A new school year can bring a flurry of emotions. While students often lament the end of days spent at the pool, they also cannot wait to get back to school alongside all of their friends. For parents, there are often mixed emotions as well. There is excitement for all of the knowledge that awaits their child, but also a reluctance to relinquish control and place their child in someone else’s care for seven hours a day, five days a week.
Inevitably, with each new school year comes a new set of challenges for students, parents and teachers alike. That is why my colleagues and I made a commitment this year to increase our investment in students and educators. Overall, education funding makes up more than 50 percent of the state’s budget, and this session, we made the largest investment ever in Hoosier education.
In an attempt to ensure schools have the necessary resources to boost student achievement, we increased education funding by $474 million. To put this into perspective, this increase was almost equivalent to the total amount of dollars we spent on public safety.
We also committed $70 million in performance funding that must be used to provide bonuses to effective and highly effective teachers. It is important that we reward those educators who go above and beyond to instill a love of learning and set our young Hoosiers up for success later in life.
While school is primarily about learning, the firefighter – and grandfather – in me also keeps student safety front of mind. In an effort to increase safety for students and the public, I supported a new law this session which allows a city, town or county to reduce the speed limit in a non-urban school zone to 20mph.
Previously, speed limits in non-urban districts could not be less than 30 mph. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 40 percent of pedestrians are fatally injured when struck by a vehicle traveling at that speed. That number dramatically decreases to just 5 percent when a vehicle is traveling at 20mph. While this new law is not a mandate on local schools, it will provide an option for those seeking to provide an extra layer of protection for their students.
Each year, I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to share in the successes of our local students – both academically and athletically. As the school year begins, I pray for the safety of each of these children, and I hope that this school year will allow them to unlock their full potential. Let’s make this year a great one!
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