House Bill 1005 – State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Authored by Rep. Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis)
Under this legislation, Indiana’s next superintendent of public instruction would now be appointed by the Governor in January 2021 instead of four years later.
Chamber Position: Support
The Latest: Heard and passed by the full House 70-29 on Thursday.
Chamber Action/Commentary: Legislation that signaled Indiana’s move to an appointed superintendent beginning in 2025 was passed by the General Assembly two years ago with strong backing by the Indiana Chamber. Momentum to move up the appointment date to 2021 has grown since Indiana’s current state superintendent, Jennifer McCormick, announced late last year that she would not seek re-election in 2020.
The Chamber has a long-standing position in support of the superintendent of public instruction being an appointed position, testifying publicly in favor of the change as recently as last week when the bill was heard by the House Education Committee.
Building the talent pipeline that Indiana employers need to compete and thrive today requires closer coordination and alignment than ever before between our Governor and the agencies charged with advancing the state’s education and workforce priorities. Moving to an appointed state superintendent of public instruction – as soon as we can – is an important and necessary step in that direction.
House Bill 1005 now heads to the Senate with bipartisan support and the endorsement of Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Resource: Jason Bearce at (317) 264-6880 or email: jbearce@indianachamber.com
