View the agenda for the January 29, 2020 meeting of the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development. Bills on the agenda are listed below.

SB 295 Various education matters. Directs the state board of education (state board) to establish the Indiana Innovation Council (council). Defines the membership of the council and describes certain duties of the council. Allows school corporations to apply for flexibility regarding or waivers from state and federal regulations. Requires the council to approve the applications. Extends the deadline for school corporations, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools to incorporate age appropriate research based instructions on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students. Requires that outlines and materials about child abuse and child sexual abuse used for instruction must be effective and promising. Removes the requirement that school buses have black reflective tape affixed on the bumpers and sides of the bus.

Our comment: If the rules are important, keep them. If they are not, why should they apply to some but not all schools? Allowing waivers may produce a patchwork of regulations, rules for some but not others, and introduce or increase inequities.

And why, after the 2018 death of three children crossing the road for the bus, would legislators remove a requirement for school buses to have black reflective tape?

SB 398 Various education matters. Removes the topic of high ability students (including high ability curriculum) from the list of statutes that the legislative council is urged to assign to a study committee during the 2021 legislative interim. Defines a patriotic organization as a youth membership organization listed in Title 36 of the United States Code. Requires school corporations to allow representatives of patriotic organizations to speak with students about participating in a patriotic organization and provide information to students about how the patriotic organization may better the students' school and community. Requires the department of workforce development to ensure that the high school equivalency test is administered under certain conditions and by certain vendors.

Our comment: This bill would apparently require districts and charters to allow Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts to use any school building, apparently giving these "patriotic organizations" precedence over the school’s own activities.

SB 445 Micro-credentialing. Requires the state board of education (state board) to establish a micro-credential program to supplement current teacher renewal requirements or that allows a micro-credential to be obtained as part of a professional growth plan. Requires the state board to approve one or more micro-credential programs to meet the state board's requirements. Provides that the state board shall prioritize certain criteria in establishing a micro-credential program. Requires the commission for higher education (commission) to study whether a micro-credential program can be used toward a master's degree. Requires the commission to submit a report to the state board about its findings.

SB 244 Teacher supplemental pay and evaluations. Establishes additional circumstances for which a school corporation may provide supplemental payments to teachers in excess of the salary specified in the school corporation's compensation plan. Provides that a teacher rated improvement necessary in the teacher's annual performance evaluation may receive a partial raise or increment. (Current law provides that such a teacher may not receive a raise or increment.) Relocates provisions regarding supplemental payments for teachers. Amends requirements regarding school corporation annual performance evaluations.

SB 263 Handgun training for teachers. Provides that a school corporation, charter school, or accredited nonpublic school may use grant money received from the Indiana safe schools fund to pay for part or all of specialized weapons training for employees who are required to successfully complete or who request to attend the specialized weapons training. Establishes requirements for specialized weapons training. Provides that, before an employee or any other staff member of a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school may carry a firearm in or on school property as authorized by a school board of the school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school, the employee or staff member shall do the following: (1) Successfully complete certain specialized weapons training. (2) Provide proof to the school board that the employee or other staff member has successfully completed the specialized weapons training. (3) Complete the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory 2 (MMPI-II) and provide proof of completion to the school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school. Requires an employee or any other staff member of a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school to successfully complete eight hours of weapons training each year that the employee or staff member intends to carry a firearm in or on school property. Requires that for a person or entity to provide specialized weapons training to certain employees and other staff members of a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school, the person or entity apply and receive approval from the secured school safety board. Provides that a public school or an accredited nonpublic school may not conduct a training or drill for an employee of the school that includes, as any part of the training or drill, the expelling of any type of projectile at the employee unless: (1) the school informs the employee of the use of projectiles in the training or drill; and (2) the employee consents, in writing, to the use of projectiles during the training or drill. Allows a school to barricade or block a door during an active shooter drill or during an active shooter emergency occurring in a school building.

Our comment: A tragic situation in Bloomington in the past week, in which a four-year-old was killed by a bullet discharged when his father's gun fell to the floor as they were wrestling, is yet another reminder of the danger that would be introduced by guns in schools.

SB 319 Practitioner or accomplished practitioner license. Provides that 15 of the professional growth experience points required to renew a practitioner license or accomplished practitioner license may be obtained through one or more of certain professional development experiences. (Current law requires 15 of the professional growth experience points to renew a practitioner license or an accomplished practitioner license must be obtained through one or more of certain professional development experiences.) Amends the list of professional development experiences.

