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Indianapolis Star
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
New Indiana IREAD law sparks parent concern as student retention set to rise
Parents are stressed, and kids are coming home crying. These are the emotions more families say they're experiencing this summer because of a new law that will likely mean more third graders are kept from progressing to the fourth grade. The law that is affecting this year's rising fourth graders will hold back students who do not pass the state's standardized early literacy test, or IREAD, by the end of the third grade and don't meet one of the mandated exemptions. Some parents were left confused this summer as their second- or third-graders were told they have to go to summer school to improve their reading due to the new law; others think holding them back will do more harm than good. One parent who spoke to IndyStar said that their rising third grader is dealing with stress and anxiety over passing the test, especially while trying to get the proper help for their severe dyslexia. 'I don't know how, for an 8 or 9-year-old, that you tell them they're not good at reading and then make them do the year all over when it's already been a struggle for them, and then what, just tell them to try harder at school?' one parent told IndyStar. 'It's just putting kids in a bad education situation for the rest of their lives,' said the parent, who asked not to be named to protect their child's privacy. However, lawmakers like Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, who supported the bill, say this is a necessary step to help young readers continue to grow in school. 'We must recognize we do kids a much bigger disservice when our schools advance students who are not ready to move on in their studies,' Bray told IndyStar. 'Kids learn to read and then read to learn, so ensuring our Hoosier students are prepared for their next level of education is absolutely critical.' Educational experts often cite third grade as a pivotal point in a student's life, where, if foundational reading skills aren't mastered, it could lead them to be academically behind for the rest of their lives. Final scores for this year's IREAD results won't be released until August, but schools are already anticipating the need to adjust staffing and classroom sizes as more students are held back. Indiana schools have historically had the authority to hold students back if they don't feel that they're ready to advance, but the state has been increasingly promoting students over the past decade, according to state data. According to the Indiana Department of Education's third-grade literacy data, in 2012, the state promoted just 4.7% of its third graders who didn't pass IREAD, but in 2023, that had grown to 17% being promoted. This trend also follows national data, where from 2000-2016, retention rates have been dropping. Wayne Township schools for the 2023-24 school year saw about 65% of its third graders pass IREAD, the third-worst proficiency rate among Marion County's 11 school districts. However, in the 2022-23 school year, they allowed 29% of third graders who didn't pass IREAD to continue to the fourth grade. Under the law passed last year, if a student meets one of these exemptions, they can move on to fourth grade: Some English language learning students will also get an exemption from being retained, at least for the next two school years. This year, House Bill 1499 was passed, which allows schools whose third-grade population is comprised of at least 50% English language learners can register those students as exempt from retention if they are unable to pass IREAD. However, this exemption will only last until the start of the 2027-28 school year. This could impact an estimated 550 third-grade English language learners across 25 public schools in Indiana, according to the bill's fiscal note. For this upcoming school year, Wayne Township anticipates needing additional third-grade class sections at two of its 11 elementary schools. 'All students who don't pass IREAD this summer will participate in targeted instruction and intervention next year,' said Jeannine Templeman, Wayne Township's chief communications officer. Indianapolis Public Schools saw the lowest IREAD proficiency rates among Marion County's districts in 2024 at 59%. However, IPS Communications Director Alpha Garrett told IndyStar that they are not concerned about overcrowding in its third grade classrooms for the upcoming school year. Garrett said they are concerned about how IREAD has become more 'high-stakes' in nature and what kind of impact it will have on students' and staff's experiences. One IPS parent whose son did not pass IREAD in second grade told IndyStar she felt misled because of the school's emphasis on getting students to pass it before being held back is required. 'They made it seem like it was mandatory that they pass in the second grade, when really they're testing them on things that aren't even in his grade level yet,' the IPS parent said, who is not being named over concerns that their child would be bullied. 