This year the legislative session is scheduled to end on March 14. Approximately 250 Senate bills and 425 House bills are proposed for this session. Undoubtedly, most of these bills will not be assigned to a committee or pass the bill’s first reading.
It is impossible to cover all the bills affecting our education system in this short space, so I will mention a few that I believe should be passed and some that should not see the light of day.
First is HB 1072, Student Immunizations, authored by Rep. Cash. This bill prohibits the requirement of an immunization shot for a student enrolled in a health profession education program. The bill also states that a student does not have to provide information regarding the student’s religious objection.
Second, is HB 1221, Material that is obscene or harmful to minors, authored by Rep. Abbott. There has been much discussion and debate about what is considered “obscene” and what material is “educational.” This bill looks to better define the terms and further clarify the education and criminal laws.
Third is SB 6, Reading Proficiency, authored by Sen. Raatz and Sen. Rogers. This bill addresses students in grades 4 through 8 who did not pass the reading skills evaluation approved by the state board of education. It would require a school to provide additional support to students who are at risk of not being proficient in reading.
On bills that should not be taken up, the most problematic is HB 1017, K-12 Curriculum, authored by Rep. Smith. This bill proposes that schools should not provide instruction concerning any president who owned slaves, colonialism, or Christopher Columbus. Why wouldn’t we want to teach our children the facts of the past so that we can continue to learn from our mistakes and “form a more perfect Union”?
SB 195, Age for compulsory school attendance, authored by Sen. Taylor, would mandate that any child who is 5 years of age on Aug. 1 of a school year must attend school. The current law states that a child must be 7 years of age. Do we want our children to be instructed by others at such an early age? Children do not have to be in a school environment to be learning.
The last bill I wish to discuss will be controversial due to the strong beliefs on all sides of the matter. HB 1037, Minimum teacher salaries, is authored by Rep. Klinker. This bill would require a school corporation to submit a report to the Department of Education as to why it cannot meet a minimum salary of $60,000 a year for each full-time teacher. The current requirement for such a report is a minimum salary of $40,000. In addition, the report must include cost savings measures taken by the school to meet this minimum requirement and it must do so starting June of 2025.
Regarding HB 1037 I want to state that in no way am I saying that teachers do not deserve better pay. Teachers provide a tremendous service in the education of our children. The problem with this bill is that it pushes the minimum by too much too fast. There are also concerns regarding the measures school corporations will take in their cost savings efforts.
I would encourage our parents, grandparents, and taxpayers to familiarize themselves with the current slate of legislation and let their elected officials know where they stand. To see what bills are proposed this session go to iga.in.gov and click on “Legislation” in top navigation.