Indiana Department of Education

Indiana Officials Seek More Funding for Schools, Roads

Associated Press — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:45:30 +0000

Indiana School Superintendent Glenda Ritz and a small group of mayors are making their case for more funding from the state.

Ritz and members of the Indiana Association of Counties and Towns told the Senate Appropriations Committee today the state needs to spend more on schools and roads.

Gov. Mike Pence's budget included a marginal increase in school funding over the next two years while making room for a cut in the personal income tax cut. However, House Republicans rewrote the budget to spend more on roads and schools. It's now before the Senate.

Indiana Senate Panel Passes Cursive Writing Bill

Rick Howlett — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:36:40 +0000

A bill that would require Indiana’s elementary schools to teach cursive writing is on its way to the floor of the state Senate.

The chamber’s Education and Career Development Committee voted 7-4 today to advance the measure sponsored by Republican Jean Leising.

Leising says she’s concerned about a new state education department policy that makes the teaching of cursive writing optional but requires that students become proficient in keyboard use.

Indiana Legislative Panel Sets Hearing on Cursive Writing Bill

Rick Howlett and Associated Press — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:03:07 +0000

Indiana lawmakers are again considering a push to require the teaching of cursive writing by the state's schools.

The issue first came up after the state Department of Education in 2011 dropped cursive writing as a required part of the school curriculum and told school districts that it expected students to become proficient in keyboard use.

Bennett Named Florida Education Commissioner

Rick Howlett and Associated Press — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:43:16 +0000

Indiana's recently ousted state school superintendent is Florida's new education commissioner.

The State Board of Education selected Tony Bennett, a Republican who lost a bid for re-election in Indiana last month, today in Tampa.

The board picked Bennett from a slate of three finalists.

The others were Murray State University President Randy Dunn, who once served as state superintendent in Illinois, and Arlington, Va., education consultant Charles Hokanson, a former deputy assistant U.S. secretary of education in President George W.

Indiana High Court Hears Challenge to Voucher Program

Rick Howlett and The Associated Press — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:59:46 +0000

Indiana Supreme Court justices want to know whether the nation's largest school voucher program primarily benefits students and their parents or religious institutions.

The five justices prodded lawyers for both sides on that point today during a hearing on a constitutional challenge to the 2011 law under which more than 9,000 students have switched from public to private schools with help from state funds.

Supporters say the voucher system allows parents to send their children to private schools they otherwise couldn't afford.

Indiana Voucher Program Growing; High Court to Hear Challenge Wednesday

Associated Press — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:30:08 +0000

Enrollment in the Indiana school voucher program, the nation’s largest, has more than doubled since last year.

The Indiana Department of Education says more than 9,300 families have signed up for vouchers for the 2012-2013 school year. That compares with about 3,900 who took part in the program's first year.

Families that take part in the School Choice Scholarship Program receive tax money to help pay the cost of private school. Under the program, vouchers can cover up to 90 percent of the cost of tuition, depending on a family's income.

More Than 8,000 Indiana School Vouchers Awarded For 2012-13

Rick Howlett and The Associated Press — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:51:16 +0000

More than eight thousand Indiana public school students have been awarded vouchers allowing them to use public funds to attend private schools this academic year.

That’s more than double the number awarded last year.

Adam Baker with the Indiana Department of Education says the program approved by the Republican-led General Assembly in 2011 allows for 15,ooo vouchers this year.

"Next year, there’s actually no cap on the number of vouchers available, so we’re hoping that we continue to see this number rise year by year," he said.

The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to he