Partisan school board bill passes out of Indiana Senate, heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk
The Senate voted 26-24 on Thursday to give final legislative approval to Senate Bill 287, which will require school board candidates to declare a political party when running in a general election.
Bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said Thursday school boards should be partisan because school board races see lower voter turnout because voters don't know the political party of the candidates. Further, school boards are already partisan, Byrne said.
'Like it or not, this is something that voters want to know about the candidate,' Byrne said. 'Some people who are against this bill say school boards shouldn't be partisan. I don't think this bill makes them partisan, I think that they already are partisan.'
Senate Bill 287 was amended in the House Elections and Apportionment committee to reflect House Bill 1230, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which removed the primary election requirement and states that in the general election a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan.
When the bill was heard by the House, it was amended further to state that if a candidate chooses to be nonpartisan, then a blank space will appear on the ballot where party affiliation would be listed.
If the board member who leaves the board was a Republican or Democrat, then a caucus should be held to replace that member. Independent or nonpartisan candidates can be replaced by the sitting school board members, according to the bill.
Under the bill, board members would see a pay increase from $2,000 to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher working in the district.
Initially, the Senate filed a motion to dissent from the House amendments to the bill, but the dissent was rescinded Tuesday and a concurrence was filed. That allowed the bill, as amended by the House, to advance for final consideration by the Senate.
A concern with the bill, Byrne said, has been that it would trigger the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents federal employees from running in a partisan election. But, Byrne said the Hatch Act already impacts school board candidates because once a candidate includes political language on campaign literature or is endorsed by a political party then the race becomes partisan.
Further, Byrne said the House amendment allows for nonpartisan candidates to be placed on the ballot. Byrne suggested that it could help federal employees running in a school board race.
According to the Hatch Act, even if a federal employee ran as a nonpartisan candidate, if other candidates declare a party then the race becomes partisan and the federal employee couldn't run.
Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, said assuming all the school board candidates run as a nonpartisan candidate then a federal employee could run in the school board race. But, once one candidate declares a party, then a federal employee couldn't run, he said.
Bassler said the legislature should want federal employees to run for school boards because they have expertise in engineering, science, finance, management and leadership.
'I would hope that we would be begging these kinds of people to run for our school boards,' Bassler said. 'This bill does a significant disservice to our young people. We should be striving to have the best people run for school board not eliminating some of the best people from running for school board.'
Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, asked Byrne if the Hatch Act has impacted school board races under current law, and Byrne said he hadn't heard of such an impact. Brown said the Hatch Act will have a greater impact under Senate Bill 287 because it will make all school board races partisan on the ballot.
Brown said she was concerned about the loss of talented school board members if the bill becomes law. In her district, Brown said a school board member's political beliefs aren't an issue because they 'focus on the policy and how to get our K-12 kids to where they need to be to be successful citizens of the world.'
'I can't support this bill because it unnecessarily eliminates so many candidates, so many current school board members quite frankly, that we need because of the expertise to stay on these boards,' Brown said.
Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said 'wokeness' on school boards 'harms our kids,' and he pointed to student test scores as an example of the harm done.
'Do nonpartisan school board elections hurt us? Yeah, it does. We don't know who the best people are with the best philosophy,' Young said.
Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he voted against the bill because he didn't like that it removed the primary process.
Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said after the vote that she strongly opposed the bill because it 'doesn't help a single child learn to read; it won't solve the teacher shortage; it won't fix the crumbling facilities or raise wages for our bus drivers or cafeteria workers.'
'This bill directly injects politics into one place that it absolutely does not belong, and that is in our public schools. We heard the quiet part out loud. This bill is about fear of difference, fear of diversity, fear of diversity of thought, fear of challenging the status quo,' Yoder said.
Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said 'today is a sad day in the history of the state of Indiana' with the passage of the bill.