'They made it seem so scary, and didn't explain it well enough that it would be OK if he didn't pass this year.' The IPS parent's son has been getting extra help in summer school this year, but continues to feel anxious about what this test will mean for him heading into third grade. Garrett said that students who are retained in third grade will be placed with a teacher state evaluations show is a "highly effective" educator. Mandatory summer school for third graders who don't pass IREAD was also included in the legislation that requires retention, along with two other chances to pass the test before fourth grade. However, for the next two years, the state will be working with less money for summer school as the budget for 2025-27 allocated around $17.4 million for both years, which is around a $918,000 annual decrease from the 2023-25 budget. In total, Hoosier students now have five chances to pass the test throughout the second and third grades. If students pass IREAD in the second grade, they do not have to retake it. The Indiana Department of Education said schools will be given priority reimbursement for summer school based on how many second- and third-grade students they're serving. Republican leadership in the House and Senate also point to the $170 million from the Lilly Endowment given to the state in 2022 to specifically help with early literacy, as well as a new $100 million allocated to the state department under the 'Freedom and Opportunity in Education Fund' for the 2025-27 budget. Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said during the session that some of the $100 million could go toward summer learning. But there is competition for that money, since Jenner also plans to use it for expanding ILEARN checkpoint testing, teacher recruitment efforts, student data tracking efforts and literacy training for teachers, among other things. The Indy Summer Learning Labs is another tool more schools across the state are using for summer learning, with now over 140 sites across the state serving over 12,000 students. The learning labs support five weeks of free or low-cost summer school during June and July for rising students in first through ninth grades. The labs dedicate the morning hours of the day to learning math and English language arts, and the afternoon is open for extracurricular activities. Liberty Grove Schools at Elder Diggs School 42, an IPS innovation charter school, is one of those learning lab sites this year. The labs are supported by funding from the state's Learning Recovery Grants and are run by the Mind Trust. The Indianapolis-based education organization is typically known for its work around curating charter schools, but it also provides the curriculum and other financial support for lab sites. Liberty Grove founder, Morrise Harbour, wishes they could invite all 250 of their K-6 students to summer school, but they could only afford to offer it to 75. 'We have to offer as many opportunities to our students as possible," Harbour told IndyStar. "Now, they don't have to be mandated to come, but what we're saying is 'if we can afford for you to come, then come.'' Harbour said additional staffing to support retained students may be needed, but they won't know until IREAD results are finalized. This summer, they had 17 third graders retaking IREAD and therefore had to attend the mandatory summer schooling, but 19 other third graders chose to join them at the summer learning lab. Since Liberty Grove Schools opened on the west side in the 2022-23 school year, they've been able to raise their IREAD scores from 29.3% proficient in 2023 to 41% in 2024. The school says they've been using the "science of reading" practices in the curriculum since the start, so adjusting to the retention law has been easier for them than maybe other schools. Every school in the state was required to adopt an early literacy curriculum that supports the science of reading from the state-approved list for the 2024-25 school year. The science of reading is a body of research that focuses on how brains learn to read, with a heavy emphasis on phonics and phonemic awareness, along with teaching fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Harbour thinks that, along with more money, more time to get districts adjusted to the law would help schools like his that serve predominantly low-income students. For the 2024-25 school year, all of Liberty Grove's students qualified for free and reduced lunch. 'Any change of this magnitude where it almost seems like it's all or nothing, in a lot of ways, it takes time,' Harbour said. 'So, obviously, just some time for schools to adjust.' While the state will see more third graders being held back starting this year, Indiana overall has seen growth in its reading proficiency rates in recent years. Overall, statewide IREAD proficiency rates have been steadily increasing since scores dropped in 2021, which is a different story than the 10 years prior, which saw scores steadily declining since the test was first administered in 2013. Last year's scores showed that 82.5% of third graders were reading at grade level, which is still far off from pre-COVID levels of 87.3%. Indiana's fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the "nation's report card," also showed good results, with Indiana's average score improving for the first time since 2015. Indiana ranks sixth in the nation in fourth-grade reading proficiency. Some Indianapolis parents are even taking the chance to become trained in the kind of curriculum that educators are using to teach reading to young students. Elisah Smith is a parent to a rising fourth grader in Warren Township and also participated in the RISE Indy Freedom Readers program, which trains parents for 16 weeks on the science of reading practices. Smith's daughter was able to pass IREAD, in part she says, because the teachers at her Warren Township elementary school were transparent about the specifics around the test. "I think the more transparent you are with parents, the less stress it is for the kiddos, and letting the kiddos know that this is their opportunity to take it, but there will also be other opportunities, too, if you don't pass it," Smith told IndyStar. Smith plans to volunteer in Warren Township to help other young readers once the school year begins. Advice that she would give other parents who have a child struggling to read is to seek help. "Don't be afraid, and don't keep that a secret," Smith said. "There are literacy programs out there and we are not here to judge the parent. We are here to make sure that the student is successful."
