Republicans sparked protests from teachers and union officials Tuesday by pushing legislation through a House committee that would bar Indiana schools from automatically deducting union dues from teacher paychecks, an issue that critics thought was off the table this year.
The House Ways and Means Committee removed a provision that would have opened the voucher program to current private school students by not requiring them to first spend at least one year in public schools.
A bill that could be voted on by the state Senate in the coming week would suspend implementation of the benchmarks at Indiana schools until after the state Board of Education has finished a new review of the standards it adopted in 2010.
Indiana lawmakers say they hope to improve security at schools around the state by offering grants toward hiring police officers and buying safety equipment.
A proposal for statewide hearings on whether Indiana should keep or modify the Common Core State Standards national education benchmarks was approved Wednesday by a legislative committee.
Sen. Scott Schneider said he expects the Senate Education Committee to vote on a proposal to suspend implementation of the Common Core State Standards while the State Board of Education holds new hearings.
The measure would remove a one-year waiting period students have to spend in public school before qualifying for a voucher and qualify wealthier families for the program in certain cases.
The Indiana State Board of Education is handing authority over four troubled Indianapolis schools to the city's mayor.
Senators voted 36-13 Tuesday in favor of the proposal despite arguments from some senators that it represents an unwarranted mandate from the state on local school districts.
The Indiana House has approved a bill that would end the requirement that local school superintendents hold a state superintendent's or teacher's license.
Pence policy director Marilee Springer told members of the House education committee Tuesday that the governor supports a sweeping package of education changes that would end a one-year waiting period to obtain the scholarships.
The mayor of Indianapolis is asking the Indiana State Board of Education to give him control of four former city schools taken over by the state because of poor performance.
The chairman of the Indiana Senate Education Committee says any proposals to expand the state's private school voucher system will have to be first approved by the Indiana House.
Local school superintendents would no longer have to hold an Indiana superintendent's or teacher's license under a bill endorsed by an Indiana House committee.
The Indiana House has approved a bill that would shorten the time that school districts must hold onto vacant buildings in case a charter school operator wanted to move into the building.
Top Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly agree that more money is needed to improve Indiana's education system in the next two years, but how that money will be spent is a point of debate.
For the first time in history, the Indiana High School Athletic Association's bylaws on recruitment are no longer being applied to high school students alone. With the passing of Bylaw 20-2, potential student-athletes as young as 10 could lose their high school eligibility if recruitment is found.
Indiana's new governor and state schools superintendent are from different political parties but they seemed in agreement Friday on getting schools to focus more on preparing students for careers.
Indiana Senate Republicans are in the middle of overhauling a safety measure aimed at better protecting schools after a shooting last month in Connecticut left 20 first-graders dead.
The chairman of the Indiana Senate's Education Committee says he's working on a compromise to a bill that would pull the state from the Common Core State Standards national education initiative.
