REP. HATFIELD CHARGES THAT HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTED TO SLASH EVANSVILLE VANDERBURGH SCHOOL CORPORATION FUNDING
REP. HATFIELD (D) CHARGES THAT HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTED TO SLASH EVANSVILLE VANDERBURGH SCHOOL CORPORATION FUNDING
Anna Groove
Senior Press Secretary For Indiana House Democrats
March 30, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS – Due to an accounting trick by Indiana House Republicans, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will be on the hook financially for students’ textbook costs and saddled with an effective budget cut. State Rep. Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) is calling attention to the fact that EVSC will lose $1,655,200 in funding during the 2024 fiscal year to cover the cost of textbooks for all students.
In his proposed state biennial budget, Gov. Eric Holcomb threw his support behind Indiana House Democrats’ decades-long call to eliminate all textbook fees for students as its own line item entirely paid for by the state. In fact, Hatfield himself offered a bill this session to eliminate textbook fees for students, with a curriculum fund created and administered by the state to cover this cost moving forward.
House Republicans’ budget eliminates textbook funding but instead forces schools to pay for the cost of textbooks out of their state funding, even for students on free and reduced lunches, which the state currently covers.
On the surface, EVSC will receive a 1.22% increase in base student funding from 2023 to 2024, an increase from $151,098,664 to $152,946,427. But thanks to the textbook cost of $1,655,200, that increase in funding actually comes out to only 0.13% – far below the current 6.0% rate of inflation. This will result in a significant practical funding cut for EVSC.
“I filed my bill to eliminate textbook fees this session because I believe in our state constitution’s promise of a tuition-free K-12 public education for Hoosier kids,†Hatfield said. “I’ve seen the hardship caused by textbook costs going to collections for families in House District 77. This practice needs to end.
“House Republicans’ textbook proposal is nothing more than deceptive accounting. Forcing Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation to take on the cost of all textbooks for students without a corresponding funding bump will undermine the district’s ability to provide students and families with the education and programs they need to achieve success.
“This provision is hardly a win for families or kids when it will deprive schools of funding to retain teachers and fight learning loss and literacy issues. It’s stunning, really, how easy it would be for the state to give families, children and schools a win here – the cost of eliminating textbook fees is approximately in the range of $100 million annually. Our state budget totals $43 billion by comparison. Free textbooks would be a minor line item for the state with a meaningful impact for EVSC families. We should make good on delivering a solid public education to the 90% of school-age Hoosier children who attend public school by actually funding this proposal.
“I encourage all concerned parents and residents to contact their state senator and representative to express their dissatisfaction with this measure.â€
As part of the House Republican budget proposal, this provision has passed out of the Indiana House of Representatives and is now under consideration by the state Senate.
FOOTNOTE: This article was posted by the City-County Observer without bias or editing.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY PROSECUTOR EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER VIGILANTE GROUPS
As the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor, I ask that all citizens reach out to the law
enforcement immediately if they suspect illegal activity.
The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to collaborating with
law enforcement to fight for victims, find and convict criminals, and bring cases to court
which result in strong convictions and are upheld on appeal. Because of this goal,
groups or individuals who take it upon themselves to undertake law enforcement
functions in Vanderburgh County cannot be condoned by the Office of the Prosecutor
for many legal and safety reasons.
First, actions by private, untrained—and sometimes armed—individuals who
confront others pose a serious risk to the community, and themselves, and can undermine
legitimate investigations and cases to which they are not privy.
Secondly, the evidence untrained individuals think they are collecting can
sometimes be legally problematic and inadmissible for use in bringing charges or taking
a case to trial. This series of events is supremely frustrating for law enforcement and
prosecution who spend years of certification and ongoing training on best practices to
find and keep illegal activity out of our communities and gain convictions which are
upheld on appeal.
Law enforcement in Vanderburgh County collaborates with each other to fight
crime. There are local, state, and federal investigations that the public is not privy to
which can be thwarted by an unknowing civilian’s involvement. There is a myriad of nuances to the law from investigation, arrest, and prosecution that involve years of technical, tactical, and legal training—which is ongoing throughout our careers. What the public sees on social media and television is dramatized, incomplete, over-simplified, and often inaccurate.
As a reminder, a person who chooses to pose as law enforcement, meddles in
ongoing investigations, or is violent, may also be subject to criminal prosecution if a law
is violated.
The citizens of Vanderburgh County can rest assured they have a fighter in their
corner and citizens can trust that I will work with law enforcement to respond with
diligence and integrity to their concerns.