Indianapolis Star
02-07-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana cigarette tax just tripled. How much are tobacco taxes now?
Indiana's cigarette tax tripled on July 1. Indiana lawmakers earlier this year approved an increase in the state's tobacco taxes to help plug a $2 billion budget shortfall. Gov. Mike Braun signed off on raising the cigarette tax by $2 a pack and the 200% bump went into effect. The state's cigarette taxes rose from about $1 to $3 a pack. Taxes on other tobacco products, such as cigars and e-cigarettes, also increased. Legislative leaders, when unveiling the tax increase in the final days of the session, said they expect it to raise roughly $800 million over the two-year budget cycle, helping fund the state's Medicaid costs. "Along with revenue comes a really pretty good public policy that was going to help persuade people to either not start smoking or stop smoking at the same time," Indiana Sen. Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said in April. With the tax increasing in Indiana from just under $1 a pack to nearly $3 a pack, the Hoosier State now has the 12th highest state cigarette tax in the country and a higher rate than any of the states that touch its borders. According to advocacy groups like the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids prices per pack are:
Indianapolis Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's cigarette tax will triple on July 1. Businesses say Hoosiers will spend money elsewhere
When Indiana lawmakers earlier this year approved an increase in the state's tobacco taxes to help plug a $2 billion budget shortfall, they did so at the objection of hundreds of businesses across the state. The 200% tax bump, which goes into effect on July 1, worried convenience store owners who warned state lawmakers in April that increases could hurt the state and local economies. 'Raising the cigarette tax will not reduce smoking but will drive consumers across state lines to purchase cigarettes at lower prices, which negatively impacts sales of responsible small Indiana business owners,' store owners wrote in a letter provided to IndyStar. Advocacy groups, such as the American Cancer Society and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, have long supported an increase in the tobacco tax to encourage Hoosiers to avoid or quit smoking and bring in additional state revenue. The measure been proposed by the Indiana House in the past, but efforts have fallen short in the Senate. Not in 2025. Indiana lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun signed off on raising the cigarette tax by $2 a pack, which takes the state's cigarette taxes from around $1 to $3 a pack. Taxes on other tobacco products, such as cigars and e-cigarettes, will also rise. Legislative leaders, when unveiling the tax increase in the final days of the session, said they expect it to raise roughly $800 million over the two-year budget cycle, helping fund the state's Medicaid costs. "Along with revenue comes a really pretty good public policy that was going to help persuade people to either not start smoking or stop smoking at the same time," Indiana Sen. Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said in April. But some convenience store owners say the tax increases could lead to illegal distribution of tobacco products and drive customers out of state, which would hurt state revenues and local businesses. A 200% tax increase is also not reflective of the current economy, Scott Hackleman, the chief operating officer of Herdrich Petroleum, wrote in a late-April letter to Indiana lawmakers. Herdrich operates 20 QuickPix convenience stores, including four in Richmond at Indiana's border with Ohio. 'While the intent behind this increase may be well-meaning,' Hackleman wrote. 'It places a disproportionate financial burden on a small group of adult consumers, many of whom are already facing significant cost-of-living increases across the board.' When Indiana's tax on cigarettes rises from just under $1 a pack to nearly $3 a pack on July 1, the Hoosier State will have the 12th highest state cigarette tax in the country and a higher rate than any of the states that touch its borders. The taxes per pack of cigarettes for Indiana and its neighboring states starting July 1 are as follows, according to advocacy groups like the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: Joe Lackey, the president of the Indiana Grocery and Convenience Store Association, said he believes the tax jump puts Indiana in a place to actually lose revenue as Hoosiers look to neighboring states to buy tobacco products. Residents from states like Illinois, who saw significantly higher cigarette taxes before Indiana's increase, may no longer see an incentive to drive to Indiana to purchase cigarettes. What's in Indiana's state budget?: Here are the biggest winners and losers 'We were the cheapest state and the surrounding states were much higher,' Lackey said. 'We were selling a lot of tobacco out of Indiana, and that meant that we were collecting a lot of taxes for the state of Indiana that was not coming from Hoosiers.' Lackey said the state may see a revenue bump in June as Hoosiers make their last purchases at the current tax rate. But he worries that businesses may close or cut jobs in the months once the tax bump takes effect. 'We anticipate this is going to be a very devastating tax,' he said. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
