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Indiana public schools could get additional funding after enrollment jump

When more than 6,000 extra students showed up in Indiana’s public schools, there wasn’t enough money in local school budgets to handle them.
Photo: Shutterstock/Syda Productions

INDIANAPOLIS (Statehouse File) — When more than 6,000 extra students showed up in Indiana’s public schools, there wasn’t enough money in local school budgets to handle them.

Rep. Sally Siegrist, R-West Lafayette, is pushing for $25 million in additional funds for K-12 schools to meet the tuition needs of all enrolled students this year after an unexpected 6,315-student increase in public school enrollment. Next year, that ceiling would double to $50 million, in step with public school growth.

“The good news here is that our public schools are growing,” Siegrist said. “The fears of an exodus to choice schools seem to be unfounded at this point.”

The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved House Bill 1001 Wednesday, which lets the extra money be transferred over from the existing State Tuition Reserve Fund. The fund is currently stocked with $348 million for supplementary purposes, according to Siegrist.

The $25 million and $50 million caps for additional state aid were based on enrollment projections across Indiana’s public schools.

Rep. Sally Siegrist, R-West Lafayette, is seen discussing HB 1001 at a meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. (TheStatehouseFile.com Photo/Dionte Coleman)

Siegrist said the allowances are large enough to account for special education students and Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship recipients—the number of which are still unknown to legislators.

Some of the state’s largest school districts, including Carmel-Clay and Hamilton Southeastern, would face more than $100,000 in cuts without help from the state.

Officials from Hamilton Southeastern Schools support the bill.

“It will go towards fully funding the state funding formula, so we do not experience a reduction in per pupil funding,” district officials said in a statement.

Indianapolis Public Schools, the state’s largest public-school district, would be rocked by a significant shortfall without this extra help.

“Over the last several years, public school funding has undergone multiple shifts,” IPS officials said in a statement. “Whether it is the per pupil allocation, federal support or property tax caps, Indianapolis Public Schools has and will continue to find ways to serve our students well. We look forward to seeing how HB 1001 impacts schools.”

Because it is illegal for public schools to have a deficit, cuts would be unavoidable for the many schools without the additional funds.

Dennis Costerison, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, noted Siegrist’s bill offers total coverage for public students.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider similar legislation - Senate Bill 189, authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Bremen - Thursday.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, has said helping Indiana’s public schools is a priority for House Republicans.

“We’ll ensure both this year and next year that the funds they are anticipating will come their way,” Bosma said while revealing the House legislative agenda Jan. 4.

Siegrist is confident her bill will move forward in the House chamber.

“I can’t imagine that there would be opposition to fully funding our public education, our K-12 students,” she said.

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TheStatehouseFile.com writer Dionte Coleman contributed to this report.

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This content was reproduced from TheStatehouseFile.com, a news service powered by Franklin College.

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