SB 403: Charter school requirements

ICPE has consistently called for a moratorium on diverting public funds into private hands. Private voucher schools and public, privately-run charter schools lack the same transparency and accountability for our tax dollars as traditional public schools. In addition, private schools do not have to accept all children which is the mission of public schools. Public means all. 

However, ICPE has also held that if a school is going to take public funding, at minimum, it should have to have the same rules for transparency and accountability. This bill is a good starting place for this requirement. 

We thank Senators Greg Taylor  and Linda Rogers for this step in the right direction. Taxpayers deserve the same  fiscal accountability and transparency for charters as they get with traditional public schools.

We ask that our legislators take it further by: 

• Incorporating language from SB 320, which would include transparency and accountability of public dollars in voucher schools too. 
• Adding language that would require charter schools to post their annual budget on the school website and hold a local annual budget hearing for the public to see how their tax dollars are being spent. 

TAKE ACTION

Please contact the Senate Education and Career Development Committee and tell them this is a good bill but could be better if the two bullet points above are added.

Senate Education and Career Development Committee Members

Sen. Jeff Raatz, Chair (R) District 27 – Email: s27@iga.in.gov 
Sen. Greg Goode, Ranking Member (R) District 38 – Email: s38@iga.in.gov
Sen. Brian Buchanan (R) District 7 – Email: s7@iga.in.gov
Sen. Gary Byrne (R) District 47 – Email: s47@iga.in.gov
Sen. Spencer Deery (R ) District 23 – Email: s23@iga.in.gov
Sen. Stacey Donato (R ) District 18 – Email: s18@iga.in.gov
Sen. Tyler Johnson (R ) District 14 – Email: s14@iga.in.gov
Sen. Linda Rogers (R ) District 11 – Email: s11@iga.in.gov
Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R) District 48 – Email: s48@iga.in.gov
Sen. J.D. Ford, Ranking Minority Member (D) District 29 – Email: s29@iga.in.gov
Sen. Andrea Hunley (D) District 46 – Email: s46@iga.in.gov
Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D) District 30 – Email: s30@iga.in.gov
Sen. Shelli Yoder (D ) District 40 – Email: s40@iga.in.gov

To email all at once, copy and paste the addresses into the “To” field of your email.

s27@iga.in.gov
s38@iga.in.gov
s7@iga.in.gov
s47@iga.in.gov
s23@iga.in.gov
s18@iga.in.gov
s14@iga.in.gov
s11@iga.in.gov
s48@iga.in.gov
s29@iga.in.gov
s46@iga.in.gov
s30@iga.in.gov
s40@iga.in.gov