By Erica IrishÂ
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana schools that plan to experiment with virtual learning this fall in response to the COVID-19 pandemic learned Wednesday they’ll now receive 100% funding to do so.
The decision came from a resolution by the State Board of Education, or SBOE, in response to debates about a current Indiana law that limits per-pupil funding to 85% for schools that operate virtually. The SBOE voted Wednesday morning to ensure schools that are using virtual classrooms because of the pandemic receive full funding, as they would if operating like normal.
Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, first pointed out schools who choose to operate virtually might be at risk of losing funding because of Indiana’s current law in a letter to educators. The letter prompted wider review by state education leaders.
Virtual schools that operate totally online, SBOE Executive Director Brian Murphy said, will still only receive 85% funding because they were already equipped to handle needs like technology.
K-12 schools around the state as well as colleges and universities continue to operate in person, however, which is why state health officials are working on a new dashboard to give educators guidance on how to safely serve students.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box announced the new dashboard at last week’s virtual press briefing and said it will be finalized this week — with one change.
The state still plans to rank counties by four color categories — blue, yellow, orange and red — on a map that shows the severity of COVID-19 in communities. But the state will no longer use one metric, the percent change in the positivity rate from the previous week, in determining a county’s category. Box said the state will instead measure the number of positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents and the seven-day positivity rate.
“We want these maps to be useful tools, not give people a false sense of security,†Box said.
Depending on the color category, the state will provide different recommendations to area schools on how they might consider limiting in-person activities like assemblies and class. But the state will not require any action.
While the Indiana’s overall COVID-19 positivity rate and hospital capacity remains stable, the number of cases continues to increase. State health officials reported an additional 871 cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing the known total to 95,750. Another 13 Hoosiers were reported to have died from the virus, bringing the total dead to 3,106.
A Federal Eviction BanÂ
The Trump administration ordered the federal Centers for Disease Control Tuesday to enforce a new eviction moratorium for renters at risk of homelessness because of the pandemic.
The federal ban is scheduled to begin nationwide this Friday and last through the end of the year, Dec. 31, adding new security after Indiana’s eviction moratorium ended in early August.
Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, said the ban will apply to Indiana residents who meet five criteria listed in the CDC guidelines.
Sipe said renters must have exhausted all other options to obtain government aid, for one, and they will also be expected to make partial payments in rent if possible to be protected by the new moratorium.
Sipe also emphasized the ban only protects renters from eviction for not paying their rent. It does not protect renters if they violate other parts of a lease agreement.
“Renters, even under a moratorium, are still obligated to pay their rent,†Sipe said.
The Indiana Housing Authority received nearly 36,000 applications for rental assistance before the deadline Aug. 26 and has distributed almost $14 million to renters through their landlords.
Nursing HomesÂ
Box also confirmed Wednesday the state is on track to finish with nursing home staff and residents in a second round of COVID-19 testing. More than 18,000 individuals have been tested so far, Box explained, and 36,000 individuals were tested in the first round.
Nursing homes are also receiving new antigen testing machines from the federal government to help promote more consistent and timelier COVID-19 tests. Around 200 nursing homes have received the machines to date, Box said, and those that haven’t should receive them by the end of the month.
Flexibility for CARES Act FundingÂ
Indiana has spent almost $1 billion in aid it received from the federal CARES Act to date. But that’s less than half of the almost $2.4 billion the state received in March.
Office of Management and Budget Director Cris Johnston said the $1 billion that has been spent went towards almost a dozen state programs, including a rental assistance program that’s given out almost $14 million to eligible renters through their landlords, incentives for workforce training, and more.
The rest of the money Indiana received, however, must be spent by Dec. 30, and it remains unclear if Congress will reach an agreement on granting additional aid to states before then. Johnston and Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday they hope Congress will either find a solution for more funding or give states more flexibility to consider spending past that date.
“What we’re seeing now is these needs are going to continue for many, many more months,†Johnston said.
Erica Irish is the 2020 Russell Pulliam editor for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
