Indiana moves student count to delay school funding question
The Indiana State Board of Education approved a method to maintain funding for schools reopening virtually this fall after warnings from lawmakers last month of possible cuts.
The Indiana State Board of Education approved a method to maintain funding for schools reopening virtually this fall after warnings from lawmakers last month of possible cuts.
Indiana’s public schools would be assured of full state funding for the rest of this year under a plan announced by the governor Wednesday to sidestep a warning from a top fellow Republican that schools could face a 15% cut if they didn’t hold in-person classes.
With at least 31 positive cases of the coronavirus reported in Indiana schools since buildings began reopening in late July, district leaders, teachers and parents are pressuring state officials to identify benchmarks for what would require schools to go back online as confirmed cases of the virus increase.
State auditors have determined a central Indiana school district should repay $2.2 million for failing to properly supervise two online charter schools accused of padding their enrollments by about 14,000 students over eight years.
The Democratic nominee for Indiana governor called Tuesday for more widespread mask use in schools and for school leaders to turn more toward online coursework rather than having students return to classrooms in the coming weeks.
Indiana’s current limits on crowd sizes for restaurants, bars and public events will remain in place until at least the end of July as the state faces a growing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday.
Indiana lawmakers have rolled back a proposal to require a poster with the national motto “In God We Trust” and the American and state flags be displayed in all public school classrooms.
Thousands of teachers wearing red have surrounded the Indiana Statehouse for a rally calling for further increasing teacher pay in the biggest such protest in the state amid a wave of educator activism across the country.
Several Indiana charter schools couldn’t convince an Indiana Court of Appeals panel that they are entitled to a semester’s worth of tuition support funding, as a trial court had ruled.
A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday between numerous Indiana charter schools and the state regarding several million dollars in unpaid tuition the schools say was not provided to cover costs for students.
Indiana lawmakers are entering the second half of the legislative session with more than 400 bills still alive, covering issues including teacher pay, gambling and hate crimes.