Washington Township will only offer virtual instruction when school begins this year, a shift in course for the Indianapolis district that had planned to open in-person and full-time with an online option.
School districts across Indianapolis will reopen for the upcoming academic year with in-person instruction and offer virtual instruction for students who are uncomfortable or unable to return to classrooms, according to a letter shared by districts Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the final results of Beech Grove City Schools’ referendums were still being counted Tuesday night, but voters looked to be on the way to approving the $22.4 million funding request.
More than 200 of Indiana’s nearly 300 districts have closed after consultations with local health officials. But, in at least 21 states, officials have ordered closures to try to stop spread of COVID-19.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said that left unchecked, the coronavirus “has the potential to wreak untold damage on our families and the very social safety net that protects our most vulnerable residents.”
“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” Holcomb said in a statement. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”
CourseNetworking, an Indianapolis-based maker of distance learning and collaborations software, and the IUPUI CyberLab are offering a free solution for schools through their Learning Management System.
Without an exemption approved last month, most schools would have received a D or an F. That would have affected teacher’s evaluations, and therefore pay, and put many schools on the path to state intervention.
Indianapolis Public Schools said schools remained open, but students who are unable to get to them because of no buses would not be marked absent.
Indiana schools and teachers won’t face any penalties from lower scores on the 2019 and 2020 versions of the state’s new standardized exam.
The state Senate voted 42-7 Tuesday in favor of the bill that specifies a 40-hour training program for teachers volunteering to be armed, followed by 16 hours of additional training each year.
Schools won’t be punished for low test scores earned during the first two years of the state’s new ILEARN test—a move by state lawmakers Monday that will render schools’ 2019 and 2020 state grades essentially meaningless.
Users of the newly launched INview will have more immediate access to how much schools and districts are spending per student, as well as how that figure compares to the state average and other schools with similar demographics.
Top Republicans touted “record investment” in school spending in defending themselves as thousands of teachers turned out for a Statehouse rally this past week calling for a bigger boost in education funding. But it’s not that simple.
A 2018 voter-backed referendum funded the latest round of pay increases. Some teachers will see their salaries go up by as much as $9,400 this year, a significant increase designed to account for years of recession-era pay freezes.
So many teachers asked to take Nov. 19 off to rally at the Indiana Statehouse for higher pay that nearly 30 districts across the state have canceled school or scheduled e-learning days.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the overall national results demonstrated a “student achievement crisis” that can’t be fixed by pouring more money into the traditional public school system.
Teachers across the district would see substantial pay increases under the proposal, with the district’s starting salary for teachers rising to $45,200 this school year, according to a union official.
The audit determined that Greenfield-Central Schools’ former business manager, former assistant superintendent and former associate superintendent were each significantly overpaid between 2010 and 2018.
Lawmakers decided to open up pre-K to all eligible families in Indiana, rather than restricting pre-K vouchers to 20 counties.
