Latest news with #SB518
Chicago Tribune
29-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Guest column: Public school legislation and what you're not being told
It's the end of March. The Indiana General Assembly will finalize its two-year budget by the end of April. Public input is needed now (while discussions are still taking place) to protect the financial well-being of public schools. Republican legislators are out bemoaning the dire Indiana revenue forecasts and telling everyone to be prepared for minimal increases, even status quo, in state funding for the next two years (even citing the negative effects of President Donald Trump's tariff wars). The key bills coming up are: HB 1001, SB 1, HB 1402 and SB 518. HB 1001 is the House budget, which touts a 2% increase for education. What the public isn't told is that this would be the lowest increase in school funding since 2017 and doesn't even keep pace with the current inflation rate of 3%! What the public is not being told is that public schools will actually be lucky to receive even a small portion of that 2% increase. Public schools will also lose other sources of revenue from reduction in property taxes and having to divert referendum funds to charter schools. What the public doesn't realize is that private school vouchers are being opened up to provide public tax dollars to even the wealthiest of parents in the state to pay for private school tuition (welfare for the rich). Projections are that this will amount to $139 million to be subtracted from the overall 2% funding for K-12 public schools. SB 1 and HB 1402 are both different versions of property tax reductions that will result in a loss of at least $500 million over three years from public schools for capital improvements, transportation and debt payments! SB 518 would require public schools that pass a referendum (needed to make up for lost state revenue) to divert much of that referendum money to all charter schools in their area, even further reducing public school revenue for which voters intended. What the public doesn't know is that charter schools already receive an additional $1,400 per student to be comparable to the property tax revenue public schools receive. Charter schools do not have to provide for transportation costs, nor have anywhere close to the debt and facility costs of public schools. If the state wants to give charter schools more, then make that a separate fund — don't continue to rob public schools! Further, what the public doesn't fully recognize is that private school vouchers and charter school funding with public tax dollars are provided without any public reporting or monitoring as to how public tax dollars are used and spent. No one has any idea as to who is making personal profits rather than spending for student learning. Charter school fraud with public tax dollars is real (just last February another charter school CEO admitted to embezzling over $900,00). This would not be possible if charter and private schools had to publicly account for the spending of their public tax dollars. If 'school choice' is as important as Republican legislators say it is, then why do they prioritize funding the wealthy with vouchers and shortchanging the overwhelming choice of public schools by 90% of Indiana students?! Demand that public school funding becomes the top priority and that public schools actually do receive at least 2% increases in real money without misleading hidden diversions to private vouchers and charters. Fix HB 1001, SB 1 and say no to SB 518! Demand that private and charter schools receiving state tax dollars be publicly audited! Call the Indiana Senate (800-382-9467 — Senators Bray and Mishler). Call the Indiana House (800-382-9841 — Representatives Huston and Thompson). Go to for more info about being an advocate for your public school.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Town hall warns of education-focused legislation, calls for support of public schools
SOUTH BEND — With several bills in this year's General Assembly that could have sweeping impacts on Indiana's schools, some St. Joseph County residents are calling for community collaboration and support for local public school corporations. The South Bend Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosted a town hall meeting on Tuesday, March 4, offering information about three of the education-related bills introduced in the General Assembly — Senate Bill 1, Senate Bill 518 and House Bill 1136. Presenters included Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow, Executive Director of Exceptional Learners for the South Bend Community School Corp. Tonia Brewer, Educational Consultant Karla Lee and SBCSC alumna Amaani Lee. In addition to providing details of the three bills and how they'd affect St. Joseph County, the presenters also encouraged attendees to take action by talking to their representatives and maintaining support for the county's public school districts. Critchlow gave an overview of SB 1, which is currently making its way through the House. Senate Bill 1 impact: How much may St. Joseph County schools, libraries, public safety, etc. lose in tax cuts? As it was originally written, Senate Bill 1 would cut property taxes by capping tax increases at 2% to 3% each year. That version would also increase the homestead standard deduction. And it would require referendums that increase tax revenues to be placed on the ballot during general elections on even-numbered years as a way to boost transparency and voter input. Since its initial introduction, the bill has seen some significant amendments, including changes to the homestead exemption and tax caps. But that doesn't mean that SB 1 wouldn't have a huge impact on local governments and, more poignant to Tuesday's town hall, institutions like schools. "The possibility exists that Senate Bill 1 will