HB 1005 – School Choice
Authored by Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis)

Bill expands eligibility for Indiana’s existing choice scholarship program (aka school vouchers) and establishes the Indiana education savings account (ESA) program. ESAs would allow eligible families, defined in the bill as students with disabilities, foster youth and children of active military personnel, to receive an annual grant amount that may be used to pay for tuition and related eligible expenses at an accredited nonpublic school.

Chamber position: Support

The latest: Passed by the House Education Committee 8-4; now eligible for action by the full House.

Indiana Chamber action/commentary: The Chamber was among more than 50 individuals lined up to offer testimony during a nearly five-hour committee hearing mostly devoted to debating HB 1005. The bill is the latest in a long series of policy battles over school choice in Indiana. Testimony was split roughly evenly between supporters and opponents, with the Chamber joining a coalition of education reformers, parents and other advocates who emphasized the benefits of giving Hoosier families more options and flexibility in customizing the education their children receive.

The opponents, dominated by associations representing teachers, school administrators and other education establishment interests, argued that the measure was an assault on public education. The committee vote broke cleanly along party lines with Republican lawmakers supporting school choice and Democrats decrying it as a dangerous “experiment” that would divert state dollars from traditional public schools. Advocates countered by citing research studies demonstrating the benefits to students along with parents sharing personal stories of the positive impact choice options had for their own children.

The Chamber supports efforts to provide Indiana students and families with greater choice, flexibility and autonomy in choosing the education option that best meets their learning needs. Like nearly everything else during the past year, COVID-19 has brought many education issues – both challenges and opportunities – to the surface. That is particularly true with respect to parents seeking the best fit education for their children. From learning pods to hybrid instruction models, parents increasingly are asking for a greater say in determining the education their students receive and how it is tailored to meet their needs. Expanding eligibility for the state’s existing choice scholarship program and the introduction of ESAs are important steps in that regard. ESAs open a new range of possibilities, empowering families to customize their child’s education with a broader array of wraparound services, special needs support and curriculum options.

HB 1514 – School Accountability
Authored by Rep. Tony Cook (R-Cicero)

As amended in committee, the bill preserves the state’s A through F letter grades for gauging school performance but makes school letter grades null for this year due to COVID-19 and removes state intervention consequences for consistently underperforming schools.

Chamber position: Support (a top priority; the Chamber opposed the bill as introduced but a subsequent amendment largely addressed these concerns)

The latest: Unanimously passed by the House Education Committee 12-0 and moves to the full House for debate.

Indiana Chamber action/commentary: In contrast to the acrimony greeting HB 1005 (the other bill heard by the House Education Committee this week), HB 1514 was a veritable lovefest with no one testifying in opposition. The bill represents a bit of a compromise over the fraught issue of school accountability in Indiana. Education reformers support the clarity of A through F school letter grades that are appreciated by parents and policymakers but largely loathed by the education establishment as “punitive” and “overly simplistic.” The latter group, on the other hand, welcomes the end of state consequences for failing schools that even proponents of the policy admit has been a decidedly mixed bag in terms of successful school turnarounds. As such, advocates on both sides of the issue can find something to like in HB 1514 even if neither is getting exactly what they want. Both sides also welcomed the bill’s call for each school’s overall letter grade to be accompanied by a dashboard, or report card, that provides other meaningful measures of school progress. For advocates of the A-F model, this represents an opportunity to provide more information to families while retaining the simplicity of letter grades that are easily understood by parents and taxpayers alike.

We believe that maintaining a clear and transparent school accountability system is essential to driving continued improvement in Indiana’s education system. It’s our position that parents, taxpayers and policymakers need to know how their students and schools are performing, and as such, we appreciate that this bill would maintain the simplicity and clarity of A through F letter grades moving forward. Returning to the ambiguous school performance labels of years past would be confusing to families and a step backwards for Indiana’s education system. Refocusing the purpose of Indiana’s school accountability model to be a Consumer Reports-style transparency tool makes sense – provided that there are meaningful school choice options for students/parents who are dissatisfied with the education they are receiving.

Resource: Jason Bearce at (317) 264-6880 or email: jbearce@indianachamber.com