Indiana Lawmakers Expand Educational Opportunities, Increase Funding for Student-Centered Policies

Statement from Patricia Levesque, ExcelinEd in Action Executive Director, on the Indiana Legislature’s passage of a student-centered education budget.

“Indiana has consistently been a national leader in providing students and families with educational opportunity. The General Assembly has reconfirmed this decades-long commitment by expanding public and private school options to meet the unique learning needs of more Hoosier students.

“In addition, this budget prioritizes key investments—especially broadband infrastructure and computer science courses that prepare students with skills needed for today’s job market—to set Indiana’s students on a path to success in the classroom and beyond.

“ExcelinEd in Action appreciates the support of Indiana leaders – including Governor Eric Holcomb, Speaker Todd Huston and Senate Pro Tem Rod Bray – as well as the incredible leadership from the Institute for Quality Education for their commitment to improving education for all students.”

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Highlights of the biennial education budget include:

• Private School Choice: Budget increases allow more students to participate in the successful School Scholarship Tax Credit Program and Choice Scholarship voucher.
  • The budget broadens income eligibility for the Choice Scholarship from 200% of free and reduced lunch (FRL) to 300% beginning in the 2021-22 school year. Estimates show that roughly 75% of students statewide would meet the program’s income requirements.
  • The bill also establishes the state’s first education scholarship account program for students with special needs with a family income of up to 300% FRL.
  • By increasing the tax-credit scholarship funding to $17.5 million this fiscal year—and by an additional $1 million the following year—more students will have access to educational options that meet their needs.
• Public Charter Schools: The two-year budget proposal makes public charter school funding more equitable by raising per-student funding by $250 this fiscal year and an additional $250 the following year. Total spending for public charter schools is $36.7 million in FY 21 and $47.5 million in FY 22. This increase in funding could meet more than 30% of charter schools’ facility needs across the state according to ExcelinEd’s charter facility funding index.
• Broadband: To help bridge the digital divide, the General Assembly approved $250 million in broadband infrastructure grants, in conjunction with House Bill 1449, that prioritizes school buildings and students’ homes.
• Education Funding: Additional tuition support for K-12 public schools, as well as $150 million in student learning recovery grants, will help the schools serve students in mitigating and recovering from learning loss. Tuition support will be increased to $7.86 billion (4.6% increase) in FY 21 and $8.20 billion (4.3% increase) in FY 22, for a total of $1.03 billion new dollars over the biennium.
• Computer Science: The budget maintains Next Level Computer Science funding at $3 million per year to award grants for teacher professional development programs in computer science.

The General Assembly also recently sent the following bills to Governor Eric Holcomb for his signature:

• Senate Bill 358, authored by Senator Linda Rogers, improves accessibility to unused school buildings for public charter schools.
• House Bill 1438, authored by Representative Tony Cook, expands course options for students and requires the creation of a civics course to be offered in the state’s online course access program.

For more information on the power of transformational educational policies, visit ExcelinEd’s policy library.