Global Courant 2023-04-28 18:46:11
Republican lawmakers pushed through a new state budget plan early Friday that significantly expands eligibility for Indiana’s private school voucher program after adding money for traditional schools amid complaints about small increases in funding they would receive.
This year’s legislative session ended with the budget vote drawing criticism of the GOP school funding plan from groups of public schools and Democrats, who argued that it shortchanged traditional public schools with funding increases that were less than inflation.
The school voucher expansion in the original budget deal announced Wednesday by Republican leaders would consume more than $500 million of the nearly $1.2 billion increase planned for overall K-12 funding over the next two years. The revised plan added about $300 million to bring the total increase to about $1.5 billion.
House members voted 70 to 27 and senators voted 39 to 10, largely along party lines, in favor of the budget as the Republican-dominated legislature adjourned this year’s session at around 2:30 a.m.
INDIANA BUDGET PLAN WITH SCHOOL VOUCHER EXTENSION AND ACCELERATED TAX REDUCTIONS
Longtime education lobbyist Dennis Costerison said school district leaders began reaching out to lawmakers with concerns after school funding projections released Wednesday showed nearly 75% of the state’s school districts would receive an increase of less than 2% in the budget’s second year.
“With schools and everyone else from the governor to the General Assembly wanting to get more money for teachers’ salaries, where is that money going to come from?” said Costerison, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials.
The GOP budget agreement announced Wednesday increased the total core funding of K-12 schools by 6% in the first year and 2% in the second year. But traditional school districts would only see expected average increases of 3.5% and 1.1% after more than $500 million was diverted to pay for a 75% increase in students receiving the state’s vouchers for paying for private school tuition.
Rep. Greg Porter, left, talks to Rep. Jeff Thompson speaks at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 27, 2023. Thompson has defended the expansion of the voucher program. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Thursday’s revisions pushed the funding increase for public school districts to 5.4% in the budget’s first year and 1.3% in its second year, according to projections from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.
Jeff Thompson, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the House’s top budget writer, defended the expansion of the voucher program.
“It gives parents the opportunity to choose what they think is the best school or type of school for them,” Thompson said. “They’re the ones who decide what fits.”
INDIANA SENATE CAN PROBABLY PASS BILL THAT MAKES TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS OF SOME LEVER
Republicans increased the school’s funding figure by shifting money away from a Senate-backed provision that spent $1 billion paying off future teacher retirement fund obligations.
A leader of the state’s largest teachers’ union said the extra school funding was an improvement, but the increase still would not keep pace with inflation.
“Most schools will struggle with some sort of pay raise, especially sophomore year,” said Dan Holub, executive director of the Indiana State Teachers Association.
The discussion over funding the school overshadowed other less discussed provisions in the budget plan, including extending an automatic inflation-related increase in the state gasoline tax for three years and providing significant pay increases for the governor and other elected officials around the country. state from 2025.
The gasoline tax is paid for infrastructure projects and currently stands at 33 cents per gallon, after being allowed to rise 1 cent since July 2017, when Republicans raised it from 18 cents to 28 cents. The annual increase was due to expire in 2024, but the budget law extends it to 2027.
Republicans rejected calls from Democrats last year to suspend state taxes on gasoline. The levy also includes a 7% sales tax that will be 20.3 cents per gallon in May. Prices rose after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Thompson called extending the annual increase a “reasonable” move amid rising construction costs.
“It was just a compromise to look at that higher cost,” Thompson said. .”
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The budget bill would also increase the salaries of the governor and other officials by linking their salary to that of state Supreme Court justices, who receive annual increases consistent with those of other state officials.
The pay raise, which would take effect after Holcomb leaves the governor’s office, would increase the incoming governor’s salary by nearly 50% from the current $133,683 to match the $198,513 due to the five judges. paid. The lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, and state treasurer would all receive at least a 39% salary increase, as their salary would rise to between 60% and 88% of what judges receive.
“You have to set them to some kind of standard,” Thompson said. “It makes sense that they’re all connected.”
Democratic Representative Ed DeLaney said he found it “inconvenient” that those proposals had not been debated earlier.
“Some of these policy decisions need to be discussed,” DeLaney said. “But apparently some people have found that it doesn’t lead to success if you don’t discuss it.”
