State lawmakers discuss expanding screening for teachers
State lawmakers are proposing legislation they say will help strengthen Indiana's system for running background checks for teachers.
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New state schools chief picked to lead Indiana education board
Board members voted unanimously after little discussion Wednesday to endorse Jennifer McCormick as the board’s leader.
Proposed bill will seek to make Indiana school chiefs appointed, not elected
Gov.-Elect Eric Holcomb on Thursday announced he wants to make Indiana’s elected superintendent of public instruction a governor-appointed position. House Speaker Brian Bosma is set to author the bill.
2016 NEWSMAKER: Jennifer McCormick, new state schools chief
Political newcomer Jennifer McCormick was elected Nov. 8 as state superintendent of public instruction—a surprise to many who expected Democrat Glenda Ritz to keep her seat.
Indiana Republicans in no hurry to make state superintendent job appointed
House Speaker Brian Bosma said he’s advocated for reducing the superintendent’s power “for 30 years” but that he didn’t think he’ll make that a priority for the next legislative session beginning in January.
Glenda Ritz leaving office with a mixed legacy
Supporters saw her as an energetic leader who wouldn’t buckle to the establishment. Opponents saw her as nothing more than a a one-hit wonder.
Indy charter school struggling with unexpectedly low enrollment
Ace Preparatory Academy, started by an aide to former Indiana schools superintendent Tony Bennett, is at about 22 percent of its initial expected enrollment, with just 33 students as of Oct. 19.
Superintendent candidates both say Indiana schools need more money
Restrictions put in place over the past few years on how much school districts can collect from property taxes mean districts have to more frequently ask voters through referendums to pay more in taxes to support schools.
Indiana schools chief candidates split on leadership, ISTEP
The race has garnered little attention during the year’s campaign season, but the winner will have a role in major education matters: the replacement of the much-maligned ISTEP exam, the push to expand state-funded preschool programs and possible changes to the school ratings system.
As deadline looms, panel struggles to line up ISTEP replacement
Some members of a key testing advisory panel admit it’s increasingly likely the state will have to keep its unpopular ISTEP a bit longer.
Feds, ‘encouraged’ by Tindley’s financial efforts, award network $1.9M grant
The Indianapolis charter network was the only Indiana charter network to win one of the grants.
UPDATE: School chief Ritz’s office backed app deal without bidding
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz's office approved a lucrative technology contract that state government officials said should have been subject to competitive bid, awarding it to a company that later gave one of her key aides a senior job.
McCormick rejects Ritz’s favored ISTEP changes, backs SAT as high school exam
Jennifer McCormick, a school superintendent from Yorktown running for Indiana superintendent of public instruction, has revealed details of how she’d like to see Indiana’s testing system change.
Candidates promise to end bickering in education—no matter who wins
The Republicans and Democrats running for governor and state superintendent say they’ll focus their energy on kids, although they have different plans to do so.
Ritz seeks tax break for textbooks in budget proposal
Public school parents across Indiana could get a $1,000 annual tax break to cover the cost of textbooks if the Indiana Department of Education’s latest budget proposal, released Tuesday, were adopted.
Indiana flunked hardly any teachers last school year, new DOE report shows
Of the 68,386 educators evaluated by the state in 2015, just 260—0.38 percent—got the lowest rating, a status that could put educators in the state at risk for being fired.
FOCUS: More kids take vocational classes but challenges remain
In the school year that ended in May, nearly 175,000 students were enrolled in more than 235,000 career and technical classes. That’s an 11 percent increase since the 2012-2013 school year, when Gov. Mike Pence challenged schools to serve students going to work as well as students going to college.
Voucher supporters, foes disagree on financial impact
A new report says Indiana's school voucher program ran up a $53.2 million deficit, but backers of the program say it actually represents a net savings to taxpayers.
Former Ritz aide hired by DOE subcontractor
Watchdogs say it’s another example of Indiana’s weak ethics laws, which were exposed in recent years by high-profile cases involving the former state superintendent and other officials.
Indiana schools chief proposes statewide pre-K education
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is calling on lawmakers to adopt a pre-kindergarten program that would include all students regardless of family income. She estimates her plan would cost about $150 million a year.