Monday, February 4, 2013

Charters, and Vouchers, and Reform - Oh MY!

The Indiana House Education Committee strikes at Public Education again! Tomorrow, HB 1338 and HB 1003  are planned to receive a hearing in the House Chambers starting at 8:30am.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Please contact the House Education Committee members (emails listed below) in separate emails for the two bills, and tell them to vote NO. For more information on how to write to your legislators, click here.


  HB 1003: This is Rep. Behning's bill that would expand voucher eligibility to students who have NOT previously spent a year in public schools. It also would triple the home school and private school tax deduction to $3,000. 




HB 1338: Charter Schools are public schools by law yet this bill would take them from the Dept. of Ed for reporting, funding and facilities incentive purposes and put them under the Budget Agency.

§       Teachers, all teachers, should have content area requirements for licensure yet HB 1338 removes the requirement for already unlicensed charter school teacher to have training “in the content or related area in which the individual teaches.”

§       The bill provides that a virtual charter school would receive tuition support in the same way bricks & mortar charters do.

§       And if that isn’t enough, if the bill passes, virtual schools will receive funding for all students, even those never in public schools.  Home schools could receive tax money.

Contact those members of the House Education Committee who are likely to vote for this bill.  Do it ASAP.



Rep. Behning, Chair, h91@in.gov 
Rep. Rhoads, h70@in.gov
Rep. L. Arnold, h74@in.gov
Rep. Burton, h58@in.gov
Rep. Clere, h72@in.gov
Rep. DeVon, h5@in.gov
Rep. Huston, h37@in.gov
Rep. Lucas, h69@in.gov
Rep. Thompson, h28@in.gov

For HB 1003:  Express your opposition to voucher expansion AND share your views with your representative.


  •       Ask them to vote NO on HB 1003.


For HB 1338:  Explain in your words how all teachers need to have training in content areas in which they teach.

§       Discuss how funding virtual school at 100% of tuition support impacts your school.

§       Explain that funding for students never in public schools (never part of the ADM) puts traditional public schools at risk of losing even more funding without losing students.

§       Ask them to vote NO on HB 1338.

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