STATEHOUSE (Jan. 28, 2021) – The Indiana House of Representatives recently voted in support of legislation to fully fund all K-12 public school students for the 2020-21 school year, regardless of whether students attended classes in-person or virtually due to COVID-19, according to State Reps. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) and Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh).
Bartels said the pandemic caused many traditional public schools to shift from in-person classes to remote learning. Under current law, schools receive 85% of tuition support per virtual student, which is defined as a child learning 50% or more of their instruction online. This means many schools would qualify for the lower funding amount because of moving classes online.
"School officials acted swiftly to meet the challenges brought on by the pandemic and ensure student learning was not disrupted," Bartels said. "It has been a year of adjusting and finding innovative ways to continue classes, and schools deserve full funding for each student whether they learned in-person or virtually."
According to Ledbetter, the legislation now advances to the Senate for consideration, and would help mitigate requirements under current law and allow K-12 public schools to receive 100% funding for each student, whether they attended classes in-person or virtually.
"Under current law, there is not a provision regarding learning requirements during a pandemic and how that affects budgetary matters such as funding," Ledbetter said. "This legislation works to remedy this issue and count students as if they were physically in the classroom."
To learn more about House Bill 1003 and watch legislative proceedings online, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) represents House District 74,
which includes portions of Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford and Orange counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh) represents House District 75,
which includes portions of Pike, Spencer and Warrick counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
