State might move deaf, blind schools rather than spend big on aging properties
The state’s separate deaf and blind schools need $100 million in upgrades over the next 20 years; state officials might start over with new buildings on a shared site.
Education & Workforce Development
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Senate Democrats pushing for more oversight for virtual schools
State lawmakers say it’s not too late to enact legislative “guardrails” that could help prevent virtual schools from spending tax dollars in the future without accountability.
Butler researchers point to way to stop deadly coronavirus from spreading
Dr. Christopher Stobart and his students are focusing on an enzyme in the virus that could inhibit its replication, and plan to submit the findings to a virology journal in coming months.
Purdue president says tuition freeze to continue for 2021
Purdue University’s tuition freeze will continue for a ninth year, Mitch Daniels told alumni this weekend.
Professor suspended for calling police on black student
A white professor at Ball State University who called police to his classroom after a black student refused to change seats will not be teaching for the remainder of the semester, the school said in a written statement.
Donation of nickel mine could mean fortune for Purdue
Based on current numbers, Purdue’s stake could eventually top $100 million over the next three decades.
Who’s to blame for the $85M Indiana virtual schools scandal?
Amid the outcry over a new state investigation detailing an alleged $85 million self-dealing scheme at two Indiana virtual charter schools, state leaders are asking why it took years to catch large-scale enrollment inflation and widespread financial conflicts of interest.
Holcomb signs bill delaying penalties from ILEARN
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.
NCAA’s Emmert presses Senate for ‘guardrails’ on athlete pay
The NCAA fears laws allowing student athletes to benefit from endorsement deals would give some schools an unfair recruiting advantage and open the door to sponsorship arrangements being used as a recruiting inducement.
NCAA, 2 conferences spend $750,000 on lobbying
As Congress considers whether to allow college athletes to receive endorsement money, the forces for the status quo have a power player in their corner that the students don’t: money.
IU School of Medicine gets record $189M in NIH research funding
The grants ranged in size from $6,000 to $14.47 million and covered almost every aspect of medicine from neurology and psychiatry to anesthesiology and emergency care.
Indiana’s school choice voucher program growing statewide
The program has been growing since its inception in 2011, when it was limited to 7,500 students. Last year, 36,290 students around the state utilized vouchers to attend private schools.
After 20 years, Knight lets bygones be bygones in Assembly Hall
When Bob Knight walked through the tunnel Saturday and onto his old court for the first time since his firing in September 2000, the crowd went wild — chanting his name, roaring with approval and thanking him for all the success and banners he brought to Bloomington.
Purdue gets $5.9M contract to develop Mach 8 wind tunnel
Purdue, which is already home to one of only two working Mach 6 quiet wind tunnels in the U.S., will collaborate with the University of Notre Dame to develop the Mach 8.
Switch in IPS bus providers to cost jobs of drivers, attendants
Indianapolis Public Schools will part ways with its current student transportation provider in June to work with a new contractor in a move affecting more than 500 drivers and attendants.
As local districts boost teacher pay, charters say they’re struggling to compete
Following a successful school-funding referendum in 2018, IPS has doled out millions of dollars in raises to most staff. That boost in pay has been a boon for district teachers, but it has left the city’s charter schools at a disadvantage.
Teacher gun training program clears Indiana Senate
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.
Charter operator spending $10M to relocate elementary school to former warehouse
Paramount Schools of Excellence bought the 55,000-square-foot building in the Cottage Home neighborhood for about $3.2 million.
State lawmakers send school ‘hold harmless’ bill to governor
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.
Indiana has new tool to give parents data about schools
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.