State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn testifies at State Board of Education public hearing about proposed diplomas

Submitted

On July 30, the State Board of Education (SBOE) and Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) held a public meeting regarding the proposed GPS and GPS Plus high school diplomas. Educators, concerned parents, and legislators gathered to voice their concerns about the new diploma requirements.

State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) provided the following statement regarding her testimony:

“I consider myself lucky to represent a district with some of the most involved parents in the state. I’ve held two listening sessions in my district so that residents could get their questions answered and express their concerns. I have been blown away by the level of engagement I’ve received, from parents of middle schoolers to retirees who want to ensure that their grandkids’ education is what they deserve.

“Today, I summarized the sentiments of my constituents who took the time to share their thoughts with me for the State Board of Education and Indiana Department of Education.

“First, people are overwhelmingly concerned that this proposal lacks balance. As the daughter of a union cement mason and cosmetologist, I understand and appreciate how essential the trades are to our state. However, it’s important that all of our graduates, no matter whether they want to enter the workforce right after high school or pursue additional education, have a solid foundation that prepares them to be informed citizens in the world. As a result, most of my district believes that eliminating requirements for world history, foreign language, geography, advanced math, and health will not serve students or our state well.

“Additionally, District 32 shares the concerns of Purdue University’s president about eliminating the academic honors diploma. Dr. Chiang confirmed that neither diploma’s base requirements meet admissions standards for Purdue, and even shared data that the completion of an academic honors diploma in high school sets Hoosier students up for better outcomes once they are on campus at Purdue. On behalf of House District 32, I urged IDOE and SBOE to reinstate the academic honors diploma in this plan. I also pointed out that neither House Enrolled Act 1002 (2023) nor House Enrolled Act 1243 (2024) called for a complete reworking of Indiana’s high school diploma system – they just called upon state education officials to add a workforce-training-based diploma.

“Apart from these concerns, my constituents have questions about how these workforce and extracurricular requirements will limit students from fully participating in their beloved athletics and clubs. I share these concerns, along with questions about how our businesses will find the time and resources to manage and create a safe workplace for minors who are participating in the internship or apprenticeship part of the diploma at a time when our workforce shortage is glaring in every sector.

“Finally, I asked IDOE and SBOE to share more of the peer-reviewed research that led them to make the large changes in this plan, such as the elimination of classic high school standbys like world history and health class. Right now, the proposal only has links to other websites, which as a researcher, I view as insufficient rationale for these changes. My office reached out to IDOE twice to request this research and received no response. Their lack of response is indeed a response.

“My parents instilled in me a commitment to assuming best intent. I believe that this proposal was crafted by IDOE with the best intent in mind, and I believe that they will take today’s feedback from the public to heart in making revisions to the plan.

“Thank you to the constituents who have taken the time to share their thoughts and feedback with me as well as the IDOE and SBOE. Your input is invaluable and I am so thankful to you for your thoughtfulness and concern for our kids.”