Education will be top issue

Education will be a key topic.

That was the consensus among local legislators as the Indiana General Assembly prepared to begin the 2024 legislative session, which started Monday.

State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle), who represents Jay, Adams, Wells and Blackford counties and part of Allen County, State Rep. J.D. Prescott (R-Union City), who represents the southern two-thirds of Jay County, all of Randolph and Blackford counties and part of Delaware and Henry counties, and State Rep. Matt Lehman (R-Berne), who represents the northern third of Jay County as well as all of Adams and Wells counties, all pointed to education issues as key for the session.

Holdman noted chronic absenteeism as a key issue the legislature will look to address this year. State data shows about 40% of students missed 10 or more days of school and almost 20% missed 18 days or more. He called those numbers “alarming.”

“We’ve got to get control of that,” said Holdman. “It really relies on the parents to get the kids to school. I think therein lies part of our problem. It’s really a case of child neglect from an educational standpoint that the parent doesn’t require the child to get up and go to school in the morning.

“I think we just need to put some pressure on local school corporations to come up with a plan for what they’re going to do, some creative ways they can think of to get the kids out of bed and get them to school in the morning.”

On education issues, Prescott pointed to third grade reading scores and Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) testing data. Indiana Capital Chronicle reported last month that 81.9% of Indiana third graders passed the 2023 IREAD-3 test, about the same as the previous year and well short of the state department of education’s goal of 95%.

“Our elementary students are just not reading to grade level like they should be,” said Prescott. “What the answer is and the solution for that, it’s just going to have to be worked through and discussed. … I know that conversation is going to take center stage, at least on the house side, during the first half of the session.”

Lehman also started his education discussion with I-READ scores, noting that they are just too low. He said he’s heard a theme in his conversations with educators about the issue.

“What I’m finding is third grade might be too late to really be tracking what track they’re on,” he said, noting that in-class assessments used to be done in first and second grade. “I think we’ll probably see some language around maybe bringing some of that back, to start assessment earlier, even into the pre-K.”

Lehman also called for taking some of the pressure off of schools when it comes to reporting and other regulatory issues.

All three legislators also noted the projected Medicaid shortfall the state is facing, with Lehman noting that health care will likely follow as part of that discussion.

Holdman, who chairs the tax and fiscal policy committee, said most tax issues will be deferred until next year’s budget session after a study committee is able to make recommendations. But, he added, that the maximum levy growth quotient — it sets the amount of increased levy local units of government can take — needs to be addressed. Based on a six-year average, it is slated to go up to 5.6% in 2026. (The legislature put a two-year freeze on it last year at 4% for 2024 and ’25.) He said the legislature will look at keeping the freeze in place or setting a new freeze at a rate somewhere between 4% and 5.6%.

“So if we don’t do something to control the local level, it will be a 40% increase in levy that locals can take from the local taxpayer,” said Holdman.

“I think we’ve got to control local spending,” he added.

One of the bills Holdman authored came at the request of his hometown to expand districts to towns.

The districts allow communities to provide additional liquor licenses at a lower cost and are intended to help drive economic development in the downtown area.

“Right now, cities have the opportunity to develop a riverfront district but towns do not,” said Holdman. “I’m not sure why that was done that way.”

He has also authored legislation that would extend “lemon laws” to protect those who purchase recreational vehicles (RVs).

Among legislation he has authored, Prescott noted House Bill 1096 that would adjust state rules for 529 College Savings Accounts. He explained that federal law has changed to allow some leftover 529 dollars to be rolled over into a retirement account. His legislation would allow Indiana residents to take advantage of that option without a clawback for the tax credit they received for contributing to the 529 account.

He noted that constituents can reach him at [email protected].

Lehman’s main piece of legislation (House Bill 1158) seeks to clarify the relationship between county sheriffs and county commissioners when it comes to signing contracts. He noted that in practice sheriffs have entered into contracts for a variety of services, but there was a Lake County court case in which commissioners sued the sheriff over such contracts. The court sided with the sheriff, but acknowledged that state statute is not clear on the issue.

“What my bill does is breaks it into public safety and non-public safety,” said Lehman. “It requires commissioners to take action within a certain period of time, but it also allows the sheriffs to sign the contracts on their own. …

“It doesn’t shift any powers away or to anybody really. It just clarifies what has been in practice …”

Prescott said he plans to run for a fourth term this year. Lehman said he’d like to see how the first week of the session goes before finalizing his decision but that he also expects to run for another term, which would be his ninth. Holdman is not up for re-election this year.

All legislation can be reviewed by legislator or subject by visiting iga.in.gov.