HANCOCK COUNTY — Indiana school corporations are set to receive full funding for the next school year regardless of how many of their students attend virtual school, if a bill recently passed by the state House of Representatives becomes law.
House Bill 1003 would fully fund all K-12 public schools for the 2020-21 school year, addressing concerns from school leaders who feared losing a chunk of money because of a provision in state law that ties state support to the amount of at-home learning occurring in a district.
Typically, school corporations receive less funding for pupils who are educated virtually at least 50% of the time. The amount they can receive for those students is capped at 85% of the district’s typical per-pupil funding. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, schools stood to miss out on millions of dollars of per-pupil funding because of the number of families that have opted for virtual schooling.
HB 1003 would change that, not distinguishing between virtual and in-person students for the purpose of the upcoming year’s funding.
The bill is in line with what local educators say they were hoping to see from this year’s legislative session.
“At minimum, we hope for level funding,” Eastern Hancock Superintendent David Pfaff said. “We hope that tuition support is not cut, and we don’t believe it will be.”
Pfaff added that while he knows the legislature is in a tough spot, since the state’s economy has been adversely affected by the pandemic, more money will ultimately need to be allocated to school corporations if they are to address the frequently raised issue of teacher pay.
Wes Anderson, director of school and community relations for Southern Hancock schools, said he is still hoping for an increase in school funding this year but is aware it might not be forthcoming as the budget is written.
“This is a really challenging economic environment in our state,” Anderson said.
Greenfield-Central Superintendent Harold Olin said that given the status of the state economy, he was pleasantly surprised that the change was likely to pass.
HB 1003 has drawn strong support from local legislators. Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, is one of many legislators who signed on to coauthor the bill and is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which initially approved it.
“More than half of the state’s biennial budget goes toward K-12 education, and funding our schools remains a top priority,” Cherry said. “This year is no different. Indiana schools and educators deserve support, and this legislation will help ensure they receive the funding they need after a difficult year.”
The legislation passed the House of Representatives last week nearly unanimously, with 93 members voting yes and only two voting no. It will now advance to the Senate for approval. With popular support for the proposal, legislators said they expect that it will pass. A similar bill has already been approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
“This proposal is quickly working its way through the legislative process,” said Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, whose district includes part of southern Hancock County. “We know Indiana schools deserve to be fully funded after working hard to educate our students during the pandemic.”
Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, said Indiana teachers have done a good job with the difficult task of adapting to teaching students both in person and online.
“Looking ahead, educators can now rest assured that they can continue operating at the same funding level this school year whether class is held in person or virtually,” said Jeter, who represents northwestern Hancock County.
Schools worry about voucher bill
As in every session, there are many other bills that would affect education winding their way through the legislative process. Pfaff said he is concerned about a number of bills this session that aim to expand the state’s educational voucher program. More funding for vouchers would take money away from public schools, he said. When fewer students attend public schools, the schools correspondingly receive less per-pupil funding.
One of the bills aiming to expand vouchers is also authored by Cherry. The bill would remove the requirement that parents who qualify for the program because of low household income must have previously attended public school or live in the attendance area of a school corporation assigned a failing grade by the state Department of Education.
Cherry said he wants to make school choice available to more students, including those whose parents have been homeschooling them or paying for private school. His bill, House Bill 1093, has been referred to the House Education Committee.
Jack Parker, superintendent of Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation, said the corporation is happy to see the governor and the legislature prioritizing school funding. However, he said, more money for vouchers detracts from that goal.
“It is clear through standardized assessment scores that public schools are unmatched in providing the best learning for children in the state of Indiana,” Parker said in an email. “…Diverting funding from public schools will not help us close the gap in funding our state has created in the last decade.”
Olin also said he was disappointed that voucher expansion was on the legislative agenda this year. Since 90% of students in Indiana are served by public schools, he said, more funding for private education should not a priority. He said Hancock County superintendents regularly meet with the county’s representatives in the legislature and have made their stance on the issue clear to them.
“I just don’t think taxpayer dollars should be paying for that,” he said.