Education Overview"All students should have the opportunity for a quality education. This is best achieved by adequately funding traditional public schools. Tax payer dollars should not be transferred to private schools or charter schools via voucher programs. Current legislative policies have made this goal difficult and has resulted in a shortage of teachers. Respect for the profession must be a major component of the solution."
-John Hurley |
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Indiana Public Education
Public Education is vital to the future of our state. Indiana is one of only a handful of states that solely funds each school district’s education account from the state level via sales tax revenue. Local property taxes do not support in-classroom expenses, including teacher salaries. Unfortunately, in the 2019 long legislative session, the Republican-controlled Indiana Legislature provided zero additional dollars or decreased funding to 60 Indiana school districts. Three school corporations in Indiana House District 75 faired particularly badly. Pike County Schools was cut over $200,000, South Spencer no new money for 2020, and Warrick County was funded at less than inflation. All this while vouchers will receive over $185 million per year by 2021. Instead of pilfering away our tax dollars on voucher schemes and unaccountable charter schools, we must fully support our traditional public schools. As we await the answers from the Governor’s Teacher Pay Commission, District 75 needs a legislator who will:
- Implement a Rural Schools Grant to assist school districts with declining populations
- Place a moratorium on new charter schools
- Begin a phase out of the failed voucher program
- Actually, allow educators to lead policy decisions
- Return more control to local elected school boards
