Blog & Statehouse Notes
This space serves as vital resource for those who are dedicated to preserving and enhancing public education in Indiana. Through insightful articles, updates, and analysis, ICPE provides timely information on legislative actions, policy changes, and advocacy efforts impacting Indiana’s public education system. We strive to empower stakeholders with the knowledge and tools necessary to support and defend public education.
Will ESAs help our most vulnerable students?
Kristina Frey is an attorney who works as a juvenile public defender in Marion County. She testified on HB 1001 at the School Funding Subcommittee meeting on 3/25/21 specifically on ESAs and voucher expansion. She shared how these provsions can and will affect her...
Call to action – Speak up now before it’s too late
If the proposed Education Scholarsip Accounts (ESAs) are included in the state budget bill, they will be the proverbial "camel's nose under the tent." Like voucher programs, ESA programs start out small and then grow exponentially, costing millions in taxpayer dollars...
Vic’s Statehouse Notes #355
Dear Friends, The Senate budget proposal was announced on April 8th. The Senate budget put more money into the K-12 budget than did the House plan in the second year of the budget. In the second year (FY 2023), the House increase was 2.4% and the Senate increase was...
Every Indiana public school is losing money because of vouchers
Every Indiana public school is losing money because of vouchers. Even if no students leave your school district to use a voucher, even if you don’t have any voucher-accepting schools in your small or rural school district, your school district still loses money due to...
Joel Hand testimony & video on HB 1001 K-12 Funding Subcommittee
Thank you to our amazing lobbyist Joel Hand! He testified before the School Funding Subcommittee last week on March 25, 2021. He and almost 60 other speakers endured a 6-hour marathon meeting that lasted past 10pm. After he spoke, Joel was questioned by Senator Raatz...
Vic’s Statehouse Notes #354 Voucher expansion & ESAs are rolled into budget bill
Dear Friends, They put ESA’s in the House budget. Now ESA’s have to be kept out of the Senate budget! ESA’s, the radical plan to give taxpayer money directly to home school parents – with no accountability, no check on extremists and no criminal background checks--...
Proposed CTE cuts are gender biased and an attack on urban students
I have contacted my legislators and asked them to oppose cutting funding for Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs that are classified as "less than moderate" because they are considered lower in pay and low in demand. There are flaws with how the value of...
Vic’s Statehouse Notes #353 – The camel’s nose
Dear Friends, Milton Friedman, the famous economist who passed away in 2006, wanted to end public schools and get the government out of education. He proposed to just give tax money directly to parents to let them pay for their child’s education from vendors or...
Indiana’s Choice: “a must watch”
Indiana’s Choice is a just-released documentary demonstrating how school choice policies in Indiana segregate students and discriminate against both students and faculty. All of us owe a huge thanks to the documentary producers: Alan Backler, David Gudaitis, Larry...
Celebrate Public Schools Week!
Public Schools Week is this week! Public schools nationwide have been faced with incredible challenges in the last year and had to balance so many competing needs involved in educating our children. Help us celebrate our Indiana public schools by showing appreciation...
Southeastern Indiana School Study Council Superintendents reject attack on public education
The members of the Southeastern Indiana School Study Council represent twenty-three (23) school corporations and one (1) career center across southeastern Indiana. "We strongly oppose House Bill 1005, Senate Bill 412 and Senate Bill 413. We ask you to vote no on these...
The value of public education
"Public education is taking a back seat in our state and I find that a troubling development." From the blog: Larry In Fishers. It's particularly timely to see these comments during Public Schools Week. Larry Lannan is the local media in Fishers, IN. He covers almost...
Not a member? Donate and join today!
Questions? Contact us at info@indianacoalitionforpubliced.org