Indianapolis – Hundreds of teachers, parents, and students, clad in red, converged on the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, April 14th, in a massive demonstration protesting proposed policies that could decrease public school funding and divert resources to private charter schools.
The rally, organized by the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA), took place ahead of the final vote on a sweeping property tax overhaul. Concerns have arisen that the latest provisions in the bill could reduce revenue for public schools by up to $744 million over the next three years.
ISTA President Keith Gambill stated, "The overall annual 2% increase in the new state budget, an $870 million increase, doesn't even keep pace with inflation. Our students deserve bold investments, not minimums."
He indicated that teachers would be urging legislators in the coming days and weeks to ensure "public dollars remain in public schools."
ISTA Urges Active Legislative Engagement
The current legislative session is scheduled to conclude by April 29th and could end as early as April 24th. All legislation, including the state budget, must be finalized by this deadline.
Gambill emphasized, "Our schools must be adequately funded and our public system must remain whole so that every child has access to a high-quality education."
The demonstration prompted at least three school districts – Indianapolis Public Schools, Pike Township in the vicinity, and Monroe County Community School Corporation in Bloomington – to switch to online learning for the day.
Following these schedule changes, House Representative Andrew Ireland (R-Indianapolis) introduced an amendment on Monday morning to Senate Bill 373 (education-related legislation) that would jeopardize state tuition support for public school districts that switch to virtual learning for scheduled in-person instruction days due to "teacher or other personnel absences planned or organized for the purpose of participating in a protest, demonstration, or political advocacy activity."
According to Ireland's amendment, such districts would risk losing state per-student funding for each day of violation.
Gambill read the amendment aloud during the rally, eliciting loud boos and jeers from the crowd.
"We need to be talking to our legislators every day between now and the end of session. We cannot let our guard down," he urged, adding, "We must genuinely remind them that behind every policy is a classroom full of teachers and students."
Ireland submitted the amendment for a statement on Monday afternoon but withdrew it without discussion or a vote.
Protesters Call for Action
For over two hours on Monday morning, the halls of the Statehouse echoed with chants of "Fund Our Schools!", "Pay Our Teachers!", and "Defend Public Education!"
Many protesters wearing red t-shirts held homemade signs. Banners, posters, and paper signs, even messages scrawled on the backs of LaCroix sparkling water boxes, were visible as participants chanted and cheered, expressing their frustration.
The unified goal of all participants was to secure "fair and adequate" funding for public schools.
While acknowledging recent amendments to the two bills as improvements over the original versions, Gambill argued that the base tuition funding increase included in the Senate Republicans' draft state budget was "not enough." He also criticized an added amendment to the property tax bill, stating it could divert "significant" funding from traditional public schools to charter schools and allow districts to "circumvent" teachers' collective bargaining rights.
Monica Shelbarger, vice president of the Indianapolis Education Association, pointed out in her speech at the rally that teachers continue to be excluded from discussions regarding school funding.
"Indianapolis Public Schools has been a target of the legislature for years, and this year is no different," Shelbarger stated, adding, "We continue to see bills that try to close or defund Indianapolis Public Schools."
Jenny Noblit-Kupec, president of the Monroe County Education Association, also mentioned potential federal education budget cuts.
"As it stands, the public education that we know is beginning to disappear, and our children will be the victims," Noblit-Kupec expressed, noting, "There are already serious administrative failures at the federal level, including Title I grants for low-income students, critical programs to support students with disabilities, and school support programs."
She continued, "If that wasn't bad enough, now Indiana politicians are failing to prioritize our youngest voters and failing to support essential education like basic reading and writing skills and foundational math. This is unacceptable."
[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]
