Indiana

School Scuffle

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels had some tough words on Tuesday for school officials as he spelled out his 2011 legislative agenda.

Daniels labeled complaints by school officials who say they don’t have enough money because of tax caps and reduced revenues as “outrageous whining”.  He said school officials need to devote less money to administrators and more toward the classroom.   He added school districts could save millions by moving their employees into the state health plan and asking their employees to skip a pay raise, like other Hoosiers.

Daniels says schools are blaming their financial troubles on the taxpayers and he labeled their complaints as an admission of incompetence on the part of school leadership.

He also pointed to statistics such as the average high school diploma in Gary and Indianapolis cost taxpayers $200,000 and less than .7% of teachers dismissed in Indiana for academic performance.

Daniels’ education reform plan includes more charter schools, flexibility for school districts, less emphasis on seniority and more on performance,  the creation of a “12th year scholarship program” where high school seniors who have finished their credits by 11th grade can attend college and money that would have been spent on their senior year of school can go towards their college education.

In addition to reforming education, Daniels also promised to protect taxpayers, reform local government, as well as the state’s unemployment trust fund.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on November 24, 2010 (boomark / email).