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Statehouse Express Podcast
Season 5, Episode 2
Tune into the latest episode of the Statehouse Express podcast at the link below!
This will be the last week for committee hearings in the first half of the session. House Ed finished up last week and Senate Ed will finish up this Wednesday. We will then know what bills are still in play for the second half of the session.
In this episode, INPEA Executive Director John Elcesser gives an update on the following bills that were heard in the House and Senate education committees:
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HB 1243 Various Education and Workforce Related Matters: Deals in part with the requirements around a redefined high school diploma which would impact the 2029 graduation cohort. It also includes a requirement for students to take a stand alone computer science course before graduating. That requirement would also go into effect in 2029. It passed out of committee amended 12-0.
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HB 1073 (8-2 amended) has a focus on special education with some changes dealing with seclusion and restraint. In part, it deals with requirements for the seclusion and restraint commission. It also requires public schools by July of 2025 to have cameras in seclusion areas. This requirement does not apply to non-pubs.
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HB 1137 Civics Education and Religious Instruction deals with release time from public schools to attend religious education activities with certain parameters and limitations.
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HB 1304 is a various education matters bill which includes both reading and math items. It defines “literacy coach” in terms of required qualifications and training, calls for the establishment of micro-credentials for K-8 math teachers, and it charges IDOE with reviewing and approving math curriculum materials, including math screeners. Many of the math requirements do not apply to non-pubs, at least as the current bill language stands.
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SB 6 requires IDOE to develop methods to identify at-risk readers and provide guidance and support to address these students’ needs.
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SB 8, which was labeled a higher ed bill, also included a requirement for high schools to teach courses that are included in the Indiana College Core. The current language says if schools can’t comply, they must submit an implementation plan. INPEA has 32 high schools with less than 150 students and 21 with less than 100. In schools that size, offering the full Indiana College Core is extremely difficult. We hope to continue to work with the Commission for Higher Education and the author to find a reasonable compromise. SB 8 passed out of committee 12-0. For information on the Indiana College Core, visit https://transferin.net/ways-to-earn-credit/statewide-transfer-general-education-core-stgec/.
We continue to monitor SB 1 which focuses on reading mastery and the current language includes a number of requirements for non-public schools. It was further amended in Senate Appropriations and then passed out of Appropriations 8-3. We encourage you to read the bill here.
We also have heard that the ESA expansion bill SB 143 is dead for this session. We anticipate this bill or Senator Mishler’s SB 255 will come back session. So stay tuned!
There have been some red flags, especially in the Senate where more and more education bills are applying to state accredited non-pubs and “eligible” or choice schools. We continue to share our feedback with authors and education committee leadership.
For more information on the bills mentioned above, download the episode at the link below.
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