Indianapolis, Indiana – According to some school administrators, Indiana’s two-year budget does not include enough money to pay for every student’s textbook and curriculum expenses in public and charter K–12 schools.
The elimination of such fees for families was a top objective for Governor Eric Holcomb and some state legislators this session.
“It’s the unintended consequences that we have to battle with at public schools,” said Derek Arrowood, superintendent of the Hamilton Heights School Corporation.
Arrowood declared that while he supports the Statehouse’s goals, he thinks the amount allotted won’t be enough.
“Do I think $150 is enough for third grade? Probably,” Arrowood said. “Do I think it’s enough for kids that are taking AP classes at the high school? Definitely not.”
The current state budget for Indiana allots $160 million annually for these costs. The law forbids curricular fees in public and charter schools as well.
“We will not diminish learning because of this lack of textbook funding, but we’re going to have to be creative to be able to do that,” Arrowood said.
Harold Olin, the superintendent of Greenfield-Central, echoed the need for inventiveness and agreed that the state funds is insufficient.
“We’re going to have to be creative in finding ways to cover that full cost because there are things beyond the textbooks that we’re doing to add to that educational experience,” Olin said. “Lab fees, for instance.”
“We fully anticipated a lot of questions,” Holcomb said Wednesday when asked about those concerns.
Before the regulation goes into force, the Indiana Department of Education will provide school districts with more instructions on it, he noted.
“There are some things that your son or daughter may want to participate in that’s not necessary or a requirement, and so those things will have to be sifted through,” Holcomb said.
Our inquiries for comment from the Indiana Department of Education were not answered.
