The Indiana House of Representatives today voted in support of legislation, co-authored by State Rep. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka), to fully fund all K-12 public school students for the 2020-21 school year, regardless of whether students attended classes in-person or virtually due to COVID-19.
Hostettler said the pandemic caused many traditional public schools to shift from in-person classes to remote learning. Under current law, schools receive 85% of tuition support per virtual student, which is defined as a child learning 50% or more of their instruction online. This means many schools would qualify for the lower funding amount because of moving classes online.House Bill 1003, which passed with bipartisan support and now advances to the Senate for consideration, would help mitigate requirements under current law and allow K-12 public schools to receive 100% funding for each student, whether they attended classes in-person or virtually.
“We have a constitutional obligation to provide Hoosier children access to a quality education, and we must honor that obligation by fully funding our schools, regardless of how students learn this school year,” Hostettler said. “This legislation has received overwhelming bipartisan support so far, and I’m hopeful we can continue this momentum and make this bill a law quickly.”