'Today, we placed politics above students, above parents and above our educational system,' Qaddoura said. 'It's extremely disappointing that today we decided to do what is politically expedient over what is courageously right.'
akukulka@chicagotribune.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
4 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: Bam Bam, the stolen support dog, reunited with his owner
Good morning, Chicago. Bam Bam is home. The 14-year-old dachshund captured hearts and minds around the globe after he'd been reported stolen in June from Angel Santiago, his Logan Square owner. Santiago is legally blind because of glaucoma and relies on Bam Bam as an emotional support dog. The pair were reunited Tuesday night, police said, after a man and woman dropped Bam Bam off at the CPD 16th District station. Officers said the dog appeared in good health. Detectives are still investigating the theft, and no one is in custody. Santiago told us that he thanked God for being reunited with his beloved Bam Bam. 'I prayed every day and night,' he said. Read the full story from the Tribune's William Tong. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including which suburb has put a moratorium on new business licenses, how Clarendon Hills is celebrating the village's Little League team and our picks for what to do this weekend. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Calling nearly $10 million in penalties that state election officials issued against Illinois Senate President Don Harmon for exceeding campaign contribution limits 'ridiculous and unconstitutional,' an attorney for the Oak Park Democrat argued yesterday the longtime legislator did not violate the political fundraising law he helped write. Regional transportation officials may transfer $74 million from Metra and Pace to the CTA in an attempt to delay catastrophic cuts to Chicago's transit system. Regional Transportation Authority board members will vote on the measure today, which the oversight body said would help delay catastrophic cuts to the CTA early next year while all three transit agencies hope lawmakers will come to their rescue with more state funding. Oberweis Dairy is opening its first new ice cream store since it was bought out of bankruptcy last summer by a Winnetka-based private equity firm. The location? The North Shore hometown of its new owners, the Hoffmann Family of Companies. Will County Board member Jacqueline Traynere, a Bolingbrook Democrat, allegedly accessed the email account of board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, last year without Ogalla's authorization, according to the charges. The Tinley Park Village Board voted this week to put a six-month moratorium on certain business licenses and zoning permits in an effort to align development with an upcoming comprehensive development plan. The Naperville City Council reversed course this week on how it would replace the lost income from the soon-to-be-defunct state grocery tax, abandoning plans to increase the city's home rule tax in favor of a local 1% grocery tax. Ben Johnson isn't sure yet how long Bears starters will play in the preseason finale tomorrow in Kansas City, but it's unlikely to be for very long. It will be interesting to see how many players at the top of the depth chart on defense are in action as injuries have started to pile up. Fortunately, most are not considered serious and many of the players could be back soon. Clarendon Hills is hosting a parade and downtown celebration tomorrow to celebrate the village's Little League Baseball team, which recently made its first appearance in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Peter Orner keeps a small writing studio inside an old hotel on the Connecticut River, where Vermont meets New Hampshire. Across the river is Dartmouth College, where he teaches, and he's never been comfortable with its Ivy League comforts. His studio is a retreat. His window looks out on the red-bricked rear of a restaurant, where staff take smoke breaks. He misses home, he misses Chicago. Imagine a 1995 novel about a scrappy young lawyer whose clients are suing a health insurance company that refused to pay for a life-saving treatment, resulting in their son's death. Now imagine that novel is adapted into a TV series that decides to eliminate the health insurance angle altogether, writes Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz. Beautiful things will happen this weekend, as Benson Boone packs the United Center. Maybe even something mystical magical. Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.
The Hill
4 minutes ago
- The Hill
US and EU frame the ongoing deal between the trading partners and solidify some commitments
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and the European Union on Thursday issued a joint statement that frames the ongoing deal between the trading partners and solidifies some trade commitments. 'This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship — one of the largest in the world — on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies' reindustrialization,' the document reads. Together, the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. Key points in the letter include a 15% U.S. tariff rate on most European goods, with specifics on auto tariffs tied to EU legislative actions. In addition, the EU agrees to eliminate tariffs on industrial goods and many agricultural products, while the U.S. will reduce tariffs accordingly. The agreement also covers $750 billion in energy purchases and $600 billion in EU investments by 2028. The agreement also addresses non-tariff barriers, digital trade and environmental regulations. In July, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland and announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump's threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. Before the Republican U.S. president returned to office for his second term, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with about $2 trillion, around 1.7 trillion euros, in annual trade.
