Prepare for a (good) schools arms race
Imagine a future in which Indiana school districts bid up salaries for star teachers to $100,000 or more to develop a district specialty in a field like science or math, and cause students to excel.
Government
Articles
Poll: Daniels little known among potential GOP candidates
Sarah Palin is the most polarizing of the potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates, while Mitch Daniels is one of the least recognized, a new survey finds.
Audit: Indiana owes feds $39M for Medicaid
A federal audit recommends that Indiana's human services agency refund the federal government nearly $39 million it overpaid to Medicaid providers during a nine-year period.
Daniels appoints new social services chief
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has accepted the resignation of Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Anne Murphy and has appointed the agency’s chief of staff, Michael Gargano, to replace her.
State ATC chief steps down
Gov. Mitch Daniels has accepted the resignation of Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission Chairman P. Thomas Snow.
Democrats pick up pieces after Tuesday’s bloodbath
Democrats lost 12 House seats, two congressmen and a U.S. senator, and the party failed to win any of three state offices.
State therapists brace for new structural changes
Some say lower-quality service would result from Family and Social Services Administration changes that require independent therapists to work for agencies.
Daniels: No word on White House run until April
Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says politicians thinking about the next election in 2012 should "stifle" themselves for a while.
City’s Conrad hotel investment starts to pay off for taxpayers
The city put up $25 million for the hotel, restaurant and condo development at the corner of Washington and Illinois streets, including $3.75 million in exchange for the economic equivalent of an 8-percent stake.
Indiana health exchange may take page from Utah playbook
In Utah, employers can give each of their workers a specific amount of money to apply toward health insurance. The worker then can use that money to choose from the 66 plans in the health insurance exchange.
Daniels wants changes in education, unemployment
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ 2011 legislative agenda includes expanding charter schools, establishing merit pay for teachers, cutting unemployment benefits and raising unemployment insurance taxes on businesses.
Did Lilly get preferential treatment on a disputable billboard ad?
Billboard companies spiked the cancer ad. But Citizens Gas or WellPoint might have gotten a different result.
Library cuts 37 employees in effort to reduce deficit
The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library’s decision to reduce its work force is in response to expected revenue annual shortfalls of up to $4 million through 2013. The cuts follow a reduction in hours last month.
Election turnout up only slightly this year
Slightly more Indiana voters cast ballots in this year’s midterm election than in the last one four years ago despite predictions of a much bigger turnout.
Daniels to outline 2011 legislative agenda
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels will outline his 2011 legislative priorities Thursday, and his agenda could be a bit bigger now that the GOP has a firm grip on the Indiana House and Senate.
Democrats look to rebuild after Republican gains
Indiana Democrats are looking for a life preserver heading toward 2012. And their best hope might rest with the man some blame in part for at least one of the party’s losses: retiring Sen. Evan Bayh.
Indiana’s GOP leaders want school changes
The school plan that House Republicans presented during the campaign calls for giving parents more options, holding teachers accountable and putting more education dollars in classrooms rather than administration.
It may be do or die for Indianapolis charter school
Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) College Preparatory School faces its seventh—and final—review this year, one that could determine its survival.
How hard is it to fire a teacher, really?
Red tape involved in firing teachers is thick. But risk-averse administrators may be the bigger problem.
Indiana revenue in October down from year ago
The state Budget Agency reported Wednesday that Indiana collected $959 million in October. That’s $23 million below the most recent forecast and about $81 million less than projected in the budget lawmakers passed in 2009.