Indianapolis Star
23-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana state budget deal: Cigarette taxes go up, public health funding goes down
Show Caption Indiana lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun have reached a deal on the two-year state budget that's slimmer than what they began with ― but boosted by a $2 increase in the cigarette tax. Legislative leaders had to go back to the drawing board last week after the latest revenue forecast showed a $2 billion drop in expected revenue over the course of the upcoming biennium. This new version cuts public health funding by more than half, dips a bit more into reserves, and adds new revenue from the tobacco taxes, which amount to about $800 million over the biennium. They presented the outlines of the deal in a press briefing the afternoon of April 23, but the actual budget has not yet been posted. Lawmakers will likely vote on the final budget the evening of April 24. "We used to think that when you were relatively flush with cash, that's a challenging budget to craft, and maybe harder than when you're short with cash. I'm not sure that I feel that anymore," Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said. "Trying to come up with a way to fund the budget with a $2 billion shortfall in the official forecast is, frankly, one of the more challenging things I think we've ever done." The massive difference in the April forecast compared to December stems from a number of federal policy actions, from tariffs impacting trade and the stock market to deep federal spending cuts. It also partly reflects a return to normal revenues following a period of exceedingly high revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic era. New revenue in the budget Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, said the final budget increases the cigarette tax by $2 a pack, which would take the tax from $1 to $3 a pack. He said the tax on other tobacco products will also increase "by the same percentage," which would be a tripling. The roughly $400 million per year that this will raise will go entirely to the Medicaid budget, he said. This is something that advocacy groups and the Indiana Chamber, specifically, have advocated for a long time as a way to raise revenue while discouraging people from tobacco use. The House has pitched it in the budget a few times, but the idea has usually died in the Senate. Democrats, too, have suggested it. "Along with revenue comes a really pretty good public policy that was going to help persuade people to either not start smoking or stop smoking at the same time," Bray acknowledged. "So I think everybody expects that number will decrease over time. But that's a good thing, because we think it means we have fewer smokers." What is getting cut Without seeing the specifics of the bill or its fiscal analysis yet, here are some cuts leaders described: Funding for county public health departments, which focus on preventative health care and education, will be funded at $40 million a year, down from $100 million a year. The House wanted to expand the school voucher program to be universal in this budget, and the Senate didn't. They will both get their wish: Universal vouchers will kick in during the second year only. Higher education funding will get slashed an additional 5%, as will the repair and rehabilitation budget, which pays for capital projects. They "did away with some of those" commissions who haven't met in a while and had "big cash balances." They didn't specify which ones. The new deal also dips into reserves more. While the Senate and the House budgets proposed leaving roughly 12-13% of the budget in reserves, this one will leave "a little north of 10%," Bray said. That could equate to a difference of about half a billion dollars, depending on the exact percentages. The decision to cut public health spending while at the same time expanding voucher options for the richest families is one of the largest disappointments for Democrats, Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, said. "Is that making Indiana healthy again? I think it's making us extremely vulnerable," he said. Bray said that close to half of the money counties got in 2024 went unspent, so he thinks some counties are still trying to roll out their programs. "While that's a cut I'm sure they'll be disappointed in, they're also continuing to try to build this up," he said. "We want to continue to try to invest in that." Overall, the state budget will grow 0.8% in 2026 and another 0.1% in 2027. By comparison, local governments are projected to have 1.6% increases in the first year and 5.1% in the second year.
