Celebrating significant legislation for Indiana charter school students

Today marks a big step in the right direction for the tens of thousands of Hoosier children who attend public charter schools. The Indiana General Assembly’s passage of HEA 1001 and SEA 391 will drive meaningful progress toward addressing the $7,300 per student funding gap faced by charter school students in Indianapolis. 

HEA 1001 and SEA 391 do the following:

• Share operating referendum proceeds proportionately with charter schools, ensuring that funding disparities cannot widen due to the passage of a referendum.
• Share future increases in local property taxes proportionally with charter schools.
• Create a capital grant fund to assist charter schools with facility costs.
• Provide charter schools with access to the state’s common school fund and expanded access to the Indiana Bond Bank, providing new and affordable pathways for financing capital projects.
• Increase the existing charter school grant from $1,250 per student to $1,400 per student to help fund operational costs.

These provisions create precedent setting property tax sharing mechanisms that will ensure existing funding disparities do not widen, while also providing new state revenue that moves the ball forward on closing the existing gap. While we are excited for this progress, there is much more work to be done in upcoming legislative sessions to ensure charter school students truly receive their fair share of funding.

We specifically thank Speaker Huston, Representative Behning, Representative Thompson, Senate President Pro Tempore Bray, Senator Rogers, Senator Raatz, Senator Mishler, and Senator Holdman for their leadership. We urge Governor Holcomb to sign these bills into law.

We are also grateful for the families, educators, and students who shared their voices this session to show how impactful these changes will be on their educational experience.

All students, regardless of the type of school they attend, deserve fair funding. Today we are one step closer to making that a reality for all Hoosier children.