Indianapolis has a preschool crisis. Give voters a choice to fund it.
When my first son was born, I was flooded with questions: sleep schedules, screen time, how to assemble a car seat without losing my mind. But as he's gotten older, one question has risen above the rest: Will he be ready for school?
Like so many parents, I've learned what researchers, educators and employers have known for decades. A child's earliest years are some of the most important. Access to high-quality early childhood education shapes a child's academic success, emotional development and long-term ability to contribute to society.
Unfortunately, access to that opportunity is slipping further out of reach for too many families in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Schools recently announced it would no longer offer free pre-K starting in the 2025–2026 school year. Families could be asked to pay as much as $570 a month, if they can even find a seat. In a city already struggling with childcare deserts, stagnant wages and learning loss, this isn't just a logistical problem. It's a crisis.
This isn't IPS's fault. It's the result of chronic underinvestment in early learning, made worse by outdated state policy. Fewer than 10% of Indiana's 4-year-olds qualify for the state's On My Way Pre-K program. There just aren't enough dollars or options to meet the need.
That's why I introduced legislation that would allow local communities to step up where the state has stepped back. And I'll offer it again in the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session.
My bill would give counties the ability to hold a referendum to fund early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-olds. If approved by voters, those funds could support a mix of providers: public schools, charter schools, private centers and even churches. Programs would operate under the guidance of trusted partners, like United Way or Early Learning Indiana. It's a local solution to a statewide problem, rooted in community choice and accountability.
The idea isn't ideological. It is focused on outcomes.
Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, communities can see up to $12 in return through reduced remediation, lower incarceration rates and higher future earnings. Pre-K isn't a luxury. It's an economic development strategy, a public safety tool and a workforce investment plan, all in one.
There's no sugarcoating it: Passing a bill is just the first step in building a universal preschool system. Voters will need to approve it. We will need to recruit teachers, convert facilities and invest in the capacity of current and potential local providers. But these steps are doable, especially with a strong coalition of parents, educators, elected officials and business leaders as advocates.
If we want to build a stronger K-12 system in Indianapolis, we have to start by building a stronger foundation. That means making sure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn, regardless of their ZIP code or their parents' income.
The path forward is clear. It's practical. It's popular. And it's possible, if we choose to act.
Indianapolis deserves a serious plan for universal preschool. Let's give local communities the chance to lead.
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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Wheel tax, income tax boost likely for Porter County as burden of government support shifts
Discussion of the impact of property tax reforms passed by the Indiana General Assembly taxed Porter County Council members' brains Tuesday. 'Understand that nobody up here wants to pass an increase in taxes,' Council President Andy Vasquez, R-4th, said. 'We're stuck between a rock and a hard place.' Putting local government on a property tax diet, something Gov. Mike Braun strongly urged the Legislature to do, leaves two choices: Reduce services or raise income taxes and other taxes to make up the difference. 'We're getting pushed from property taxes to local income taxes,' said consultant Jason Semler, a principal for Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, as he walked the council through the long, complicated math of the new state law. The result ends up shifting more of the burden of financing local government from businesses to individuals, Semler said. A wheel tax for Porter County is virtually a certainty as a way to get the full amount available in the state's Community Crossings matching grant program. Technically, the wheel tax remains optional, but the new law requires it for the county to receive the full amount of matching grant money. And although the county's income tax rate is the lowest in the state, at 0.5%, that's likely to increase as the property tax revenue shrinks. 'If you have to raise the income tax, this is a good time to do it,' Semler said. 'They're kind of forcing us to increase LIT (local income tax) anyway,' so consider gradual increases to cushion the blow, he suggested. 'We know we're going to need it down the road.' Under the new law, cities and towns with more than 3,500 residents could adopt their own income tax in the future, up to 1.2%. Based on current population statistics, that would include Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Hebron and Porter. If those municipalities enact their own income tax, their residents would be taxed twice – by the county and by the municipality, Councilman Andy Bozak, R-At-large, said. That would be the case for the wheel tax, too. Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, speculated that Porter County might eventually see people moving into unincorporated areas from cities and towns to avoid this double taxation. 