lead to your local school system having to come in and cut 20% of the budget," Critchlow said. "… Those are not small things that are coming up. Those are big things that are no longer going to be happening as we have to reprioritize what it is we're going to be doing." He said if the bill goes through, South Bend schools will lose $800,000 the first year, $1.6 million the second and $2.4 million the third. Critchlow also talked about SB 518, which is also making its way though the House. The bill would require all traditional public school districts to share property tax revenue with charter schools in their attendance boundaries, if 100 or more kids leave the traditional district for charter schools, starting in 2028. Details of Senate Bill 518: Charter schools, DEI, transgender athletes. These bills are still moving through the legislature This includes referendum money, he said. "Unfortunately, public schools find themselves in a situation where they're losing this funding from the state, so they're having to increase what they get from your property taxes in the referendum," Critchlow said, "and now the state comes in and says, 'Oh, by the way, you're going to share that money with charter schools.'" He added that the bill is estimated to have an impact of $500 million over three years across the entire state. SBCSC's Brewer spoke on HB 1136, which was introduced to the General Assembly by South Bend Republican state Rep. Jake Teshka. More on House Bill 1136: South Bend's Teshka authors bill to dissolve low-enrolled schools, make them charters The bill proposed that if over half of the students who "have legal settlement" in an Indiana school corporation's geographic district attend a non-corporation school, according to the 2024 fall average daily membership, the corporation would be dissolved and its schools reorganized as charter schools. HB 1136 would have also created a new governing board that would be appointed rather than elected, as well as requirements and procedures for dissolving and reorganizing the affected school corporation. Brewer said school corporation "takeovers" are nothing new; in fact, she said, the Gary Community School Corp. has been under state oversight for the last seven years and is just now reassuming control this school year. Gary was $19 million in debt before the takeover, Brewer said, and now the district is in the black, but the schools are not doing better academically than they were seven years ago. She added that a 2021 study from Rice University found that school takeovers are "highly disruptive to students" and were "focused on very specific communities that were communities of color (and) other communities that may have the same or similar financial or academic struggles." HB 1136 is no longer making its way through the legislature this year, but state Rep. Maureen Bauer, who was in attendance on Tuesday night, still encouraged attendees to keep an eye on the bill. "Rest assured," Bauer said, "it didn't move forward but could always come back next year." Karla Lee spoke on the literacy crisis across the country, saying that she sees a path forward in building collaboration among schools, parents and local public and private businesses. She added that change can come about only when those separate groups work together. "Oftentimes it is said in literacy that it is an achievement gap," Karla Lee said. "And I would like to argue with you all tonight that it's not necessarily an achievement gap, but it's an educational opportunity gap." Tuesday's town hall focused on encouraging continued support for the area's public school corporations. Amaani Lee, a graduate of South Bend's Washington High School, continued her education at the University of Notre Dame and is now working at South Bend Orthopaedics. She said her time in South Bend schools made her a better person and prepared her well for her time in college and beyond. "I believe that the South Bend Community School Corporation has the propensity to breed great people," Amaani Lee said. "And so that's why meetings like this are so important, because we must fight to keep the South Bend Community School Corporation intact so that we can continue to educate and continue to foster great people that will, in turn, return to our community and make it a better place." She said the goal of Tuesday's meeting was to inform attendees about what's going on and how they can take a stand. "I think we're walking away with information that is going to allow us to get together in the future and continue to collaborate and … strategize on how we're going to maneuver in the next years and the next months so that we can move toward a common goal," Amaani Lee said. "And right now, our common goal is keeping our school corporation intact and educating all of South Bend." Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend town hall shares details of General Assembly legislation
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should IPS share tax dollars with charter schools? Tensions arise at board meeting
