Gary schools laying off nearly 170 teachers
Gary Community Schools Superintendent Myrtle Campbell said the district needs to cut $11 million from its budget, and personnel is the biggest part of its spending.
Teachers
Articles
Indianapolis Public Schools laying off 163 workers
Indiana's largest school district is planning to lay off 163 workers, including 94 teachers, largely because of the state takeover of four schools starting this fall.
Indiana panel OKs overhaul of school grading system
A state panel has approved changes to Indiana's A-to-F grading standards for public schools despite complaints that the new rules are too complex for schools and parents to understand.
Indiana House panel leader leery of creationism bill
The leader of the Indiana House Education Committee said Tuesday a proposal specifically allowing public schools to teach creationism alongside evolution in science classes could be unworkable.
Judge upholds Indiana school voucher law
A Marion Superior Court judge affirmed Indiana’s school voucher law on Friday, rejecting opponents’ arguments that the largest such program in the nation unconstitutionally uses public money to support religion.
State school chiefs paid more than meets the eye
Indiana’s nearly 300 school superintendents are receiving more compensation than reported in their contracts, with extra payments for benefits such as health insurance counting toward their overall salaries for pension purposes, a newspaper’s investigation has found.
Teachers sue 3 Indiana school districts, seek raises
The dispute, which includes schools in Noblesville, stems from changes passed by the Legislature earlier this year limiting collective bargaining agreements between local districts and teachers’ unions.
Test scores, attitudes improving at Indianapolis magnet school
High expectations set tone for Indianapolis Public School’s Harshman Middle School overhaul.
Education battle unleashed torrents of money in Indiana
Education reformers dramatically outspent opponents on lobbying, advertising and grass-roots campaigning during the past legislative session.
ISTA says new teacher contract forms violate state law
The Indiana State Teachers Association is asking a judge to block state education officials from putting new teacher contract forms for the 2011-2012 school year into use.
Teach for America to double presence in Indianapolis
The New York-based not-for-profit, which opened shop in Indianapolis in 2008, plans to train 100 teachers in the summer of 2012, up from 50 this year.
UPDATE: Teachers, others sue over school voucher law
The Indiana State Teachers Association filed the lawsuit in Marion County on Friday seeking to block the state’s new school voucher law. Plaintiffs include teachers, school administrators, clergy and taxpayers.
ISTEP breaches spur closer look at testing
Rising concerns about cheating on Indiana's standardized tests have prompted the state Department of Education to keep closer tabs on how the test is administered.
Reform law gives charters leeway to hire unlicensed teachers
Legislation that expands charter schools in Indiana also could increase the number of teachers at those schools without licenses, making it easier for educators like Eric Nentrup to take non-traditional paths to the classroom.
Legislating pay: Description of Senate Bill 1
Senate Bill 1, which takes effect July 1, will make teacher pay far more complex. To determine a teacher’s annual pay increase, school districts now can count experience and education as no more than 33 percent of the compensation equation.
New laws hang teacher pay on performance
Charters and vouchers may have sparked the loudest education-related protests before the Legislature this year, but changes to teacher evaluations are likely to have the biggest impact on Indiana’s public schools.
Bills that passed, failed in this year’s General Assembly
A look at some major legislation considered this year by the Indiana General Assembly.
Teacher merit pay bill heads to Daniels’ desk
A bill linking teacher pay with student performance has won final legislative approval and now heads to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for his signature.
Bill on teacher union rights heads to governor
A bill to restrict Indiana teachers' collective bargaining rights has cleared its final legislative hurdle, becoming the first part of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' sweeping education agenda to make it to the governor's desk.
Indiana panels OK teacher merit pay, voucher bills
Two pieces of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' sweeping education plan, a voucher plan that would direct taxpayer money to private schools and a merit pay bill that links teacher pay to student performance, cleared key legislative hurdles Wednesday.