'Everybody's looking to escape the tax,' Vasquez said. One option might be for the county to work with the municipalities to give them a share of the county's income tax in exchange for not enacting their own tax, Semler said. For Porter County, $3.5 million a year in dues for the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority has to come from income tax revenue, so that needs to be factored in. After that, the county can figure out where the income tax revenue should be divvied up. The county has been pondering some important needs for information technology, road repairs and EMS service. Councilman Red Stone, R-1st, said on his way from Portage to Valparaiso, driving on county roads for Tuesday's meeting, his vehicle was bouncing up and down because of the poor road conditions. Porter County's roads are in worse shape than the state average. Among the drawbacks of shifting to more reliance on income tax revenue is that it's less stable. 'If there's a downturn in the economy, we're going to feel it much more than with property taxes,' Semler said. The county shouldn't hoard money, but healthy fund balances are important when revenues plunge but needs increase. Rivas and others blasted state legislators for setting themselves up as heroes for lowering property taxes even as they knew local officials would look like bad guys for raising income taxes to make up for the lost revenue. 'The legislators, this was a disingenuous action they took,' he said. The council has until Oct. 31 to decide what direction to take. 'I think that's why some counties are looking at increasing their income taxes. They know they're going to have to do it eventually,' so they're acting this year so it goes into effect next year, Semler said. Stone said in his meetings with department heads, he's looking for ways to reduce spending. 'I would strongly urge the council to put the work in,' he said. Some funds and areas can't be touched, under state law, but he wants to dig deep to see what can be cut. 'I think this would be a good exercise for the public. If there's places to cut, let us find them,' he said. Bozak disagreed with Stone's approach. 'We don't want to get too much into the weeds,' he said. A better way would be to tell department heads to decide where to make 3% cuts, hopefully not in salaries. That might be the result of cleaning less often or other ideas, Bozak said. 'Let's get in the weeds. Let's look at take-home cars,' Stone said. 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'Like all things, time will tell, and I pray God we will hold the line the best we can,' he said. Semler walked the council through the implications of Senate Enrolled Act 1 to see how Porter County will be affected as the property tax reforms are phased in. 'A lot of these are going to be phased-in impacts, and a lot of the significant impacts are going to hit us two, three years down the road,' he said. The math is long and complicated, but the upshot is that the property tax base will shrink, and as tax rates increase, more and more properties will qualify for the circuit breaker that caps the property's total tax bill. For a single-family, owner-occupied home, that's 1% of the home's value. Rental properties, utilities, assisted living homes and some other types of property have bills capped at 2% of the property's value. 'You can see how those tax bases are going to be greatly reduced' in downtowns and other areas where these properties are concentrated, Semler said. 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'This is not what we prefer to be doing, but we're happy to help out.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Op-ed: I've been in education more than 50 years. Indiana must help parents afford pre-K
There's a misconception that preschool is only finger painting, play time or snacks. It doesn't help that Indiana treats pre-K as unnecessary, ranking among the bottom in the nation for enrollment. As a longtime educator, I say it's time for our state to rethink its approach to early childhood education. Studies show the benefits of preschool follow students throughout their entire lives. I witnessed the positives of pre-K during my 35 years in the classroom. My students with some form of early education had higher literacy scores and a better grasp of their letters. They had a deeper understanding of classroom expectations, sharing with their peers and participating in group work. This followed my students into their teenage years – children who attended preschool are 11% more likely to graduate from high school. They're also more likely to attend college. I believe many parents want the best for their children, but they simply can't afford it. The average cost of pre-K for one child is roughly $300 to $430 per week. Our lower-income families can apply for assistance. However, Indiana is slashing the On My Way Pre-K program by 60% next school year. Only 2,500 of our young kids will have the opportunity to receive assistance for a robust early education. Those children who are enrolled will only receive $148 per week, which won't cover the entire cost. This will affect the availability of preschool for our less fortunate children, who are not responsible for their economic situation. I remember when Indiana first started working to expand early education in 1986 with the First Steps program. I helped create First Steps because studies showed early intervention was extremely beneficial for toddlers with developmental delays. It took the state legislature about 30 years to reach the same conclusion on pre-K. In 2014, Indiana launched OMWPK, but we haven't truly addressed the rising cost of early childhood education in the past decade. It's past time for Indiana to act on the ballooning cost of pre-K and child care. As a seasoned legislator, I believe there's a simple solution: a pre-K tax credit. If Indiana won't invest in a statewide pre-K program, we should put the money back in families' pockets. A credit would help cover the cost by providing $2,000 to $3,000 for families making less than $75,000 a year. Some states also give businesses a tax credit, encouraging them to help the parents they employ with the costs of pre-K or child care. Across the U.S., 26 states provide a tax credit to cover the costs of preschool or day care. It's time for Indiana to join this cohort. All children deserve the same educational opportunities regardless of their families' wealth. Sheila Klinker (D-Lafayette) is an Indiana state representative. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Op-ed: It's time for Indiana to help parents afford pre-K