This bill responds to a groundswell of teacher outrage as it would repeal the externship requirement.

SB 346 Students with disabilities. Provides that at least one member of the Indiana technical advisory committee of the state board of education must have expertise in special education. Requires, to the extent permitted under federal law, the department of education (department) to provide the same text-to-speech, screen reader, or human reader accommodations to a particular student on every section of the statewide assessment program as provided as part of the student's individualized education program (IEP), service plan, or choice scholarship education plan. Prohibits the department from issuing certain guidance or recommendations to a school corporation or school regarding an individualized education program (IEP), service plan, or choice scholarship education plan.

SB 412 21st century scholars program. Provides that the commission for higher education may allow a twenty-first century scholars program student who fulfills the observance of a religious discipline or call to mission to delay enrollment in a college or university or to meet course completion requirements for a period of up to two years.

Please call committee members, including chair Senator Raatz, at 800-382-9467, with your comments. Also, you can email committee members at the addresses below.
 
Republicans: Raatz, Crane, Buchanan, Donato, Freeman, Kruse, Leising, Rogers, Spartz
Democrats: Melton, Mrvan, Niezgodski, Stoops

Senator.Raatz@iga.in.gov, s24@iga.in.gov, Senator.Buchanan@iga.in.gov, s18@iga.in.gov, Senator.Freeman@iga.in.gov, Senator.Kruse@iga.in.gov, Senator.Leising@iga.in.gov, Senator.Rogers@iga.in.gov, Senator.Spartz@iga.in.gov

s3@iga.in.gov, s1@iga.in.gov, s10@iga.in.gov, s40@iga.in.gov 

Join the Indiana Coalition for Public Education–Monroe County along with co-hosts Monroe County Branch of NAACP and Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus for a screening of “Fighting Back,” Episode 2 of the award-winning civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize. This episode traces the struggle by Black students and activists to integrate schools in the South following the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
​
What: "Fighting Back," Episode 2 of the civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize
When: Tuesday, February 25
Where: Monroe County History Center
             202 E. 6th Street Bloomington, IN 47408

Golden Hoosier Award recipient Elizabeth Mitchell, a historian and documentarian, will introduce "Fighting Back" and discuss the history of segregated schools in Monroe County. 

Professor Stephanie Power-Carter will address the ongoing challenges of integration and equity in the present.

January 20, 2020

UPDATE: Friends pointed out to us that HB 1002 removes the requirement that teacher evaluations be based, in part, on objective measures of achievement. This has been passed by the full House and is now in consideration in the Senate. Please contact your state senator to encourage them to vote in favor of it. (Reasons include those given below.)

CALL TO ACTION

Message: Hear SB 59, Teacher evaluations (sponsored by Senator Leising), in committee!

What SB 59 does:
It limits the use of state test scores in teacher evaluations. Provides that objective measures of student achievement and growth, including student results on a statewide assessment, may not account for more than 5% of the total performance evaluation score or result.

Why SB 59 is needed:
Tying scores to teacher evaluations is harmful because:

• They are unfair. Test scores track income level across all school types, whether public, charter, or private. Using test scores to evaluate teachers punishes teachers who work in high poverty schools.
• It increases pressure on teachers to narrow the curriculum and teach to the test instead of providing hands-on learning, projects, and exploration by students.
• The tests are stressful to kids and send the wrong messages about education.

For these same reasons, we should get rid of the A-F system of grading schools and districts, which is based on test scores. But this bill doesn’t do anything about that.

Where SB 59 is in the process: SB 59 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development, but has not been heard.

Who needs to hear from us about SB 59: Members of the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development:

Please call the committee chair, Senator Raatz, at 800-382-9467, and ask him to hear this bill in committee. Also, you can email committee members at the addresses below.
 
Republicans: Raatz, Crane, Buchanan, Donato, Freeman, Kruse, Leising, Rogers, Spartz
Democrats: Melton, Mrvan, Niezgodski, Stoops

Senator.Raatz@iga.in.gov, s24@iga.in.gov, Senator.Buchanan@iga.in.gov, s18@iga.in.gov, Senator.Freeman@iga.in.gov, Senator.Kruse@iga.in.gov, Senator.Leising@iga.in.gov, Senator.Rogers@iga.in.gov, Senator.Spartz@iga.in.gov

s3@iga.in.gov, s1@iga.in.gov, s10@iga.in.gov, s40@iga.in.gov    

Thanks for advocating for kids and teachers!