Latest news with #SenateBill1
Indianapolis Star
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away
Indiana's GOP supermajorities are taking a hands-on approach to higher education. From ending diversity efforts to cracking down on tenure and making syllabi postings mandatory, conservatives are seizing more control on public universities and colleges that receive state funding. The latest move is to eliminate lesser-used degree programs. Leaders inserted language into the state budget that targets programs when the average number of students who graduate over the immediately preceding three years is fewer than: The educational institution can seek an exception from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The mandated contraction raises a lot of questions. Yes, it could be better for the budget of the institution and therefore the state budget but isn't part of government's role to fund items for the public good? Public higher education is still a business and I'm concerned that customers — i.e. Hoosier students — will go elsewhere to get what they need. Is that what Indiana wants? Jacob Stewart: IU program cuts, anti-woke policies harm conservatives on campus An initial review by higher education officials identified a stunning 408 programs to be eliminated, suspended or merged. That's nearly 20% of the degree offerings in the state. Among those being terminated: A recent Newsweek article said Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Braun has called for more practical degrees that lead students into jobs, but the alterations to Hoosier higher education also come at a time when colleges across the country are coming under increasing scrutiny over funding and the programs they offer. I have to admit, I'm torn on this one. I think I would feel better about the move if the idea was actually vetted publicly during the legislative session instead of, once again, inserting it into a bill with only a few days left and no advance notice. This type of move isn't good for building trust in the legislative process and automatically puts people off. Ohio, for example, appears to have an almost identical measure — which means it's being pushed nationally. Senate Bill 1 in Ohio requires public universities to eliminate undergraduate degree programs that graduate fewer than five students a year over a three-year period. On one hand, if only a handful of students are pursuing the degrees, it seems to make financial sense to assess whether these programs are worth the cost. But I also think students should be able to pick the degrees they want if they are spending tens of thousands of dollars on it. This move also makes it harder for students to customize their educational paths to their interests. West Lafayette Democratic Rep. Chris Campbell said when she received her master's in audiology at Purdue it was a relatively small program. 'But the size of the program didn't matter. It was offered because students were interested, and even though the discipline is small, audiologists provide essential services,' she said. Opinion: Purdue, IU abandon student newspapers, diminishing campus voices 'This is an overreach of government into higher education, echoing a dangerous national trend. The majority isn't outright controlling students' education, but they're restricting it, which achieves the same goal. Students should be able to study whatever they choose, especially since they're paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. Programs impacted include economics, secondary education, finance and three engineering disciplines. I was especially shocked to see special education degrees on the list.' Workforce shortages have turned into a major thorn for state leaders, and this move is clearly a way to push students into specific industries and sectors that business and state leaders want to emphasize to fill open jobs in Indiana. But nothing will cause burnout and transiency in employment more than not loving what you do. And if the degree options aren't here, young Hoosiers will go elsewhere.
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Hobart mayor, residents debate merits of data centers; city has two pending requests
A cordial crowd of about 200 people voiced concerns and asked questions to Hobart Mayor Josh Huddleston Monday about the impact data centers would have on nearby residential neighborhoods. The city has two pending requests from developers proposing data centers at 61st Avenue and Colorado Street. Data center growth, fueled by the rise of artificial intelligence, streaming and social media, is touching communities across the country as concerns mount about power and water usage. Housed in typically nondescript brick buildings, they contain rows and rows of servers that enable the daily 'click' activities people rely on for work, fun and storage of medical and financial data. Huddleston provided a lengthy background lesson on what he's learned about data centers, including a recent visit he made with city council members to Loudoun County, Virginia, known as the U.S. data center capital, with about 200 centers in use. The development proposals come at a time when cities like Hobart and school districts are struggling to pay employees and continue services after state lawmakers slashed property taxes earlier this year. 'If we don't do something, we'll be laying off police and fire,' Huddleston said of the property tax reform measure known as Senate Bill 1. Hobart could lose more than $3 million in 2028. He said the city is already having trouble staffing a fire station. Some residents who live near the proposed development area weren't convinced of the doom scenario. A handful of residents wore red T-shirts with '61st Avenue No Data Center' on them. 'The environmental concerns are still unknown,' said Carla Houck. 