Patricia Levesque Congratulates Indiana for Increasing Charter Funding to All Public School Children 

“Today, Hoosier lawmakers took meaningful action to increase funding for Indiana’s public charters schools and expand services for more than 49,000 students.  

“The gap between funding for charter students and those in traditional public schools has been inequitable for far too long. This legislation levels the playing field, providing charter schools with the necessary resources to invest in their students and educators alike.  

“We are grateful to Sens. Linda Rogers, Jeff Raatz and Brian Buchanan and Reps. Robert Behning, Jake Teshka and Michelle Davis for their commitment to reforming the funding mechanism for public education and delivering solutions so every Indiana student has high-quality options and the resources they need for a first-class education.”  

About House Bill 1001 and Senate Bill 391: 

• Ensures that every non-virtual charter school receives more per-student funding.   
• Provides that revenue from school operating, safety referendums and property tax increases are shared with public charter schools in St. Joseph, Marion, Lake and Vanderburgh counties.  

• Provides access to grants for charters to be used on capital and facility expenses. 
• Extends Indiana charter schools’ authorization for up to 15 years. 
• Authorizes the state board of education to advance funds to charter schools that can be used for school building construction and educational technology programs.