The governor on vouchers

Learning Curve

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett filed a large contribution report (required for contributions over $1,000) last week showing a $10,000 campaign contribution from Robert L. Luddy of Raleigh, N.Tuesday

Evidence-based practices?

Ask state education officials why Indiana lags most others in offering early childhood education and they will tell you it's a good thing, but we can't afford it at this time.Tuesday

Creationism in the classroom? It's a fact

As a bill allowing the teaching of creationism moves from the Indiana Senate to House, this column in the BallMonday 4 comments

Our editorial board met briefly with Gov. Mitch Daniels this afternoon. The still-unfinished state budget was the primary topic.

Public school officials will not be pleased to learn that the governor continues to push for the "school scholarship tax credit" -- a thinly disguised voucher bill. The governor termed the $5 million-a-year price tag as "almost insignificant."

It is a small amount in terms of the total budget, but the governor's demands for the legislature to control spending certainly loses its punch when he himself calls for new spending.

By the same token, public school officials need to concede that a proposed cap on charter schools is a bad idea that puts Indiana's chances for millions in federal stimulus dollars at risk.

One other interesting note from our conversation: The governor now appears to be open to using some of the state's $1.3 billion in reserves.