A plan to expand state takeover in Gary and Muncie died, but 13 other education bills survived the 2018 session

The Indiana legislature missed its best shot at passing a major education bill this session when lawmakers adjourned without taking a vote on legislation that would expand state takeover measures in two financially troubled Indiana school districts.

The clock literally ran out on the 2018 session early Thursday morning before either chamber held a final vote on the controversial proposal, House Bill 1315.

Democrats cheered the defeat of the measure at the end of a session they derided as a “disappointing dud,” and even Republicans acknowledged that the list of legislative priorities this year were “pretty slim.”

Democratic lawmakers from Gary and Muncie, two public school districts the state took over in an unprecedented move last year, vehemently opposed the bill, which would have stripped power from the Gary school board and handed control of Muncie over to Ball State University. Minority Leader Terry Goodin, from Austin, said he’s not confident the bill would have passed in its final form.

The takeover bill would also have put in place a new system to help the state identify schools that could be on the way toward significant financial problems.

“It’s unfortunate, but the republic will survive,” said House Speaker Brian Bosma. “If there was one bill the minority (party) really objected to, it was the Muncie/Gary school bill … We’ll have another year to think about it.”

It can be difficult during a non-budget year to make significant change because money is generally not available to fund new programs or increase existing ones. But even in the 2016 “short session,” bills passed to repeal the state ISTEP test and create innovation network schools that allow districts to take advantage of charter-like partnerships.

The biggest education issue lawmakers passed was a bill to make up an unexpected shortfall in school funding.

Several of the more pressing education bills that lawmakers approved this session were reactive — combining the state’s four high school diplomas into one, for example, in response to new federal education laws that would have ceased to count general diploma students as graduates. They also voted to change the state high school test to a college entrance exam in response to recommendations from the state “graduation pathways” committee that created new graduation requirements.

Other bills resulted in small steps forward on recurring issues that have come before lawmakers multiple times, such as a bill to require screening and services for students who might have dyslexia and another bill that, once a controversial provision that would let districts hire more unlicensed teachers was removed, adds in more categories of teachers who can receive stipends, a list that has been growing slowly for years.

Below is a summary of education bills that passed this session, which next head to Gov. Eric Holcomb, where he can decide whether to sign them into law. You can find the status of all the bills introduced this year here, and Chalkbeat’s 2018 legislative coverage here.

Graduation and workforce

Senate Bill 50 establishes the governor’s workforce cabinet, which would oversee job training efforts across the state. The cabinet would create a “career navigation and coaching system,” which all Indiana high schools would be required to participate in. State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick would be a cabinet member.

House Bill 1426 would combine Indiana’s four diplomas into a single diploma with four “designations” that mirror current diploma tracks. In addition, it would change rules for getting a graduation waiver and create an “alternate diploma” for students with severe special needs.The bill would also allow the Indiana State Board of Education to consider alternatives to Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement. It makes several changes to state tests, replacing the state high school exam with a national college-entrance exam and eliminating the requirement that schools give the Accuplacer remediation test. The final version of the bill also changes the timing of testing from earlier version. Students wouldn’t begin the new graduation pathways plan until 2021, so the same deadline was applied to switching to a college entrance exam for state accountability. Until then, state education officials will have to decide what annual test high schoolers take when students in grades 3-8 switch to the new ILEARN test next year.

Finance

House Bill 1001 would close the gap in school funding that resulted from miscalculations in the number of students attending public schools. The bills would let the state transfer up to $25 million this year and up to $75 million next year from a reserve fund to the state general fund, where it could then be distributed to districts. The bill also calls for a study of virtual education programs within school districts.

Instruction

Senate Bill 172 would require public schools to offer computer science classes as an elective in high schools, as well as a part of the science curriculum for all K-12 students, by 2021. The bill also sets up a grant program to help pay for teacher training in computer science.

Senate Bill 297 would require schools to include “employability skills,” also known as “soft skills,” in their curriculums. The idea for the bill came from David Freitas, a member of the state board of education.

Senate Bill 65 would require school districts to let parents examine any instructional materials dealing with sex education. It would also require schools to send out consent forms for sex ed classes, where parents could then opt students out of the class. If they do not, the students would still receive instruction.

House Bill 1399 would require the state board to create elementary teacher licenses in math and science. It would also require the state education department to create an incentive program to reward teachers who earn the content area licenses.

Senate Bill 387 would allow districts to pay teachers different amounts and give special education and science teachers extra stipends in an effort to fill jobs. A previous measure that would let districts hire up to 10 percent of unlicensed teachers has been added and removed several times this year, and was killed for good in conference committee. The bill also makes changes to the state’s career specialist permit. Career specialists would have to pass an exam showing they understand how students learn and the practice of teaching, in addition to content exams. The bill also removes a provision from the current version of the permit that says a career specialist must have a bachelor’s degree in the area they wish to teach in.

Miscellaneous

House Bill 1420, among several other measures, would not let a student who has been expelled from a virtual charter school for non-attendance re-enroll in that same school during the same school year.

House Bill 1421 would ask the state education department to develop a school discipline model that reduces suspensions and expulsions, especially among students of color. It also requires the department to provide guidance and information to districts, beginning in 2019, that want to use that model. It encourages the legislative council to study positive student discipline and restorative justice and asks the education department to survey districts on those practices.

House Bill 1398 would allow a group of charter schools and districts to form a “coalition” to pursue innovative academic strategies. Coalition members could also waive certain state requirements, such as the requirement that students pass Algebra 2 to graduate.

Senate Bill 217 would require districts and charter schools to screen students for dyslexia and by 2019, to employ at least one reading specialist trained in dyslexia, among other provisions.

House Bill 1314 would set up data sharing between the state’s education and child services departments. It would also require that the Indiana State Board of Education release an annual report about foster and homeless youth education.