'We didn't know about lead or asbestos… Put it somewhere where we can mitigate those concerns.' Huddleston said data centers are coming to Northwest Indiana because of its proximity to Chicago and the availability of high-tension electrical power lines and water. He said the 61st Avenue site has high-tension power lines nearby. He said the proposed data centers mesh with the city's master plan requirements. 'I can play offense or I can play defense… I can try to have something with the least impact to residents, and I live in this community as well. I would never purposely lead us down a path that I feel would be detrimental to our community,' Huddleston said. He said it's difficult to reach a consensus on new developments since residents who live nearby, whether it's a senior living complex, a school, or an orchard, often voice objections. 'Business parks work next to residential; Hobart is apparently the exclusion to that. I go to other places and they work,' he said, showing a slide of a large Crown Point subdivision adjacent to a warehouse. 'If done carefully, you can make it work,' Huddleston said. Jennifer Williams, who lives in Amber Creek at 61st and Colorado, still thinks it's a bad idea. '61st Avenue has a legacy. How will a data center or anything else draw anyone down to our lakefront?' she asked. 'Why don't you come to us and ask what we want? I'm from the outside and I can't wait to get out,' she said. Resident Helen Engstrom thanked Huddleston for the meeting, saying she didn't object to a data center in the city, but stressed 61st Avenue has become a residential area. She also mentioned neighboring communities, including Valparaiso and Chesterton, which rejected data center development. 'What do they know that we don't?' she asked. 'I just think we have to keep that area the way it is.' Terry Butler, a former Hobart School Board member who lives near the proposal in Deep River Estates, said he's not sure about the location for the data center, but he does know Hobart schools are scrambling to make ends meet. 'Senate Bill 1 is a back breaker,' he said. The school board has agreed to open its enrollment beyond its borders and has renewed its property tax referendum to keep its buses afloat. 'They're still running short.' Because it's located in a tax increment finance zone, the school district wouldn't gain tax money from it, Huddleston said. He didn't know how much the infusion of taxes would mean to the city, estimating it at $2 to $5 million. Neither data center has gained city approval yet, although the City Council did approve the rezone of a 168-acre parcel proposed by Hobart Devco LLC. It plans to build a six-building complex for its servers. Hobart Devco said it would build a landscape berm and fence to shield the data center from its neighbors. While the rezone gained approval earlier this year, the city still needs to approve site plans, which have not been submitted yet, according to Huddleston. Meanwhile, Wylie Capital, a real estate developer that builds data centers, is seeking a rezone for 400 acres on 61st Avenue, east of Colorado and north of 69th Avenue. The rezone petition, from R-3 to M-1, will be heard at the Plan Commission's Aug. 7 meeting.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County councilman outlines ways to buffer impact of Indiana's property tax changes
Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer proposed Tuesday eliminating 1% of the county's income tax by 2028 as the county braces for the impact of the state's changes to the property tax system. Senate Enrolled Act 1 was a property tax bill that will save two-thirds of taxpayers up to $300 on their 2026 property tax bill while local governments will lose $1.4 billion through 2028. Gov. Mike Braun signed the bill into law April 15 and called it a 'historic' plan to reduce property taxes for most Hoosier homeowners while limiting future tax hikes and making the tax system fairer and more transparent. The county will feel the fiscal impact of Senate Bill 1 in the 2028 budget year, Niemeyer said, as the county is projected to lose $30 million by 2028 and $50 million by 2030. Niemeyer, R-7th, said he reviewed the proposal with local elected officials and Lake County Finance Director Scott Schmal. Senate Bill 1 will eliminate the property tax replacement credit by Dec. 31, 2027, change the business personal property tax structure, eliminate the current local income tax expenditure rate by Dec. 31, 2027, and adopt annual local income tax rates after Dec. 31, 2030, Niemeyer said. The Lake County local income tax was adopted in 2013, and the state legislature mandated that the county use 1% of the local income tax for property tax relief, 0.25% for community economic development and 0.25% for public safety. The new property tax law removes the requirements, Niemeyer said. To achieve a 1% tax cut, Niemeyer said every department and service has to be modernized, every revenue source has to be used to move the county away from relying on property taxes levy and income taxes, and each spending request 'must be justified for the provision of the essential county government services.' 'We have more than enough, even cutting 1% of the LIT after 2027, to fund this government and to move it forward in a productive fashion,' Niemeyer said. 'I suspect that over the next decade we're going to continue to see the system of funding of local government move away from property tax levies and move more toward user fees, income taxes, sales taxes and the like. This is a great start for us to go in that direction.' When Niemeyer ran for the First Congressional District in 2024, he said he visited all three counties and he could 'count on one hand' the number of people who wanted to talk to him about property taxes. 'The narrative that local government is somehow hoarding cash and ripping off taxpayers is simply false,' Niemeyer said. 