The Hill
4 minutes ago
- The Hill
The Millennium Challenge Corporation advances US interests — don't kill it
The future is unclear for a key, 20-year-old U.S. government initiative advancing American interests around the world and blunting Chinese and Russian influence. The Millennium Challenge Corporation changed the way development assistance was done. It has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since its launch by President George W. Bush in 2004. It was a year after he created the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has saved more than 26 million people over the past two decades, especially on the African continent. Both are perfect examples of American soft power at its best. But whereas the AIDS relief program has largely been spared recent budget cutting after some hiccups, the Millennium Challenge Corporation's future is less clear. Its board meets this week to decide whether to terminate more than half of its portfolio of compacts and smaller threshold programs in various stages of development or implementation. These programs are in Africa and Asia, strategically important regions of the world in which China and Russia would be happy to take our place. The board should consider the impact of possible cuts to our country's reputation as a reliable partner and whether such a reduction would actually benefit U.S. economic, national security and diplomatic interests. Although all government programs should be regularly reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness, it seems shortsighted to drastically reduce the footprint of an agency that has been successfully implementing its mandate to the benefit of U.S. interests. Congress has historically supported the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a model for development and a safeguard for our national security, and its funding level in the House fiscal 2026 appropriations bill demonstrates that support. The Millennium Challenge Corporation aims to reduce poverty through economic growth and exemplifies how the generosity of the American people can really make a difference overseas in ways that advance U.S. national interests while driving development. The program has expanded access to electricity in Benin and Georgia so that children can study after dark and hospitals can properly store vaccines. It has created the infrastructure to deliver clean water to homes and businesses in Cape Verde and Mongolia. And it has built or improved roads, airports, ports and bridges in many countries so that people can get to school or work — and efficiently deliver their goods to markets. In Africa, the program has educated more than 255,500 students, contributed more than 26 million megawatt-hours of electricity, guaranteed over 305,000 households and businesses have legal rights and protections over their land, and improved production for over 70,600 farmers. The Millennium Challenge Corporation has funded 82 agreements in 49 countries since 2004, benefiting nearly 400 million people. Twenty-five of these countries are in Africa, and these investments have benefited an estimated 154 million Africans. And it has done all this in financially sound ways. Moreover, this kind of assistance opens doors for the United States, including for American companies seeking to do business in and with these countries. The Millennium Challenge Corporation took a groundbreaking approach to foreign assistance, requiring that countries qualify based on rigorous third-party indicators measuring democratic governance, investment in health and education, and economic freedom. Countries that don't meet these criteria aren't eligible for compacts, which are binding agreements developed in partnership with qualifying countries with rigorous monitoring. As with the Bush-era AIDS program, the Millennium Challenge Corporation's focus on Africa is well placed. By 2050, more than 25 percent of the world's population will live there. By 2030, more than 40 percent of the world's young people will be African. Already, more than half of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, along with 65 percent of the world's arable land and about 30 percent of the world's mineral reserves. The Millennium Challenge Corporation engenders tremendous goodwill among the populations of recipient countries and helps counter efforts by Russia and China to insert themselves at the expense of U.S. interests. Whether through cultural engagement programs and educational opportunities, infrastructure investments or military interference, Beijing and Moscow seek to expand their influence in the region while at the same time spreading anti-Western propaganda and taking advantage of disenfranchised or struggling populations to export their authoritarian brand of governance. This is a risk for the African population, global security and American interests. Without this program, the picture would look much worse. It empowers its partners, championing country ownership of its development projects rather than holding them hostage to burdensome loan terms, like China does. It creates jobs, rather than taking them from the local population. Ut requires transparency and accountability for every dollar spent, as opposed to the shady, corrupt deals China and Russia seek. There must be accountability both from partner countries and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The compact countries must maintain their performance on the indicators and implement the compact transparently. Meanwhile, they Millennium Challenge Corporation measures economic rates of return on its investments and rigorously evaluates every program for effectiveness and results. The Millennium Challenge Corporation demands democratic governance, investment in people, and policies supporting economic freedom from its partners so they can escape poverty and build strong economies, rather than undercutting democracy and saddling its partners with debt. At the same time, it creates opportunities for private investment and develops trade and economic partners. A drastic reduction in its work could leave unfinished projects that China would sweep in and complete — and claim credit for. The Millennium Challenge Corporation uses foreign assistance dollars responsibly to lift people out of poverty while strengthening U.S. diplomatic ties and economic partnerships — all while fostering a positive view of America among both citizens and governments. Its board should keep this in mind this week. Monica Vegas Kladakis is senior advisor for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships at the George W. Bush Institute and previously served as managing director for Threshold Programs at MCC. David J. Kramer is executive director the George W. Bush Institute.
