Legislative leaders previewed their education priorities ahead of the upcoming session.
In addition to bills on school funding and voucher expansion, Hoosiers can expect education bills that address bullying, school counselors and deregulation.
Republican lawmakers said they will support universal vouchers for all students, regardless of family income. That’s also one of Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s priorities.
House Education Chair Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) said implementing universal vouchers will champion parent’s rights to make decisions about their children’s education.
“I think letting parents make that choice as to what’s best for their son or daughter is the best way to move forward,” he said.
Behning also said he will introduce a bill to deregulate education. He said that bill would lift some restrictions on teachers and schools by simplify Indiana’s sprawling education policies.
Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) said he wants to ease the burden on Indiana’s overworked school counselors. He plans to introduce a bill that would allow schools to hire local helpers. Those helpers would take some work off school counselors' plates, such as monitoring lunch and creating master schedules. Raatz said that would free up counselors to focus on directly helping students.
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Democrats said they plan to prioritize public school funding and early learning. Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) will introduce a bill to lower the age required to enter school from 7 to 5. House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) said he wants lawmakers to fund a robust pre-K program.
Sen. David Niezgodski (D-South Bend) also shared his plans to introduce a bill that would help students who have been bullied at school. The bill would allow those students to use money from Indiana’s Education Scholarship Account program to change schools. The ESA program is currently limited to students who have disabilities and their siblings.
“I would like to see that victims that are being bullied, children that are being bullied, have the opportunity to go to a school of their choice and have the additional assistance,” he said.
Niezgodski added that the money could also be used to transfer those students’ siblings to prevent them from being bullied and to make the transition easier for families.
Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.