Indiana School Boards Association highlights legislative priorities ahead of Braun transition
The Indiana School Boards Association said it will work closely with Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s administration ahead of, and during, the legislative session. The ISBA and Braun both say they’ll prioritize school safety and teacher attraction and retention, but their priorities differ on school funding.
The ISBA wants lawmakers to increase K-12 tuition support to keep pace with inflation. However, Braun said his priority will be to ensure universal school choice for every Hoosier family.
Terry Spradlin is ISBA’s executive director. He said those priorities don’t have to be mutually exclusive, especially since most of Indiana’s students attend public school.
“At the end of the day, we’ll still have 9 of 10 kids who’ll be in our public school system,” Spradlin said. “So let’s make sure the system works effectively and is funded efficiently and sufficiently.”
ISBA also wants lawmakers to increase funding for Indiana’s Secured School Safety Grant program from $25 million to $35 million. Braun said he also wants to increase the amount available through the grant, but he didn’t specify a certain amount.
“Indiana’s been a leader in this area, and if we want to maintain that leadership status, we need to stay a step ahead of threats and perpetrators that would do harm to children,” Spradlin said.
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Spradlin added ISBA supports Braun’s plan to create a new Indiana Office of School Safety.
Indiana’s teacher pay has reached an average of $60,000, but Braun and the ISBA said it’s not enough to solve Indiana’s teacher shortage problem.
Braun’s plan outlines further increasing teachers’ pay and benefits. He said that will help schools attract and retain quality educators, especially in areas with severe teacher shortages.
Meanwhile, ISBA is prioritizing teacher attraction and retention by supporting a new grant program. The Student Support Services and Teacher Retention Grant Program would help schools hire additional support staff and provide recruitment grants and retention bonuses.
Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.