'Nonetheless, we are presented with a tax reform package that creates multiple challenges for local government.' As the council, the county's fiscal body, approaches the 2026 and 2027 budget years, Niemeyer proposed that the council conduct a detailed examination of all revenue sources and statutes to then determine which general fund expenditures could be shifted to non-levy funds. The council should use 2025 budgets as the baseline for 2026, Niemeyer said, with any raises or office reorganizations offset by fiscal cuts. The council should also look for possible reorganization or staff reduction in all departments as the Oracle system comes online, he said. To address staffing, Niemeyer said the council should look for instances where contractors and employees are doing the same or similar work. He'd also like the council to review all positions being paid supplemental pay from the general fund and miscellaneous funds, and to move those positions out of the general fund where possible and eliminate supplemental pay. Further, Niemeyer would like the council to meet the first Tuesday in September for a 'budget building day' in place of the common practice of budget presentations. The only department heads that would have to attend would be those who request an increase in their budget, he said. As the county addresses the 2028 budget, Niemeyer would like the county to eliminate 1% of its local income tax used to provide the expiring property tax replacement credit. With the remaining 0.5% of the local income tax, the county should allocate those funds for public safety to be distributed to townships for EMS and fire protection, he said. By the 2028 budget, the county can also consider adopting a local income tax based on county government needs, Niemeyer said. 'This year is an important year to set some new budget fundamentals that will help to guide us through these next three years,' Niemeyer said. 'These are just ideas. Everybody is free to agree, disagree. I did this work as a way just to … get this process moving.' Council President Christine Cid, D-5th, said she appreciated the hard work Niemeyer put into the outline. The council has asked department heads to stay within their 2025 budget as they prepare their 2026 budget, Cid said. Cid said she would support eliminating the 1% income tax 'to lessen the burden on our community who would pay these additional taxes, not receive property tax relief, and the increase of the cost of living in today's economic environment.' 'But, in order to eliminate the 1% income tax which currently offers property tax relief, the county would need to continue to collect property taxes,' Cid said. Councilman Ted Bilski, D-6th, said the council received Niemeyer's proposal ahead of the meeting, so he would review it closely in the coming days. But Bilski said he appreciated the hard work that Niemeyer put into the proposal. 'We're facing tough times. We have to do due diligence. Everything has to be considered,' Bilski said. The council also voted unanimously to approve an increase in the county's allowance for veteran's grave markers. Before the vote, the board voted to amend the ordinance to include a 2-year deadline, from the time of the veteran's death, to receive the allowance. The county's current burial allowance for a deceased veteran is $150, which would increase to $225 under the ordinance. The county's current burial allowance for the deceased veteran's spouse is $100, which would increase to $150 under the ordinance. The ordinance also increases the grave marker allowance for a veteran and the veteran's spouse from $60 to $90.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
West Porter fire protection funding to remain stagnant with new state budget
The West Porter Township Fire Protection District Board was told by its municipal advisor Cender Dalton Monday evening to expect its funding stream to remain stagnant in the wake of passage of Senate Bill 1 this spring. 'I would advise you that revenues would remain stagnant,' said Cender Dalton Senior Associate Daniel Dalton during a brief report. 'There's a lot of moving parts, but this is not a fire and brimstone conversation.' Dalton explained that there isn't a clear answer as to what the impact of SB1 will be on the district until the end of 2028. The supplemental deduction will increase as the standard deduction goes down. Formally being called a new, non-refundable homestead tax credit capped at $300, the tax break will affect the district since most of it is residential property. Board President Craig Klauer said tax revenue remaining stagnant would affect the district 'hugely.' Board Secretary Rob Rabelhofer said one area of concern is the district's aging fleet of equipment. The district has tried to be conservative on replacing items as efforts to form a fire territory complicate issues of investment and ownership. 'My personal thought is we're just trying to maintain our standard of service,' Rabelhofer said. Dalton said the levy growth quotient, which is the maximum levy the district is allowed to ask for from the state, is capped at a 4% increase for 2026, a 1% increase for 2027, and a 2% increase for 2028. Board Treasurer Guy Kosmoski asked if there was talk about how the state would make up the loss of revenue from the tax credits. Rabelhofer said local governments would be left to raise the Local Income Tax (LIT) to fill the shortfall. Some in Porter County government, namely Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, are saying that a LIT increase is indeed necessary. 'We're at the mercy of whatever the county gets,' Rabelhofer said. The board plans to address the Porter County Council at its August meeting. In other business, Klauer said Board Attorney Adam Sworden advised the board it was exempt from a new state law requiring live streaming of public meetings as of July 1. Regarding efforts to form a fire protection territory, Rabelhofer said, 'There's no update right now. We're still in talks.' The next board meeting is Monday, Oct. 6.
