Education bills in the Indiana Statehouse drew scrutiny and controversy as the surviving bills head to the opposite chamber as the budget session reaches its halfway mark.
After a week off, lawmakers return to Indianapolis on Monday. The session is scheduled to end April 29.
Education spending, about half of the two-year $46.7 billion budget, often is contentious.
A Senate bill directing traditional public schools to share property tax revenue with charter schools passed by a 28-21 vote after hours of debate Feb. 20 as the first half neared its end.
The bill calls for property tax sharing if 100 or more students in a district’s boundaries attend a charter school. The districts would also have to share a portion of their debt service levy.
It drew expected opposition from Northwest Indiana Democrats but this time they were joined by Republicans Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, and Mike Bohacek, R-Michigan City. The bill passed 28-21.
Charter schools are typically located in urban districts that lean strongly Democratic. Republicans, who control the Senate by a 40-10 margin, are often their biggest supporters. All 18 Democratic amendments to change the bill failed.
“If this body is truly about choice, then why (does) choice have to come at the expense of the choice of a million people going to traditional schools?” said Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis.
“The clear losers here are the students and the parents who have chosen to send their students to traditional public schools,” said Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington.
“We hear people talk about school choice, but it robs tax dollars from the parents of 90% of our future students who choose public schools.”
Locally, the bill would have the biggest impact on the Gary Community School Corp., just emerging from seven years of state control. The city is home to six charter schools.
Last fall, there were 11,764 students in Gary’s district boundaries and just 35%, or 4,144, attended the school district.
The remainder, or nearly 7,000 students, turned to charters, neighboring districts or private schools.
Officials at the Indianapolis Public Schools said as many as 20 schools could be closed with staff layoffs if the bill passes.
The bill’s author, Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, said she supports the principle of property tax money following the student.
“Those tax dollars, for years, have not followed their children. Today we need to make that change.”
Rogers said traditional public schools are receiving property tax dollars for students they aren’t educating.
Responding to critics who say charter school board members aren’t elected, Rogers added a provision allowing traditional public schools to appoint a member to a charter school’s board.
Here’s a look at other bills that passed.
A-F grades: House Bill 1498 requires the Department of Education to establish a new A-F grading system to take effect next year.
IREAD: House Bill 1499 allows certain students to retake the IREAD exam at least twice in the summer before retention requirements apply. Certain English language students would be exempt from compliance with the retention requirement.
Chronic absenteeism: House Bill 1201 prohibits a school from expelling or suspending a student who’s been chronically absent or habitually truant. It requires the Department of Education to establish best discipline practices for chronically absent students. Senate Bill 482, which also addresses chronic absenteeism, passed in the Senate.
Transgender athlete ban: House Bill 1041 bans transgender women from participating in collegiate athletics.
Education deregulation: House Bill 1002 eases long-held policies, removing certain teacher training and professional development requirements, expired provisions and repealed unfunded grants. It also eliminated the education credential requirement for the Indiana Secretary of Education.
Partisan school board: Senate Bill 267 calls for school board candidates to declare a party affiliation.
Teacher Compensation: Senate Bill 249 permits school corporations to provide a supplemental payment to teachers in excess of already negotiated salary.
Bullying: House Bill 1539 expands the definition of bullying to include severe one-time acts. It gives schools one business day to notify parents of the alleged perpetrator and targeted students. The current time is five days.
Chaplains: Senate Bill 523 allows a principal or superintendent of a public school, including a charter school, to approve bringing in a school chaplain if certain requirements are met.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