Indianapolis Star
23-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana state budget deal: Cigarette taxes go up, public health funding goes down
Indiana lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun have reached a deal on the two-year state budget that's slimmer than what they began with ― but boosted by a $2 increase in the cigarette tax. Legislative leaders had to go back to the drawing board last week after the latest revenue forecast showed a $2 billion drop in expected revenue over the course of the upcoming biennium. This new version cuts public health funding by more than half, dips a bit more into reserves, and adds new revenue from the tobacco taxes, which amount to about $800 million over the biennium. They presented the outlines of the deal in a press briefing the afternoon of April 23, but the actual budget has not yet been posted. Lawmakers will likely vote on the final budget the evening of April 24. "We used to think that when you were relatively flush with cash, that's a challenging budget to craft, and maybe harder than when you're short with cash. I'm not sure that I feel that anymore," Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said. "Trying to come up with a way to fund the budget with a $2 billion shortfall in the official forecast is, frankly, one of the more challenging things I think we've ever done." The massive difference in the April forecast compared to December stems from a number of federal policy actions, from tariffs impacting trade and the stock market to deep federal spending cuts. It also partly reflects a return to normal revenues following a period of exceedingly high revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic era. New revenue in the budget Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, said the final budget increases the cigarette tax by $2 a pack, which would take the tax from $1 to $3 a pack. He said the tax on other tobacco products will also increase "by the same percentage," which would be a tripling. The roughly $400 million per year that this will raise will go entirely to the Medicaid budget, he said. This is something that advocacy groups and the Indiana Chamber, specifically, have advocated for a long time as a way to raise revenue while discouraging people from tobacco use. The House has pitched it in the budget a few times, but the idea has usually died in the Senate. Democrats, too, have suggested it. "Along with revenue comes a really pretty good public policy that was going to help persuade people to either not start smoking or stop smoking at the same time," Bray acknowledged. "So I think everybody expects that number will decrease over time. But that's a good thing, because we think it means we have fewer smokers." What is getting cut Without seeing the specifics of the bill or its fiscal analysis yet, here are some cuts leaders described: Funding for county public health departments, which focus on preventative health care and education, will be funded at $40 million a year, down from $100 million a year. The House wanted to expand the school voucher program to be universal in this budget, and the Senate didn't. They will both get their wish: Universal vouchers will kick in during the second year only. Higher education funding will get slashed an additional 5%, as will the repair and rehabilitation budget, which pays for capital projects. They "did away with some of those" commissions who haven't met in a while and had "big cash balances." They didn't specify which ones. The new deal also dips into reserves more. While the Senate and the House budgets proposed leaving roughly 12-13% of the budget in reserves, this one will leave "a little north of 10%," Bray said. That could equate to a difference of about half a billion dollars, depending on the exact percentages. The decision to cut public health spending while at the same time expanding voucher options for the richest families is one of the largest disappointments for Democrats, Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, said. "Is that making Indiana healthy again? I think it's making us extremely vulnerable," he said. Bray said that close to half of the money counties got in 2024 went unspent, so he thinks some counties are still trying to roll out their programs. "While that's a cut I'm sure they'll be disappointed in, they're also continuing to try to build this up," he said. "We want to continue to try to invest in that." Overall, the state budget will grow 0.8% in 2026 and another 0.1% in 2027. By comparison, local governments are projected to have 1.6% increases in the first year and 5.1% in the second year.
