Doug Ozolins, Hamilton Heights school board member, has been appointed to the Legislative Committee of the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) to help direct the development of the Association’s advocacy agenda for 2023.
Ozolins
“Serving on the Indiana School Board Association Legislative Committee (ISBA) has been a huge honor,” Ozolins said as he readies for his fifth year on the committee. “As a member of the Heights community, it has been an added privilege to work on this committee during Indiana State Representative Tony Cook’s time at the Statehouse. I am currently one of the longest serving members of the committee, which gives Heights a strong voice in the legislative process.”
The committee members held a day-long meeting on July 15 at the ISBA main offices in Indianapolis to identify and discuss the annual Legislative Priorities and Foundational Statements.
Topics considered by the committee included student learning progress, school funding and inflation, school safety and security, teacher retention, school resource officer training, bus driver shortages, and student mental and behavioral health services.
Some of the topics that will be presented to Indiana state legislators from this year’s activity are as follows:
State Budget & Tuition Support – Increase Teacher Pay & Retention
An annual increase in Tuition Support at a percentage matching or surpassing the rate of inflation. The Indiana General Assembly is asked to continue its recent significant effort (during the 2019-2021 and 2021-2023 biennia) to boost state tuition support to help fund increases in teacher compensation and classroom operational expenses.
Indiana Secured Schools Safety Grant – School Safety
ISBA supports a significant appropriation increase from $19 million to $30 million annually for this grant program. This increase will offset funding shortfalls of unfunded requests in the 2022 grant award cycle. Ensuring safe, secure, and supportive classroom learning environments have escalated in urgency and priority given the rash of tragic school shootings across the nation.
Stop Arm Violation Fine & Penalty Enforcement – Bus Safety
Enhanced efforts are needed to enforce school bus stop arm violation penalties and fines to better protect students in school bus zones. Legislation introduced in the 2021 and 2022 sessions proposed that a registered owner of a motor vehicle commits an infraction if the owner’s vehicle is used to violate the school bus stop arm law. Passage of this legislation would lessen the burden of proof to identify the driver of the vehicle.
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The final recommendations will be presented to the ISBA Delegate Assembly for formal approval at the annual ISBA-IAPSS Fall Conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4 at the Indiana Convention Center.
ISBA’s Legislative Committee is comprised of two school board members from each of ISBA’s 10 geographic regions.
“There will be much at stake for Hoosier children in the 2023 budget session,” ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin said. “We all need to be ready to be strong champions for K-12 public education. The school board members on our Legislative Committee play a vital role in helping shape sound education policy. We thank them for bringing forward so many excellent ideas for change, and we appreciate their dedicated public service.”
About ISBA
The Indiana School Boards Association is proud to support excellence in local school board governance through policy resources, legal services, advocacy, and professional development and training. For more information, visit isba-ind.org.