State voucher programs, charter schools and financial cuts affecting public education were the main topics during a panel discussion about the state of public education in Indiana with local legislators and the Monroe Country Community School Corporation superintendent Tuesday night.
Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington; John Barnes, director of legislative affairs for the Indiana Department of Education; and Judy Sharp, a Monroe County assessor, joined MCCSC superintendent Judy DeMuth in the forum, sponsored by the Indiana Coalition of Public Education at Bloomington City Hall.
ICPE is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that strives to keep parents, educators, legislators and community citizens more informed about public education in Indiana, Debbie Fish, state ICPE board member, said. Fish said their goal is to keep public dollars in public schools.
John Barnes talked about the dangers of the voucher program and how it’s siphoning money from public schools.
The voucher program started in 2011 as a program to enable children in poverty to have choices in their educational route, Barnes said.
After saving the state four million dollars in its first year, the program has begun costing the state money during the last three years.
“The bottom line is there is only so much money,” Barnes said. “If you keep shrinking the available amount of dollars there is going to be less money for your public schools.”
The voucher program is on target to cost 40 million dollars this year, which means less money allocated to public schools.
“The whole idea of experimenting with vouchers and experimenting with charters is the whole idea that we could figure out a way to improve education,” he said. “There’s no data that tells us that’s happening.”
Barnes continued to express his dissatisfaction with the bailout programs that are available for charter schools but aren’t available to public schools. In 2013, the General Assembly forgave 90 million dollars in charter school loans, he said. In 2015, the General Assembly provided $500 per student grant, he said.
DeMuth also expressed her frustration with financial reprieve available to charter schools but aren’t accessible to public schools.
“As a public school entity, we can’t just get our debt paid off by the state,” she said.
DeMuth chronicled the history of school funding in Monroe County and how the school corporation adapted to previous budget cuts implemented under former governor Mitch Daniels administration.
To combat financial cuts, Monroe County had to levy a charge, called referendums, against taxpayers to pay off their debt, DeMuth said.
“This community stood tall, passed a referendum, and we have the quality education that all of our kids have each and everyday in our schools,” she said.
Pierce concluded his speech by countering the General Assembly statement saying they have increased spending on education.
“The mantra of the current leadership of the General Assembly is we are now spending more money on education than ever before, and it’s just not true.”
