As concerns over America's education system continue to spread throughout the nation, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has led his state to meaningful reform. Numerous pieces of legislation signed by Daniels on May 5, 2011, implemented his wide-ranging reform agenda that both expanded the school options available to Indiana families through vouchers and charter school opportunities and also increased accountability for both schools and teachers.

Gov. Daniels' creation of the largest school voucher program in the country via House Enrollment Act No. 1003 is perhaps the most dramatic of his reforms. Low and middle-income families in Indiana will be able to apply for scholarships to private and parochial schools of their choice, with families who qualify for free and reduced lunch (income below $40,000 for a family of four) eligible for 90% of state tuition support. Families below 150% of free and reduced lunch eligibility ($60,000 income for a family of four) will be able to receive vouchers for 50% of state tuition support. For the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years, the number of vouchers issued will be capped at 7,500 and 15,000 respectively. After those two years, the vouchers will be unlimited, allowing Indiana students and their families access to educational choice regardless of income.

Indiana school choice also increased with the expansion of charter school opportunities. House Enrollment Act No. 1002, passing with an even greater majority than HEA No. 1003, created a state charter school board to sponsor Indiana charter schools.  It also widened the pool of eligible charter school sponsors to include certain nonprofit colleges and universities. Virtual charter schools, previously participating in a state pilot program, are now permitted to seek sponsors in the same way as normal charter schools. Along with significantly increasing the numbers of charter schools in Indiana, HEA No. 1002 opens school choice options further by allowing all Indiana virtual charter schools to enroll unlimited numbers of students state-wide. This reform offers students previously unable to enroll in the state's two other virtual charter schools--which were capped at 500 students--the chance to enjoy the individualized approach of virtual learning that many parents want for their children.

Daniels' education reform platform emphasizes the need for rigorous evaluation of teachers for the purposes of performance-based hiring and salary decisions. With the signing of Indiana Senate Enrollment Act No. 1, teachers will now be held accountable for the quality of their teaching. Now, when administrators determine pay increases, seniority and academic degrees will only account for one-third of the decision-making process, and the teacher's success with students will now be the primary factor in that determination. Additionally, no student will be placed in the classroom of a teacher who has been rated "ineffective" by the locally-developed evaluation unless the student's parent gives approval, protecting students by giving parents control of their children's educational quality.

Indiana has increased education accountability as well as transparency. HEA No. 1002 requires charter schools to share all sponsor and application data on their web pages, as well as their annual performance data, while SEA Nos. 1 and 1260 provide for a state-wide performance ranking of schools on a simple A-F scale and a full disclosure of fees, commissions, and bonuses paid to a school corporation's health insurance providers. These measures enable the taxpayer to keep tabs on the spending and performance of the individual schools within the state and is in keeping with State Budget Solutions' belief that increased transparency leads to better budgets.

Gov. Daniels' education reform platform also cuts costs for Indiana education. SEA No. 575 increases school success and efficiency by placing control at the local level and restricting the collective bargaining power of Indiana teachers unions to include wage and benefits only.  SEA No. 1 prevents tax-payer dollars from going to ineffective teachers and mandates that the Indiana Department of Education partner with businesses and private organizations to increase operational efficiency at the individual school level. HEA No. 1002 also gives charter schools increased access to unused facilities owned by traditional public schools, cutting building and operational costs.

While the Daniels reforms are not universally popular, the governor has proven himself willing to fight for the rights of the taxpayers and students' families who pay for and use Indiana's education system. By insuring that schools and teachers are held accountable for their spending and the quality of education they provide, and expanding families' freedom to choose the best school option for individual students, Gov. Daniels has done the right thing for the taxpayer and the more-than 1,000,000 students of Indiana.

 IN Daniels Education Reform

Filed Under : K-12 Education