Majority Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing forward with bills to revamp the Indiana Board of Education and strip power from the state superintendent even as Democrats complain the GOP is only playing politics.
Tensions continued to flare Monday as the Senate Rules Committee debated and then passed legislation to alter the composition of the Indiana State Board of Education and demote the superintendent as its chair.
Glenda Ritz's supporters protest that Republicans are disenfranchising a state electorate that gave Ritz 57,000 more votes than GOP Gov. Mike Pence received in the same election.
The elected state superintendent of public instruction would lose authority over several areas of education policy under Republican-backed proposals approved Thursday by an Indiana House committee.
An Indiana House committee has advanced a Republican-led proposal for shifting authority over education policy away from the elected state superintendent of public instruction.
House Bill 1638 would give significant new powers to the State Board of Education to intervene in schools earning a D or F grade for at least four straight years—even creating new schools within a school district.
A wide-ranging bill discussed Tuesday would give the Indiana State Board of Education authority over testing, standards, student data, state takeovers and teacher evaluation.
Indiana Department of Education officials presented their two-year budget proposal to the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. It includes large increases to the Non-English Speakers Fund, textbook relief funding, and tuition support.
A bill introduced in the Indiana General Assembly would divert $10 million or more in state education money into a new fund that would make grants to schools that focus on teaching expelled students.
Democrats called the legislation a political attack that would let Gov. Mike Pence replace Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, a Democrat, with his own leader.
State Board of Education member Gordon Hendry said the teacher-evaluation ratings are based on a “clearly flawed system.”
An Indiana Board of Education member renewed his call Wednesday for lawmakers to define what constitutes an instructional day as schools move to replace snow days with online instruction.
Senate Bill 24, authored by Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, would allow the governor to appoint the state superintendent of public instruction beginning in 2021.
Hardly any teachers got low ratings despite major changes to toughen up state’s teacher evaluation system in 2011.
Indiana lawmakers could face a prickly debate as they aim to tighten up funding differences between the state's school districts during the General Assembly session that starts Tuesday.
The state Department of Education has granted 37 public school districts and 13 private schools permission to hold online learning days in cases of inclement weather this school year.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is seeking $20 million more for testing as part of her spending proposal, which calls for an overall 3 percent increase and free textbooks for all Indiana students.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's call to overhaul the State Board of Education won the support of the two top legislative leaders Thursday, setting up what could be one of the most acrimonious education fights the state has seen.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is standing by outgoing Inspector General David Thomas amid questions about an investigation into whether former Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett misused state resources.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is setting up a showdown with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz as part of a push for an overhaul of Indiana's education system.
