INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, one of the state’s largest school districts laid out its top priorities for the upcoming legislative session, including access to early learning programs and growing the teacher pipeline.
"We are being proactive and strategic instead of waiting to see what comes out the next session,” said Dr. Rachel Santos, the director of external affairs for Indianapolis Public Schools.
Santos joined the IPS team at the end of July. She spent months meeting with various departments to identify barriers to student success.
"One task was how can we put together a list of priorities that meet the needs of our students and families within IPS but also looks a little broader and looks at the needs of the state,” Santos said.
Ultimately, the team came up with six legislative properties:
- Support Early Learning Programs: Expand access to quality Pre-K education by raising income eligibility limits for financial assistance programs and increasing award amounts.
- Enhanced Support for Diverse Student Needs: Update funding formulas to better support students learning English and those with special education needs.
- Student Health Checkups: Require basic health screenings when students enter kindergarten, middle school, and high school to catch health issues early and ensure students are ready to learn.
- College Affordability: Allow Indiana high school graduates, including undocumented students, to pay in-state tuition rates at Indiana colleges, making higher education more accessible.
- Growing the Teacher Pipeline: Expand state job training grants to include teaching certificates and recognize work experience as college credit to help more people become teachers in Indiana.
- Reading Success for All: Give schools more flexibility to help struggling readers by offering additional testing opportunities and adjusting advancement requirements for English learners based on their language progress.
In the coming months, IPS plans to work closely with state and education leaders to build support around these initiatives.
“We are making sure that Dr. Johnson and our deputy superintendent are in front of legislators and at the tables where decisions are being made when it comes to our city and when it comes to our state,” Santos said.
The 125th General Assembly is set to meet in January 2025.