The next few months will see significant efforts in K-12 education and workforce development efforts to transition to new realities in policy, funding, program structures and new strategic directions.
For K-12 schools, a proposed new A to F school ranking and accountability system was rolled out on June 4 by the Indiana Department of Education. The public rulemaking process will take place over the summer, amended draft rules and adoption in December (as required by law) for a fall 2026 start date. The new model incorporates a broader set of measurements than standardized tests, is designed to align with the new high school diploma and seals program and integrates work-based learning into the system.
Legislation passed to realign post-secondary training and education programs, including degree offerings, credentials and data collection will begin to be worked through this summer, along with changes in agency priorities and authorities in various workforce development programs.
The state’s tight budget means the new fiscal year is correspondingly tight for education funding, with K-12 schools seeing sub-inflation increases and higher education incurring a 5% real cut, an additional 5% hold back on spending in the current year, and all state institutions have agreed to freeze in-state student tuition.
The Chamber’s Education and Workforce Committee is planning an expanded strategic planning effort this summer around policy development and building initiatives that align with the various goals in the Chamber’s Indiana Prosperity 2035 plan.
