Statehouse Express: Season 5, Episode 1

Tune into season five of the Statehouse Express, the podcast of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association. Each week, INPEA leaders update on the previous week in the Indiana General Assembly and forecast the coming week. Get caught up on what's happening at the Statehouse in 10 minutes or less! 

Transcript

Statehouse Express: Season 5, Episode 1

Hi I’m John Elcesser, Executive Director here at INPEA, and welcome back to Season 5 of the Statehouse Express!  And yes, it’s that time again! Legislators from around the State reconvened at the Statehouse on January 8th for what is referred to as a short session because it is not a budget year. Not being a budget year means that no bills will be passed that have a cost associated with them (at least a cost not already in last year’s budget).

With that said, it doesn’t mean necessarily that it’s going to a quiet year. There will be plenty of bills filed and we’ll be watching closely for any impact on non-public schools. We are currently tracking about 50 bills. 

Every year we have to be play defense and this year will be no different. There are already bills that are raising red flags. The House Education Committee held its first meeting on January 10th and Senate Education Committee met for the first time last week. Because it’s a short session, things move quickly!

As you would expect, there will be lots of attention on literacy, work force development, absenteeism and a sundry of other topics.

On January 10th the House Ed heard four bills:

• HB1001 is a cleanup bill on last year’s CSA bill (HEA 1002). It passed out of committee 9-4. It now goes to Ways and Means
• HB 1002 which merited many hours of testimony dealt with adopting a definition of antisemitism. It passed 12-0 and since has passed out of the full House unanimously.
• HB 1042 added some funding sources for transition to teaching scholarships. It passed out of both House Ed and Ways means and now heads to the house floor. 
• HB 1243 had to tabled until the following week.

Last week 9 bills were heard across the two committees. 

• HB 1233 expanded the definition of eligible schools for Robotics Grants eligibility to include state board approved third party accredited schools.
• HB 1243 a kitchen sink bill provided some additional guidance on the design of the new high school diploma among many other things but was again held for further committee amendments.
• HB 1380 another kitchen sink bill included the birthdate eligibility change for the SGO and ESA to align with last year’s change for the voucher program. It also included language that addressed a feeder school issue up in NW Indiana. It passed out of committee on party lines 7-4.
• A major bill (SB1) in Senate Ed dealt with Reading requirements related to the low passage rates on IREAD 3. This is a priority bill for IDOE, the Senate and House, and the Governor. The bill currently includes many new requirements that apply also to state accredited and choice schools and so far we have not had much success in pushing back on these new regulations. It includes things like:
  • Required use of a universal screener as well as DOE having a preferred screener.
  • Requires IREAD for second graders
  • Requires summer school for some students
  • Provides Nonpublic school access to summer school funding
  • Adds additional requirements for schools with an IREAD pass rate below 70%. They include requirements on curriculum and the employment of a literacy coach.
  • It also proposes phased in requirements regarding retention for not passing IREAD by third grade (after 3 attempts) with tightened exemptions. Although, there was an additional exemption added if a student is proficient on  ILEARN Math

We really encourage elementary schools to familiarize themselves with their the bill and to reach out to their elected representatives with comment and feedback,

Another bill that has drawn significant attention is Senator Ryan Mishler’s SB 255. This bill would sundown the choice scholarship program and replace it another ESA type program. This bill was heard last week with limited testimony, and there was no vote taken on it. He was just planting the seed. Senator Mishler has said he will bring it back next year during a budget year. We continue to study the proposal and will be engaging schools in this conversation and encourage your advocacy around the bill prior to next session.

It can go without saying that advocacy and your engagement this session will again be critical! WE will NEED you! So appoint your legislative liaison and set your public policy goals. Be ready for when INPEA legislative alerts are sent out!

In our last mailing you received a link to this year’s advocacy video. PLEASE show it to your boards and other stakeholder groups. We’ll need everyone’s help this year and as we look to 2025! 

So until next week’s episode of the Statehouse Express. Be well and God bless!