Chicago Tribune
30-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana schools ready for bevy of new education laws
Dozens of new laws that impact education in Indiana, from sex education to teacher pay, become effective Tuesday. State lawmakers spent three months, from January to April in Indianapolis, crafting the bills that Gov. Mike Braun would eventually sign into law. The GOP-dominated legislature focused closely on education, from establishing a new K-12 grading system to creating new rules for teaching sex education. According to Gary Teachers Union president GlenEva Dunham, there are 87 new laws relating to education. 'It's crazy. I'm going to try to have a lawmaker come in and explain it all at our next union meeting,' Dunham said. Most Indiana K-12 leaders are focused on the fallout from a tax reform measure, Senate Bill 1, that provides property tax relief to taxpayers, but slashes revenue for schools and local governments. The taxpayer relief at the expense of local governments was part of Braun's 'do more with less' mantra. Braun, a businessman, argued that local governments and school districts could find efficiencies to help them trim costs. The law also calls for school districts to share referendum revenue with charter schools attended by students in their district beginning in 2028. It would impact about 30 districts and hit the Gary Community School Corp. hard since more than half its eligible students attend charters. The tax relief law is estimated to cost districts about $744.4 million, per a legislative estimate. The measure also limits referendums to the fall ballot only. That's already had an impact as the Duneland School Board voted last week to shift the renewal of its $71.2 million operating referendum from May 2026 to the Nov. 4 ballot to ensure funding is available next year. 'The impact of SEA 1 will be news for a while as public entities come up with ways to keep quality services intact, as per the expectations of many constituents,' said Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco. In the state budget, the legislature also provided schools with 2% additional money or about $640 million. Braun and GOP lawmakers continued to expand the state's voucher system, dropping income limits and making it a universal 'school choice' program funded by taxpayers. Here's a look at other new laws: The bill drew controversy and plenty of testimony. In the end, the law ushers in party politics into school board races for the first time. The law allows a candidate to declare a party or disregard the party tag and run as a nonpartisan candidate. The federal Hatch Act limits political activities for federal employees and opponents said it prevents them from running for a school board because the contests are partisan. Dormant since 2018, letter grades return next year with a new framework to assess performance. The State Board of Education has until the end of the year to finalize new rules, but it's likely to add IREAD literacy scores, student attendance and chronic absenteeism to the third grade assessment. Schools in grades 4-8 could be evaluated on ILEARN proficiency in math and English, attendance data and advanced courses. High schools in grades 9-12 could be graded on measures that dovetail with the state's new diploma standards just approved by the state board in December. Within the 200-page bill is a provision that caps the percentage of teachers eligible for Teacher Appreciation Grants at 20%. Veracco said it's problematic in a time when salary increases will likely be small and won't keep pace with inflation. Dunham said it creates a 'divide and conquer' system as some teachers could receive a $7,500 stipend for high performance while other teachers would not receive anything. 'It's selective and subjective, we argued against it,' said Dunham, who also heads the Indiana Federation of Teachers. State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, said previously 90% of teachers are considered effective or highly effective and presently could receive grants between $250 and $600. The new system would mean about 54,000 won't receive the stipend. It increases the minimum salary from $40,000 to $45,000. It also increases the amount of tuition support required from 62% to 65%. Just 44 districts had minimum salaries over $45,000 last year. It requires the State Board of Education to establish chronic absenteeism guidelines and create a list of best practices to reduce student discipline. Chronic absenteeism was defined as missing at least 10% of school for any reason. It allows county prosecutors to hold 'intervention meetings' with parents before any legal action is taken. Teachers will be required to show 'age-appropriate' students a three-minute ultrasound video tracking fetal development and a computer-generated look at fertilization and development. Teachers will also discuss the importance of consent in sexual relations. Parental consent forms must say if the class will be taught by gender or in a unified setting, as well as the teacher's sex. Schools will be required to provide early intervention for K-8 students at-risk of not meeting grade level proficiency. It calls for schools to give a screening test for K-2 students for targeted support. The wide-ranging bill from House Education chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, takes aim at current education law. He said its purpose is to lighten the load of regulations off school districts. One of those regulations halts state guidelines for teacher preparation to include training on social-emotional learning, cultural competency and restorative justice. Right-learning groups have opposed the concept saying those values could conflict with what students learn at home. Opponents said the training helped reduce suspensions and behavioral incidents. Republicans said the bill doesn't ban the practice, it just makes it no longer a requirement. The bill also discards the education requirement so the governor could appoint a Secretary of Education with no education experience. Added, was the removal of a 2018 requirement for high schools to offer a semester-long elective ethics course.
