INPEA leader for nearly two decades eyes retirement while seeking to fulfill vision for universal school choice in Indiana
John Elcesser, left, executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA), receives the Sagamore of the Wabash award on Sept. 26 at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the INPEA. His INPEA predecessor Glenn Tebbe, himself a Sagamore recipient, presented the state award to his longtime colleague and friend. (Photos by Andrea Anderson)
By Victoria Arthur
Following a history-making tenure as the voice of Indiana’s non-public schools, John Elcesser has announced that he will retire in 2025—but only after one more legislative session, which he and other advocates hope will result in passage of universal school choice for Indiana families.
Elcesser, who for nearly two decades has served as executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA), said he based his decision on careful discernment and a desire to give his organization’s board of directors ample time to search for his successor.
“I’ve always believed that leadership is for a season,” said Elcesser, a former Catholic school principal and superintendent. “You bring your gifts and your skills to an organization and do the very best you can to leave it better than when you arrived. But then there’s a time for a new vision and new eyes and a new skill set, and it just seemed like this was the right time.”
Elcesser’s season of leadership has been abundantly fruitful. In recognition of his influence and impact on education statewide, Elcesser received Indiana’s highest honor—the Sagamore of the Wabash—at an INPEA event on Sept. 26.
“John has been a champion of
non-public schools across our state,” said Michelle Priar, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Evansville and president of the INPEA board. “I’m so grateful for his dedication to INPEA and for advocating for families and children for so many years.”
Along with his predecessor Glenn Tebbe, who went on to lead the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) for 16 years, Elcesser became a key player in the movement for school choice in Indiana.
In 2009, the INPEA and the ICC were among the advocacy groups instrumental in the Indiana General Assembly’s passage of the Scholarship Tax Credit program, which built momentum for the major school choice legislation that would follow two years later. When the Choice Scholarship Program, more commonly known as the voucher program, was signed into law by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2011, Indiana claimed the most comprehensive school choice program in the nation.
Since that time, the program has expanded further thanks to the advocacy efforts of the INPEA and others, culminating in the state legislature’s passage of near-universal school choice in Indiana in 2023. Today, 97% of Indiana families are eligible to send their children to the school they believe is the right fit for them.
“Undoubtedly our vision is to attain universal school choice for Indiana,” Elcesser said. “A significant part of my timing [for retirement] was making sure that I could be here for the 2025 legislative session, to continue the journey that we started in 2009 and even way before that.
“Our goals early on were to ensure that people who could not afford school choice could afford it, and we accomplished that. But now, other families are asking why they can’t use a very small percentage of their tax dollars to be able to exercise private school choice without some major sacrifice in their life.”
Elcesser’s vast experience and ability to connect with school administrators, advocates and lawmakers will make finding his successor a challenging task, according to Priar, who is leading the search committee for the new INPEA executive director.
“John has made an extraordinary impact on so many levels,” said Priar, who served many years as a teacher and principal before taking on her superintendent role in early 2023. “We will certainly miss John once his official retirement date rolls around, but he has left a legacy that will most definitely carry on for many years to come.”
The INPEA, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, represents the state’s more than 400 non-public schools, including Indiana’s 175 Catholic schools. Encompassing both faith-based and independent schools, the organization advocates for non-public schools at the General Assembly, the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana State Board of Education.
One of INPEA’s core messages is that school choice should not and does not come at the expense of public schools, which continue to receive the vast majority of state education funding and are vital to society. Colleagues say that Elcesser has been particularly effective at conveying that message and, in so doing, gaining respect and trust from educators at all levels throughout the state.
“John has always done a great job of helping people understand that school choice is about each individual child and family selecting the educational environment that is right for them, and having the state support that,” said James McNeany, principal of Guérin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese, and a member of the INPEA board. “Even though John advocates for non-public schools, he never does it in a way that demeans public schools. John is about educating every child in Indiana, even those who are in schools that he does not represent from an INPEA perspective.
“From the Department of Education to the state legislature, people respect John’s opinion because they know it’s coming from a place of care for educating all students.”
McNeany, who previously served as principal of All Saints School in Logansport, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese, has seen his 18-year career as a school administrator overlap with Elcesser’s tenure at the INPEA. He says that like so many others, he has come to rely on Elcesser for guidance and input on a wide range of matters.
“The first word that comes to mind when I think of John is wisdom,” McNeany said. “He has so much experience working at so many different levels of non-public schools that when you reach out to him with a question, he will more than likely have a well-formed answer to be able to guide schools, principals and superintendents throughout the state.”
Kyle Weener, who was only 27 when he became an Indiana non-public school administrator, echoed those thoughts.
“One of the first meetings I had with principals in my area was with John, and from the first moment I met him, I knew that he was going to be a tremendous resource not only for my school, but for all the schools within Lake County and the region,” said Weener, principal and head of school for Highland Christian School in Highland, Ind. “For the last six years, I’ve found that to be true time and time again.
“John has such a heart for children and for schools,” continued Weener, who serves as secretary of the INPEA board. “He also has an incredible ability to help align the resources that will make each and every non-public school be the best it can be. It has been an honor to work alongside him.”
Now, with Elcesser’s anticipated retirement in June, the INPEA is preparing not only for a transition to a new leader, but potentially a new focus if universal school choice is indeed adopted in the 2025 legislative session.
“This new person is going to step into the role at a unique time, with a new chapter to write,” said Andrea Anderson, communications and member relations director for the INPEA. “It will be critical for the new leader to steer us and chart a course for us for the next many years, hopefully in a post-universal school choice landscape.”
Anderson, who calls Elcesser the best boss she has ever had in her career, says she will be grateful for his voice and his presence during another critical budget-year session of the Indiana General Assembly, set to begin in January.
“Universal school choice is what we’re all working toward,” Anderson said. “It motivates us all to work extra hard—obviously for all the families of Indiana—but also to get this done for John.”
To learn more about the mission and the advocacy efforts of the INPEA, visit www.inpea.org.
For more information regarding the INPEA executive director job posting, contact searchcommittee@inpea.org.
(Victoria Arthur, a member of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus [Little Flower] Parish in Indianapolis, is a correspondent for The Criterion.) †