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis schools have once-in-a-generation chance for transformation
A recent IndyStar story, 'IPS parents fear school closures, resource cuts as new advisory board begins work,' explored some Indianapolis Public Schools parents' concerns regarding the newly created Indianapolis Local Education Alliance and the impact its recommendations might have on the education landscape. The story shared important perspectives that should be taken into account as the ILEA does its work. It is also essential to recognize that almost two-thirds of IPS resident students attend schools that are not managed by IPS. The majority of students — and the vast majority of students of color and low-income students who attend public schools — attend contractually autonomous public charter and innovation schools. Their families deserve a voice when it comes to the future of our education system. The Indiana General Assembly's creation of the ILEA represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pursue bold, structural change that benefits all 46,000 public school students within IPS boundaries and sets our education system on a path to sustainability. The facts are clear. IPS served well over 100,000 students at its enrollment peak in the 1960s. Today, direct-managed IPS schools serve just over 18,000 students. As enrollment in direct-managed schools declined in recent years, the district's revenue skyrocketed. For example, IPS received over $260 million last year in local property tax revenue, almost twice as much as just six years prior. This is true even though enrollment in district-managed schools declined by 24% during that same period. The district's per-pupil funding recently climbed as high as $23,000 per-student as a result of increasing assessed values, multiple referendums and an influx of federal funding. Yet, by IPS' own calculations over the past few years, the district will run out of money by the end of next year without another large referendum or significant cuts to its central office. This was true even before this year's legislative funding reforms, the bulk of which don't start until 2028. This is not sustainable. Thankfully, we have a public school model that works and operates much more efficiently than top-down school systems. Numerous studies from top research universities have shown that Indianapolis charter schools lead their students to significantly more academic progress than traditional public schools. This is particularly true for Black, Hispanic, and low-income students. Indianapolis charter schools achieve these results while receiving an average of $7,900 less in per-pupil funding than traditional public schools. In fact, the University of Arkansas recently found that Indianapolis charter schools are the most cost-effective in the country. Briggs: The IPS-charter school fight puts politics over children The choice before us is clear: Preserving the status quo will ensure that IPS becomes insolvent and is subject to state intervention, which will cause massive disruption for students and families. There is no evidence that the Rebuilding Stronger plan will increase enrollment or create efficiencies that will change this reality. On the other hand, pursuing a bold path of structural reform will ensure that all students are served well and IPS becomes stronger and more sustainable. IPS has shown in the not-so-distant past a courageous willingness to buck the status quo and pursue break-the-mold reforms. There is no better example of this than the district's embrace of contractually autonomous innovation schools, which have stabilized IPS' enrollment, improved academic outcomes, and shown how cross-sector collaboration can benefit all students. Our community should be optimistic about the nine-member ILEA. All of the mayoral and district appointments are serious people who care about all students, regardless of the type of school they attend. They represent a range of perspectives and experiences. They deserve a chance to make recommendations that meet the gravity of the moment. Imagine a system of schools where all families, regardless of income or zip code, are able to choose the school that best fits their children's needs. Imagine a system of schools where educators are empowered to lead and all schools are held accountable for results. Imagine a system of schools where all students have access to high-quality academics, extracurriculars, facilities, and transportation. To achieve this future, IPS must radically rethink how it operates so it becomes sustainable in an ever-changing education landscape. We are fortunate that IPS is helmed by leaders who understand the stakes and are deeply committed to student success. I'm optimistic that the ILEA can help set our community on a path to boasting a high-quality education system that becomes the envy of the world. I'm also hopeful that the voices of the students and families who make up the majority of our public school system will be taken into account as this process unfolds. Let's come together, meet the moment and forge a future where all children succeed.