Women’s golf completes Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate
Aces come home in 13th place
 PAWLEY’S ISLAND, S.C. – For the second day in a row, Kate Petrova recorded the low score to lead the University of Evansville women’s golf team at the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate.
Completing the third and final round at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club with a 4-over 75, Petrova wrapped up 54-hole event with a score of 222. She led the Purple Aces with a tie for the 19th position. Her even score of 71 on Tuesday was the low round of the tournament for the ladies.
Coming in second on the team was Magdalena Borisova. An 81 on the final day saw her complete the three rounds with a score of 230. She tied for 39th in the final standings. Next up was Mallory Russell. Carding a 79 in the final 18 holes, Russell tied for 46th place with a 232.
Allison Enchelmayer recorded an 81 in round three. Her final tally of 237 saw her tie for 63rd. Carly Frazier followed, posting an 85 on Wednesday to post a 254 for the duration of the tournament.
With a team score of 921, the Aces finished in 13th place. James Madison took the team championship with a score of 865. They finished 17 in front of UNC Greensboro. Top individual honors went to Sara Sarrion of Coastal Carolina. A 5-under 66 in the third round saw her take the win with a 208. Sarrion defeated her nearest competition by four strokes.
Just two more events remain for UE in the spring, starting on Sunday with the ISU Spring Invitational in Terre Haute.
USI to host 25th Annual Advanced Practice Registered Nursing Symposium Registration now open for April 28 event
Dr. Sally K. Miller, Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Professor at the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, will be the presenter at the University of Southern Indiana 25th annual Advanced Practice Registered Nursing (APRN) Symposium on Friday, April 28 in Carter Hall, University Center West. There are options for attendees to attend in person and virtually.
In addition to teaching physiology and pharmacology to advanced practice registered nursing students, Miller is the APRN consultant/investigator to the Nevada State Board of Nursing and maintains active clinical practices with Sahara Family Practice and iCarePsychiatry in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, she is a senior associate lecturer with Fitzgerald Health Education Associates.
Miller is certified as an adult-gerontology acute care, adult-gerontology primary care, family and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and is a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has been published in several nurse practitioner journals.
USI’s APRN Symposium is designed to provide current, practical information that will strengthen assessment skills and expand knowledge of patient management strategies. Topics this year include hypertension management, managing dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, pharmacotherapeutics and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. The content is appropriate for nurses, advanced practice registered nurses and other healthcare providers in ambulatory and acute care settings.
USI designates this activity for 5.75 contact hours. In addition to nurses, continuing education (CE) hours are also available for physicians, pharmacists, social workers, CHES, MCHES and Health Facility Administrators. CE hours will also be available for Indiana licensed marriage and family therapists, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and dental professionals.
During this conference, 4.5 hours are specific to pharmacotherapeutics, which meets the pharmacology continuing education requirements for the renewal of the advanced practice registered nurse prescriptive authority license.
The registration cost is $130 for professionals; $60 for current graduate students; and $20 for undergraduate students.
Indiana Sweeps Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Awards
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Following a fourth-place performance at the NCAA Championships and a second-straight Big Ten title, Indiana men’s swimming and diving swept the Big Ten’s postseason awards per the conference’s announcement on Wednesday (March 29).
All four honorees are, in a way, repeat winners. IU head swimming coach Ray Looze and seniors Brendan Burns and Andrew Capobianco all won men’s awards last year, while head diving coach Drew Johansen was the 2022 Big Ten Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.
At the NCAA Championships, three different Hoosiers won individual national titles, six program records were smashed, 10 medals were earned, and 10 IU athletes combined for 37 All-America honors. Indiana outperformed its No. 6 CSCAA national ranking as well as the psych sheet projections, which simulated a fifth-place performance.
Big Ten Swimming Coach of the Year: Ray Looze
 Looze was named the Big Ten Swimming Coach of the Year for the 12th time in his career and seventh time on the men’s side. It’s his second-straight honor for the men as well as his sixth in eight years.
Looze preached relay culture all season long, and it paid off at the national meet. All five of IU’s relays had top-10 performances for the first time since the team’s third-place finish in 2019, accounted for 136 points, and all five finished higher than their seeding. Indiana’s 400 medley relay repeated as the national runner-up after beating the previous NCAA record and setting a program standard in 2:59.09.
Indiana had four of the conference’s top five scoring swimmers in Burns (46), senior Van Mathias (35), junior Tomer Frankel (30) and sophomore Josh Matheny (24). Burns, Mathias and Frankel all medaled as swimming tallied 275 points.
 Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year: Drew Johansen
 Johansen returns as men’s diving coach of the year for the first time since repeating from 2018-19. Adding his 2022 award for women’s coaching, Johansen is now a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Johansen led his group to a staggering 104 points at the national meet, 32.5 more points than any other diving team. IU diving recorded two national championships and five medal finishes, including the program’s first-ever NCAA title in platform diving via sophomore Carson Tyler.
Three IU divers scored at least 30 points and earned a medal; Capobianco won gold on 3-meter and silver on 1-meter to tally 37 points, sophomore Carson Tyler was the national champion on platform and fourth on 3-meter to collect 35 points, and sophomore Quinn Henninger earned bronze medals on both 3-meter and platform for 32 points.
 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year: Brendan Burns
 Repeating as the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Burns also repeated as an NCAA Champion, though this time in a new event. After winning the 200-yard butterfly a year ago, Burns took the crown in the 100 back in 2023.
Burns posted a program record and the third-fastest time ever recorded in 43.61 to become IU’s first 100 backstroke champion in 15 years and its seventh overall. On the same night, Burns was the top finisher in the 100 fly consolation final, taking ninth place overall.
Burns finished top-10 in all six events he raced in, including relays. Individually, Burns was the national runner-up in the 200 fly in addition to his 100 back, 100 fly double performance. The senior helped IU to second place in the 400 medley relay, fourth place in the 800 freestyle relay and fifth in the 200 medley relay.
 Big Ten Diver of the Year: Andrew Capobianco
 Among his many accolades, Capobianco is now a four-time Big Ten Diver of the Year, the second-ever Big Ten athlete to win four times and first since Minnesota’s P.J. Bogart from 1993-96. Capobianco has won the award each of the last three seasons.
 In his final NCAA 3-meter diving final, Andrew Capobianco gave a dominant performance to win his third national championship in the event. The senior’s lowest-scoring dive earned him 81.00 points as he tallied a program record 522.60 and outscored the field by 74.3 points. He ended the performance with an exclamation mark, earning 91.20 points on a forward 4 ½ somersault tuck.
The night before, Capobianco earned silver on the 1-meter springboard for the second-straight season. The fifth-year student-athlete closes his collegiate career a three-time national champion, six-time NCAA medalist and 12-time All-American.
USI conference focuses on research, human-centered leadership
USI conference focuses on research, human-centered leadership
Registration is now open for April 19 event
Two of the three founders of uLeadershipâ„¢ will be keynote speakers at the 27th annual University of Southern Indiana Research, Evidence-Based Practice and Performance Improvement in Healthcare Conference, slated for Wednesday, April 19, in Carter Hall, University Center West.
uLeadershipâ„¢ is an educational program designed to teach leaders to focus first on personal transformation, which results in sustainable cultures of excellence, caring and trust.
Dr. Lucy Leclerc, Chief Learning Officer of uLeadership™, is a researcher, nurse executive, author and Assistant Professor in the School of Healthcare Leadership at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Her research focuses on healthcare leadership in practice and in academia with the aim to connect leadership behaviors with metrics and outcomes for staff, patients, and communities. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Nursing Education and has published research in many peer-reviewed journals. Over the years, Leclerc has led teams in venues from the bedside to the executive director role to tarmacs across the world in the United States Air Force Reserve as an officer and flight nurse.
Susan Campis, Chief Wellness Officer of uLeadership™, is a nurse executive, author, health and wellness coach, and entrepreneur. She began her nursing career in the intensive care unit, where she was a staff nurse for 15 years, before moving into a formal leadership role. Over the years, she has served as a nurse manager, director, and executive director. As a nurse leader, Campis understands the importance of a safe and healthy work environment, and she worked to create a culture where her team ensured quality care and patient safety.
“Having two keynote speakers from uLeadershipâ„¢ will offer our conference attendees a deeper dive into the human-centered leadership model,†says Anita Hagan, Interim Director of the Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning. “The idea behind this model is that leaders should develop self-care practices and a healthy mindset in order to build a culture of caring and excellence, which ultimately leads to positive outcomes for patients.â€
According to Hagan, this conference will provide an environment to disseminate research, evidence-based practice, and performance improvement among healthcare disciplines. In addition to the keynote presentations, there will be juried oral and poster presentations on a variety of topics.
USI designates this activity for 6.25 contact hours. Continuing education (CE) hours will be available for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, social workers, and health facility administrators. CE hours will also be available for Indiana-licensed marriage and family therapists, occupational therapists, occupational therapist assistants, and dental professionals.
If registering before April 10, the cost is $130 for professionals; $60 for current graduate students; and $20 for undergraduate students.