Latest news with #HouseBill1002
Axios
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Indiana Statehouse: Where key education bills ended
The last days of the legislative session are a sprint where dozens of bills are passed, sometimes with substantive, never-before-seen additions, making it hard to keep track of everything that happens in those final 48 hours. Zoom in: Here are five key K-12 education issues Indiana lawmakers tackled. 📚 Ethnic studies course requirement Indiana high schools will no longer have to offer an ethnic studies course. Driving the news: The requirement, in place since 2017, was repealed as part of a last-minute change to House Bill 1002, an education deregulation bill. Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Martinsville, said the ethnic studies elective was removed at the request of the Indiana Department of Education to comply with federal prohibitions on "race-based discrimination." What they're saying:"They're concerned about losing $1 billion that comes to Indiana for education," Raatz said. "We cannot forgo that." A spokesperson for Indiana's education department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. The other side: Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, who helped author the 2017 legislation that created the ethnic studies course requirement, was incensed by the last-minute change and said he was not told about it. Taylor said the mandate, which just required schools to offer the course, did not require teaching about any particular ethnic group. Context: According to department materials, the course "provides a framework to broaden students' perspectives concerning historical and contemporary lived experiences and cultural practices of ethnic and racial groups in the United States." Academic standards for the course included learning about historical and contemporary contributions of racial or ethnic groups, cultural practices, the histories and origins of various ethnic and racial groups and cultural self- awareness. One of the standards reads: "Students evaluate how society's responses to different social identities lead to access and/or barriers for ethnic and racial groups in relation to various societal institutions, including but not limited to education, healthcare, government and industry." 🗳️ Partisan school boards State lawmakers narrowly voted to make Indiana's school board elections partisan. State of play: House and Senate Republicans were divided on how best to establish partisan school boards. The Senate wanted to move school boards, which had been nonpartisan, to the same primary process as other elected offices. Meanwhile, the House passed a version of the bill that allowed candidates to indicate a party affiliation (or abstain) on the general election ballot. Between the lines: The issue split the Republican supermajority. On the final day of the legislative session, the Senate voted to accept the House version — but just barely. Senate Bill 287 passed 26-24. Several expressed concerns that the move will turn people away from running during a time when some communities already have trouble finding enough school board candidates. 🏫 The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance A nine-person board tasked with conducting an assessment of all public school buildings in the Indianapolis Public Schools district boundaries will be created. While the language was stripped from Senate Bill 373 in the final days of the legislative session, it was added late Thursday to House Bill 1515. How it works: Mayor Joe Hogsett and Superintendent Aleesia Johnson are on the board and they get four and two appointments to it, respectively. The IPS board president gets an appointment, too. Called the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, the group must hold its first meeting before July 1. By the end of the year, it must develop a plan for how to manage all facilities within those boundaries — those belonging to IPS and charter schools — under a new governing body and provide transportation to them. Recommendations should include a governance structure for a collaborative school system and school consolidation. 📝 A-F grades for school accountability They're baaaaaack. Why it matters: Besides the deja vu this will give veteran educators, the A-F grade labels will be applied to schools statewide starting next year. What's new: These aren't (exactly) the same letter grades. The state board of education is encouraged to consider factors beyond state standardized test scores. Between the lines: The over-reliance on those test scores was one of the criticisms of the earlier iterations of school letter grades. The other side: Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, said he was concerned about going back to an accountability system that labeled some schools as "failing." 🤑 Universal vouchers It looked like Republicans' plan to expand the state's private school voucher system to all Hoosier families was in trouble when the revenue forecast revised down projections for the next two years by $2 billion. Yes, but: Where there's a will, there's a way. The budget bill delays the expansion for a year, but removes the family income cap starting in the 2026-27 school year. It's estimated that it'll cost the state an additional $94 million. What they're saying:"We are providing all parents with a choice," said House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, an advocate of universal vouchers. The other side: Critics questioned why Indiana was opting to pay for private school tuition for the wealthiest Hoosiers when the budget is so tight that the state cut access to child care subsidies and pre-kindergarten vouchers for low-income families. Those programs had been available to families living at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, but that was cut to 135% in the budget.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers nix ethnic studies classes in final hours of session after Trump administration threat