In a packed Indianapolis Public School board meeting Thursday night, for more than 90 minutes, public speakers made their case on why they think the district should or shouldn't share property tax dollars with charter schools. The meeting reflected the heated debate seen for years in the IPS community — a debate that has recently been stoked even more since lawmakers began considering Senate Bill 518, which would force IPS to share more property tax dollars with charter schools. Due to the high turnout Thursday evening, the board created a spill-over room and limited public comment to 90 seconds instead of the usual 3 minutes. Most of the comments given were centered around either asking the IPS board to take an even stronger stance condemning SB 518 or urging the board to support sending more property tax dollars to charter schools. More on SB 518: Bill forcing schools to share property taxes with charters passes. But 40% of senators voted no The IPS board had already come out strongly opposed to SB 518, along with two other bills that now appear to be dead, at the beginning of February. The property tax sharing bill passed out of the Senate was amended last week on a narrow 28-21 vote, with 12 Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it over concerns that it would dilute funding for traditional public schools. The latest version of that bill would also shift the start time of the property tax sharing to 2028 and phase in the funding sharing over five years. After its passage in the Senate, the IPS board then released a statement stating five provisions they would like to see if SB 518 is to move forward. One of those is a moratorium on new schools opening for at least the next two years, and limits charter authorizing to the Indianapolis Mayor's Office of Education Innovation. Some of the speakers Thursday night saw that statement as a backtracking of their previous and more stronger stance against the bill. 'Please be brave,' Jack Killen said to the school board members. 'You are not a charter school board. You are the IPS school board. We need you to return to your full opposition of SB 518.' Multiple IPS teachers also asked for stronger action from the board and asked that they keep their word on not opening any new schools or risk having to close schools or cut back on jobs. 'We are looking for that moratorium that you put out there and said you are looking for to ensure that we have financial stability for our district,' said Monica Shellhamer, a third-grade teacher at Christian Park School 82. 'We are looking for resources for our students in the years to come. We are looking for that fiscal responsibility that we continuously talk about. Right now your words are just words, and they don't mean anything to us without an action behind them,' Shellhamer continued. More Ed News: Hundreds of open Indiana school civil rights investigations halted under new Trump policy Other parents who support SB 518 and are backed by charter-friendly groups like Stand for Children Indiana urged the board to push for more equitable funding. Shawanda Tyson, who works with Stand for Children Indiana and has two children who attend an independent charter school in the district and an IPS innovation charter school, said she took offense to previous accusations that parents working with Stand are simply reading off a script. 'Stand may have helped me learn how to find my voice and use it, but they never told me what to say,' Tyson said. 'My goal was and is and will remain the same, equity for our kids, equity for kids in our boundary regardless of the type of school they attend.' Other parents like Vilma Hernadez said that the lack of property tax funding at charter schools means that families like hers struggle to access the schools they want due to transportation issues. 'Transportation should never be a barrier to accessing a quality education,' Hernadez said through an interpreter. 'I'm here because I know that Senate Bill 518 could go a long way in making sure all our public schools are fairly funded and ensure public charter schools can also offer transportation.' Transportation costs are usually funded through property tax revenues, although some charter schools that partner with IPS through its innovation network do use IPS's yellow buses depending on their innovation contracts. More on transportation issues: Confusion, anger in battle against chronic truancy in Indiana's public schools Board members Allissa Impink and Gayle Cosby also gave personal comments stating they were completely opposed to SB 518, saying that it is part of a larger movement to completely defund public education by making schools fight over the same pot of money. '518 has all of us collectively sinking in the same leaky boat,' Cosby said. Superintendent Aleesia Johnson also thanked everyone who came out Thursday night to speak in defense of IPS students and asked that they turn their attention to the state house and show lawmakers that all schools in IPS should not have to be fighting over scraps. 'In a time where the point seems to be division and disruption, we can choose to exemplify something different,' Johnsons said. Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IPS, charter school supporters debate funding at school board meeting
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Local nonprofit raises awareness for victims of impaired drivers
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – In 2007, Kimela Tiderman-Alcorn was waiting for her husband, Michael, and her 12-year-old son, Justin to get home from a baseball game. But, they never made it. 'A drunk driver crossed the median on I-44 and hit them head on and killed both of them instantly,' said Tiderman-Alcorn. 'It was terrible.' The driver, along with the passenger, were also killed. LOCAL NEWS: Mother of pregnant teen allegedly shot and killed by boyfriend speaks out 'I don't think there's an excuse for it. Drink and do whatever you want, but don't get behind the wheel of a car,' said Tiderman-Alcorn. 'Honestly, that's the main thing I fight for, is to make something good come out of a bad situation.' She's one of dozens of families bonded by this unimaginable devastation. They're part of the nonprofit group VOID: Victims of Impaired Drivers. They spent Monday morning sharing their stories with lawmakers, hoping to get stricter DUI laws in Oklahoma. 