to follow,鈥� he says. 鈥淗aving a thoughtful leader who puts children first, it鈥檚 clich茅; a lot of people say it but don鈥檛 do it. Ferebee walks the walk.鈥