Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner and Gov. Mike Braun support the move meant to reinforce state and local control in education. But experts worry about the effects on students.
Lawmakers need to pass a budget and bills affecting property taxes and education before the end of the legislative session in April.
A bill moving forward in the statehouse would give Indiana school board candidates the option to declare a political party.
The accounts pay for high schoolers to learn about everything from aviation to HVAC directly from local employers. But it’s not easy to get basic information about the program.
The proposed state budget increases funding for virtual schools, but appears to undercount the number of online students who come from low-income backgrounds. Fixing that apparent error could increase virtual school spending still further.
Disability rights groups have raised the alarm about a lawsuit over gender dysphoria, saying it could end longstanding protections in schools and health settings.
Indiana Learns gave families grants to pay for tutoring, but its future was uncertain after federal funding ran out.
House lawmakers have passed their proposed budget, which includes $9.6 billion in tuition support dollars that fund public schools and the private school voucher program.
A House bill would require new guidelines for teacher prep programs, and mandate that schools offer interventions to students struggling in math, among other changes.
Lawmakers discussed and in some cases advanced bills about sex ed, DEI, restrictions on history lessons, and chaplains in schools.