I recently spent a day meeting with local school officials, including superintendents, principals and other leaders of five school corporations. Hearing from these administrators on the accomplishments and challenges they face every day is vital for me as I discuss education policies at the Statehouse. With this feedback, I am able to make specific inquiries and suggestions to help our schools better serve Hoosier students. To top off my day of education, Gov. Eric Holcomb attended the Peru High School varsity basketball game that evening. It is always an honor to have the governor visit our community, and we were both glad to witness a Tiger victory!
Supporting Hoosier students is a central focus of several of my bills this session. When the General Assembly updated the school funding model to provide more equitable per student funding, a grant specifically dedicated for small schools was removed from the state education funding formula. The state now provides funding for individual students. Through House Bill 1215, I am proposing additional funding options for small schools. This would dedicate additional money per student for schools with 2,400 students or less. If passed, my legislation would increase funding for qualifying schools across the state by approximately $27 million per year. I am hopeful this bill will drive the discussion on ways to assist smaller schools who already do great work with their existing resources.
To keep our roads safer for students waiting for the bus, House Bill 1079 would increase penalties for drivers who disregard school bus stop arms. The bill would make it clear: drivers who pass a school bus with the stop arm extended could be sent to jail. It is important to send a message to everyone that it is unacceptable and incredibly dangerous to pass a school bus picking up children. The General Assembly also has other comprehensive school bus safety proposals to consider, and I hope to have the opportunity to vote on some of those later this session.
Stay tuned for more information as session continues to move at a quick pace. I have enjoyed visiting with many of you in the Statehouse over the last couple of weeks. Please let me know when you will be in our state’s capitol, and I’ll be happy to meet with you. Remember, it’s your state government, so participate in it!
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Rep. Ethan Manning (R-Denver) represents House District 23,
which includes portions of Cass, Fulton and Miami counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