Just before 9 p.m. on the last night of Indiana's legislative session, a massive bill intended to deregulate the state's education system narrowly passed the Senate, with some new language that the public had never provided testimony on. The amended House Bill 1002 was released hours before the vote, removing a 2017 requirement for high schools to offer an optional racial or ethnic studies course. One of the bill's co-sponsors, Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, said the amendment came from a request from the Trump administration, which has threatened to revoke education funding from states thought to be promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in schools. The administration sent a Feb. 14 letter to all states' education secretaries that said schools needed to provide an environment free from discrimination to keep receiving vital financial support. Currently, Indiana receives a bit under $2 billion in federal funding for education. The feds' missive cited discrimination against white students and said teaching "that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not" propagates stigma. The contentious legislation, which was criticized by both Democrats and Republican, moved forward by a margin of two votes in the Senate - one of the closest votes this session. It passed the House by a 61-25 vote earlier that day. Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, was infuriated by the last-minute change. "This is bull crap," said Young, who doesn't caucus with Republicans. "You've got a 116 page bill. You've got 30 minutes to read it. We should have more time than that." Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, pointed out that the letter didn't reference racial or ethnic studies curricula, and that it warned of a potential, not certain, loss of funding. "There are a lot of qualifiers in there that would make me seek legal opinion before taking action," Hunley said. Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that federal judges in New Hampshire, Maryland and Washington, D.C. blocked the federal government from following through on the funding cuts threatened in the February letter. More: Republican lawmakers split over massive education deregulation bill. What the bill does Even before the last-minute changes, lawmakers had voiced frustration that the book-length bill's broad scope makes it difficult to explain to constituents. Among more than 65 additions to Indiana's legal code, the legislation cuts teacher training requirements, allows schools to charge parents for curricular materials, and removes the requirement for the state's secretary of education to have a background in education or to have lived in Indiana for more than two years prior to being appointed. Supporters, meanwhile, said the bill would streamline Indiana's educational code and offer school districts more flexibility. If the law passes, students could see classes such as African Studies, Comparative Religions and Ethnic Literature disappear from their course catalogs. Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, wrote the 2017 bill that the new law will nullify. He told colleagues on Thursday night that there's never been a requirement to take the ethnic studies classes — only for schools to offer them. "There are many ethnicities out in this audience today," Taylor said. "And you're going to tell me that we are not brave enough to hold pat on an elective course for kids because the federal government says, 'We could cut your funding?'" There was no opportunity for public comment on the version of the bill that now awaits Gov. Mike Braun's signature. The Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawmakers nix ethnic studies classes after Trump administration threat
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Lawmakers nix ethnic studies classes in final hours of session after Trump administration threat
Just before 9 p.m. on the last night of Indiana's legislative session, a massive bill intended to deregulate the state's education system narrowly passed the Senate, with some new language that the public had never provided testimony on. The amended House Bill 1002 was released hours before the vote, removing a 2017 requirement for high schools to offer an optional racial or ethnic studies course. One of the bill's co-sponsors, Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, said the amendment came from a request from the Trump administration, which has threatened to revoke education funding from states thought to be promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in schools. The administration sent a Feb. 14 letter to all states' education secretaries that said schools needed to provide an environment free from discrimination to keep receiving vital financial support. Currently, Indiana receives a bit under $2 billion in federal funding for education. The feds' missive cited discrimination against white students and said teaching "that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not" propagates stigma. The contentious legislation, which was criticized by both Democrats and Republican, moved forward by a margin of two votes in the Senate - one of the closest votes this session. It passed the House by a 61-25 vote earlier that day. Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, was infuriated by the last-minute change. "This is bull crap," said Young, who doesn't caucus with Republicans. "You've got a 116 page bill. You've got 30 minutes to read it. We should have more time than that." Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, pointed out that the letter didn't reference racial or ethnic studies curricula, and that it warned of a potential, not certain, loss of funding. "There are a lot of qualifiers in there that would make me seek legal opinion before taking action," Hunley said. Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that federal judges in New Hampshire, Maryland and Washington, D.C. blocked the federal government from following through on the funding cuts threatened in the February letter. Even before the last-minute changes, lawmakers had voiced frustration that the book-length bill's broad scope makes it difficult to explain to constituents. Among more than 65 additions to Indiana's legal code, the legislation cuts teacher training requirements, allows schools to charge parents for curricular materials, and removes the requirement for the state's secretary of education to have a background in education or to have lived in Indiana for more than two years prior to being appointed. Supporters, meanwhile, said the bill would streamline Indiana's educational code and offer school districts more flexibility. If the law passes, students could see classes such as African Studies, Comparative Religions and Ethnic Literature disappear from their course catalogs. Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, wrote the 2017 bill that the new law will nullify. He told colleagues on Thursday night that there's never been a requirement to take the ethnic studies classes — only for schools to offer them. "There are many ethnicities out in this audience today," Taylor said. "And you're going to tell me that we are not brave enough to hold pat on an elective course for kids because the federal government says, 'We could cut your funding?'" There was no opportunity for public comment on the version of the bill that now awaits Gov. Mike Braun's signature. The Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana education deregulation bill sparks social-emotional learning debate in final Senate vote
Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, chats with colleagues in the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Tensions flared Tuesday in the Indiana Senate as conversations around an education deregulation bill devolved into a debate over social-emotional learning, or SEL. In focus was House Bill 1002, a Republican-backed measure that despite its length — 165 pages in the latest draft — would strike multiple sections of current state education code, trimming about 35,000 words in all. Examples include the removal of dozens of 'may' provisions, eliminating specific COVID-19 pandemic requirements and striking duplicate code. Republican bill author Rep. Bob Behning estimated that the cuts would reduce state education regulations by nearly 10%. Teachers should be focusing on academic rigor, math, science, reading, writing and technical skills, instead of emotional regulation, empathy. – Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville There was bipartisan concern, however, about the bill's deletion of existing requirements for teachers to complete training in SEL trauma-informed care and cultural competency. The bill would remove 'social, emotional, and behavioral functioning' evaluations from school psychologists' list of responsibilities. School improvement plans also would no longer be required to incorporate 'culturally appropriate strategies for increasing education opportunities' for certain student populations at the school, including different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. SEL, in particular, has been targeted by Republican lawmakers in recent legislative sessions and criticized by conservative groups that say such practices are akin to liberal ideology and should not be permitted in schools. GOP supporters said the newest proposed rollbacks are in response to federal guidance. A recent U.S. Department of Education letter, for example, said considerations based on race in educational settings is 'unlawful.' 'Teachers should be focusing on academic rigor, math, science, reading, writing and technical skills, instead of emotional regulation, empathy,' said Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. 'Teachers are not therapists, nor should they be treated as such. Trained, licensed mental health professionals are better equipped to handle the social emotional aspects of student life.' Republican senators who voted against House Bill 1002: Sen. Ron Alting, of Lafayette Sen. Vaneta Becker, of Evansville Sen. Mike Bohacek, of Michiana Shores Sen. Sue Glick, of LaGrange Sen. Jean Leising, of Oldenburg Sen. Jim Tomes, of Wadesville Sen. Mike Young, of Indianapolis Sen. Andy Zay, of Huntington But his colleague, Republican Sen. Ron Alting, of Lafayette, disagreed. He emphasized that 'the best counseling I've had in my whole life was from my teachers and my coaches.' 'If it wasn't for my coaches and my teachers in my life to keep me straight, to keep me going, I'm not sure where I'd be today. I sure wouldn't be here, I can tell you that,' he said. 'Those of you saying teachers aren't qualified … these kids need help … these kids need someone to love them,' Alting continued, becoming more passionate. 'I will leave the room if I hear another senator in this place say that a teacher or coach is not qualified to talk to our kids, or that these kids don't need to be talked to because they do.' Across the aisle, Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, pointed to oppositional testimony provided by teachers. 'They thought that removing this requirement was going to be a bad thing for their classrooms,' he said. 'I hear, by and large, from a lot of parents and teachers is that behaviors are the problem in the classroom, and that we need help. … Proponents of the bill say this is something that the parents should be taking care of at home … and that teachers aren't therapists or social workers.' 'Ask a teacher, if they have a kid in their classroom that is having meltdown after meltdown after meltdown, disrupting the classroom, consistently jeopardizing the education of everybody else in the classroom … I can guarantee you that teacher is going to say, 'Yes, SEL is probably going to be something that is going to provide some assistance to those students in those classrooms,' Pol noted. Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford, of Indianapolis, doubled down that SEL 'applies skills to manage emotions, build relationships and make responsible decisions.' 'I have seen this first hand with some of the students that I have been in with schools. Instead of a student striking another student, the educators were able to talk with the students and explain that we need to use our words, as opposed to striking another student. That's social emotional learning,' Ford maintained. 'That is a life skill that a student is going to need for the rest of their life.' More than an hour of debate left Raatz on the defensive. 'I agree … we need counselors in the classrooms and social workers to help with the social-emotional needs of the children. There's no two ways about it. What I disagree with is that we mandate, from this building, that there's a certain percentage of your time that you have to counsel,' Raatz said in his final remarks. 'The sheer thought that we're pulling things out that's going to hurt kids — I take offense. … We're talking about kids' lives and interaction between individuals. And the more the state gets involved, the more troubles we have.' The bill advanced from the Senate chamber in a 31-18 vote. Democrats — along with eight Republicans — opposed the legislation, which now returns to the House for final deliberations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislation could bring improvements to local school corporations
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — An amendment authored by State Senator Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) has been added to a bill that would allow Vigo County to transfer funding to the Vigo County School Corporation to help meet the district's needs. According to a press release, Amendment 33 to House Bill 1002 would create a local oversight board to ensure transparency and accountability in managing county resources for potential school improvements. 'The legislation comes after months of work with local leaders in Terre Haute to bring interested parties together to help make much-needed improvements in our school district,' said Sen. Goode. Greg Goode hosts free speech event with Rich Lowry The press release goes on to say the oversight board would be made up of members appointed by local government offices as well as the business community. 'These leaders understand what the Wabash Valley needs to be successful for decades to come, and I thank them for working with me on this legislation,' Goode said. House Bill 1002 will now move to the Senate Committee on Appropriation for further consideration. Sen. Goode said this bill is similar to Senate Bill 382, which was authored by himself and Senator Darly Schmitt (R-Jasper) and passed the Senate earlier this year. Senate Bill 382 'provides that, if a county transfers or gifts any unencumbered funds to a school corporation, the county executive may establish a local board to have oversight and manage the use of the funds. Provides that the expenses of the local board shall be paid by the county,' according to the Indiana General Assembly. Terre Haute Symphony's long-time conductor honored by Senate Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
