State superintendent, lawmakers disagree over K-12 public school funding

UPDATE

Samantha Holifield, senior press secretary for Indiana House Republicans, said Thursday the proposed appropriation for K-12 funding in fiscal year 2019 would be $7.16 billion, and for fiscal year 2020, the appropriation will be $7.31 billion. There is a total of $611 million in new dollars being invested over the next two years.

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The head of Indiana’s public schools says lawmakers are shortchanging the districts, and not following through on funding promises.

Some state lawmakers say that’s not true.

“It’s frustrating because we know the need is there,” Jennifer McCormick, Indiana’s state superintendent of public instruction said Tuesday. “It’s also frustrating when right out of the gate, in the General Assembly during the session, it was a lot about, ‘we believe in teachers. We want to give them a raise. We’re going to pass (House Bill) 1003, it’s going to be a 5 percent increase.’ A lot of false promises that didn’t make sense from the beginning. As the session has moved on, we’re just not seeing action to reflect that rhetoric.” 

The House Republicans’ budget bill calls for a total of $611 million in K-12 education funding over two years.

McCormick said Tuesday the Department of Education asked Gov. Eric Holcomb for a 3 person boost, but will probably only get around 2 percent each of the two years. 

Because of that, McCormick asserts 28 percent of Indiana’s public schools would not see new money in the first year. 

“That’s a problem,” McCormick said. “So, we know schools will either have to cut as far as their personnel, at a time when we’re saying our teachers need more money. They’re not only going to not get more money, we’re probably going to have to cut that staff. I know people are preparing for that.” 

“We have a House bill, HB 1003 that has guidelines,” State Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, said Tuesday. “We’re trying to get school corporations to spend 85 percent of their budget in the classroom. I don’t think that’s asking too much. There’s no mandate.”

“We’re just trying to introduce some transparency to this process, find out where the money is coming and going, so we can get money to the most important people in the system, and that’s our teachers,” Lucas added.

Lucas believes there’s already enough money going to K-12 funding.

“How much does it take to fully fund education?” Lucas asked. “We can never get an answer to that. This year’s budget, we have more than $600 million going to K-12.”

McCormick said she is “very pleased” with proposals on school safety, and social/emotional learning. But she said there’s still a ways to go overall.

Holcomb said Tuesday he’s willing to hear what McCormick has to say.

“I’d be happy to sit down with her and learn of any specific concerns she might have,” Holcomb said Tuesday.

McCormick said she and her team will continue to travel the state, informing people about education funding.