CartThe series, called “Letters to Our Leaders,” continues through August 26, with one letter released weekly to the general public and the candidates on a key issue area that needs attention from state government.
“With the fierce economic competition between states and our increasingly global economy, it’s never been more important for our future workforce to receive the proper education throughout K-12 and college,” asserts Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.
“A good way to ensure this is through greater cooperation among the three key sectors: K-12, higher education and workforce development. Right now, each acts as a separate silo with very little coordination at all,” he notes.
“They need to form stronger relationships. One, to better place young students on the career path that makes sense for them, will allow them to succeed professionally and aid in their quality of life. Also, we need to get current workers more connected to college course options and other training to keep them competitive in today’s job market.”
At the local level, the Indiana Chamber believes school reform should start with the recommendations of the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform. For example, in K-12, schools can make better use of their funds and direct more money to students and their learning.
“Policies such as combined purchasing and consolidating school district administration should be put on the table. A recent report conducted for the State Board of Education on shared services and consolidations estimates current savings from these arrangements at over $90 million per year. That's nearly $90 per student – and well over $1,000 for each of our state's classrooms.”
The Indiana Chamber also calls for new policies dealing with teacher compensation and qualifications. Collectively, the Chamber believes, all of these actions will also help address what is arguably the state’s biggest education challenge – our high school dropout rate.
“One quarter of Hoosier students leave high school without a diploma. That translates to earning nearly $8,000 per year less at a job than someone who finished high school. That average salary of just over $21,000 is not going to take them very far, ” Brinegar declares. “Not having a high school diploma also takes them out of contention for post-secondary education and their greatest earning potential.”
The letter on needed education reform plus the accompanying video commentary can be found at www.indianachamber.com/letters. There, Hoosiers can also view the timeline and subjects for all of the letters, as well as take the opportunity to share their thoughts on the Chamber blog.
The Indiana Chamber’s “Letters to Our Leaders” series is distributed on behalf of the organization’s 125 board members that represent 4,800 member companies employing 800,000 Hoosier workers.
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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for 86 years. The more than 4,800 member companies employ 800,000 Hoosier workers.
