Indiana districts see mixed results on 13 school referendum requests
Voters across Indiana, weighing school referendum requests from 10 districts in Tuesday’s elections, approved seven measures and turned down six others.
Education
Articles
Powering research: Indiana universities balance federal grants with other sources of cash
University research budgets and federal funding levels are seen as increasingly important drivers of economic development as they give rise to more licensed technology and startup companies.
Indiana to drop Pearson, return to ETS teacher licensing
The move comes after Republican state Sen. Jean Leising, of Oldenburg, introduced legislation this year that required the state Board of Education to adopt a program that’s administered nationally.
IPS teachers could see raises as high as $9,400 under tentative contract deal
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.
Purdue prof, wife plead guilty in research fund scheme
Sixty-one-year-old Qingyou Han and his wife, 53-year-old Lu Shao, pleaded guilty to a felony wire fraud charge in federal court in Hammond.
Colleges to battle over shrinking pool of student recruits in coming years
Schools in Indiana and nationwide are preparing for a significant drop in the number of high school graduates.
Q&A with Jasmin Shaheed-Young, founder of education-advocacy group
Even though her background is in Democratic politics, Shaheed-Young says the organization will be nonpartisan.
IU receives $60M gift from tech pioneer Fred Luddy for AI initiative
In recognition of the gift from Luddy, an IU student in the 1970s, the university’s trustees have approved changing the name of the informatics school.
Amid key expansion, Indiana fills its On My Way Pre-K seats
Lawmakers decided to open up pre-K to all eligible families in Indiana, rather than restricting pre-K vouchers to 20 counties.
Purdue tech startup lands $6.9M grant from Department of Energy
A Purdue University-affiliated startup recently received a $6.9 million grant from the Department of Energy to develop a system to predict when nuclear reactor components need maintenance or replacement before they fail and cause power outages.
White Lodging founder gives $16M boost to Catholic schools
The Bruce and Beth White Family Foundation’s gift is expected to bring operational and academic support directly to 10 elementary and high schools in the Diocese of Gary, benefiting about 3,300 students.
Ten Indiana school districts set to ask voters to approve tax increases
Here’s a roundup of all of the state school districts that will put a tax increase on the ballot in November, including a couple of school districts with both construction and operational referendums.
Butler University board extends President Danko’s contract through 2024
The decision came just a week after Butler announced it had raised $171 million from 27,000 donors during the “quiet phase” of its largest-ever fundraising campaign.
A new Indianapolis teacher residency focuses on practice over theory
The Relay Graduate School of Education opened a campus in Indianapolis this year and is training its first class of 10 students, with plans to expand locally in the coming years.
Indiana Democrat pitches teacher-pay plan, but it could be hard sell
Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, put forward a plan this week to raise teachers’ salaries. Among his proposals: give school districts incentives to set minimum pay at $40,000, and freeze corporate tax rates to pay for it.
UPDATE: Third Democrat joins Indiana governor’s race, with GOP backer
First-term Sen. Eddie Melton of Gary joined the Indiana governor’s race Tuesday night in Gary with an introduction from the state’s Republican schools chief.
Butler raises $171M in campaign to support ‘new strategic direction’
The fundraising effort, named “Butler Beyond: The Campaign for Butler University,” hopes to raise at least $250 million overall by May 2022.
Indiana education board OKs, then reverses ‘nuclear’ change in school grades
Indiana’s State Board of Education on Wednesday passed a major change to how it grades schools—and then, at the very same meeting, voted to reverse its own decision.
Kenzie Academy raises $7.8M in venture capital
The tech apprenticeship and coding school said it plans to use the cash infusion to help it expand its tech-focused educational offerings and grow its enrollment nationally and in Indianapolis.
Justice Department supports archdiocese’s right to fire teacher in same-sex marriage
The Justice Department weighed in after a former Cathedral High School teacher in a same-sex marriage sued the archdiocese over his dismissal.