'We believe that we must do everything in our power to eradicate impaired driving by creating the strongest deterrence possible. We must stop mistaking leniency for compassion,' said Jeff Murrow, the founder of VOID. These are the DUI-related bills on the table this session: HB 1222: Requires a threat assessment seen by a judge prior to bond for 2nd and subsequent DUI charges HB 2369: Extends ABLE licensed bartender rules and standards to include services provided on unlicensed premises HB 1933: Prohibits the sale of Nitrous Oxide for any non-medical (recreational) purposes SB 518: Requires 'medical marijuana' products have a warning label regarding impaired driving, the same as other medications SB 54: Modify aggravated DUI to include manner of use of the vehicle. Strengthen consequences to discourage recidivism LOCAL NEWS: Inmate walks away from Oklahoma City correction center Senator Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, is the author of SB 54. 'We're going to put an aggravated offense. We're going to tie some things to the DUI,' said Weaver. 'I can't bring your child back, or your loved one back, or I can't solve your injury today. But one thing I can do is I can take on tomorrow.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana lawmakers are still considering education bills on charter schools, DEI and more
Today marks the deadline for bills to make it out of their Indiana House or Senate committees, but some bills that would change Indiana's education policies are already making their way through the legislative process. Other bills that received a large outcry at the beginning of the session — like HB 1136 and HB 1501 — and threatened to drastically change the Indianapolis Public Schools district appear to be dead this session. However, lawmakers can always add language to bills still moving through the process. Here is a look at some of the prominent bills dealing with education topics still moving through the legislature. Lead author: Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger What it does: The bill would require all traditional public school districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools, to share property tax revenue with charter schools in their attendance boundaries, if 100 or more kids leave the traditional district for charter schools. Status: The bill passed out of the Senate tax and fiscal policy committee by a 10-4 vote on Feb. 11. It now heads to the full Senate. More on SB 518: 'Gutting our community': Lawmakers advance bill that could close 20 schools, IPS says Lead author: Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport What it does: The bill would allow public schools to hire or bring in on a volunteer basis religious chaplains, with an eye toward alleviating the burden on school counselors. Status: Passed the Senate on Feb. 11 by a 32-16 vote. More on SB 523: Indiana lawmakers revive bill to allow public schools to hire chaplains as councilors Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis What it does: The bill aims to loosen restrictions for Indiana schools and education systems, including by nixing the education credential requirement for the Indiana secretary of education, changing the timing of when teachers are paid and removing certain training and professional development requirements. Status: Passed the House by a 75-16 vote on Feb. 3. It now heads to the Senate. Lead author: Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland What it does: This is virtually the same bill lawmakers passed in 2022, which banned transgender girls from participating in girls' K-12 sports. This year's bill extends that ban to collegiate athletics. Status: The bill passed the House education committee 12-1 on Feb. 12 and has been sent to the full House. More on HB 1401: Indiana House committee OKs transgender college sports ban - with some Democrat support Lead authors: Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville What it does: This bill bans all state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — from trainings to diverse hiring initiatives — at state agencies, educational institutions and health profession licensing boards. Status: The contents of this bill were amended into a different bill, Senate Bill 289, on the Senate floor on Feb. 4. That bill then passed the Senate on Feb. 6 by a 34-13 vote. More on DEI efforts: This anti-DEI bill is not law yet. State-funded colleges are ending programs already anyway Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis What it does: The bill prohibits a public school from expelling or suspending a student because they are chronically absent or habitually truant and expands the number of days for a school to hold an attendance conference about a student's absences from five days to 10. It also requires the Department of Education to establish best practices for student discipline on chronic absenteeism. Status: Passed the House unanimously on Jan 30. A bill that similarly addresses absenteeism, Senate Bill 482, passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 4. Lead Author: Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne What it does: The bill restricts government entities, including school districts and the Indiana Department of Child Services, from intruding on parental rights or keeping information from parents, unless there is a compelling governmental interest. Status: Passed the Senate by a 44-5 vote on Jan. 27. It now heads to the House. Lead Author: Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville What it does: The bill would require candidates running in school board elections to start including party identifications next to their names on the ballots. Status: It passed the Senate elections committee on Feb. 10 on a 6-3 vote. It's now waiting on a third reading in the Senate. A similar bill in the House, HB 1230, was passed out of the House committee and is waiting on a second reading. More on SB 287: HSE, Carmel school board races were already political. This bill would add party affiliation Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: These bills on Indiana's public education system are still moving
