Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, December 8, 2014
(STATEHOUSE) - Governor Pence’s call to strip Glenda Ritz of the chairman’s gavel on the State Board of Education has overshadowed the rest of his agenda for what he’s calling an “education session” of the legislature.
House Republicans have said they'll seek to steer a higher percentage of school funding to the classroom. Pence is offering a first hint to how the state might accomplish that, through what he's calling the "Freedom to Teach" plan, offering schools regulatory flexibility similar to what charter schools enjoy.
In particular, Pence says he wants to increase schools' ability to pay performance bonuses to the best teachers.
Both parties have said they'll seek to increase ttotal state funding for schools, and Pence says that will be his priority as well. He's not setting a numerical target, saying he'll release more detailed proposals after state fiscal analysts release their revenue forecast next week.
Pence says he'll ask legislators to lift the cap on the number of private-school vouchers the state can issue, and give charters the same per-pupil funding traditional public schools receive.
The governor is setting a goal of having 100-thousand more students in A-or-B-rated schools within six years.
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