Piling on poor schools

Learning Curve

It's easy to see why Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is so eager to embrace the pro-privatization forces working to dismantle public education. They spend lots of money, after all, electing politicians to support their mission.Tuesday

ALEC's star performer

ALEC, the corporate-controlled legislative group promoting a systemic destruction of public education, has released its annual report card. Indiana, ALEC's poster child for destructive reform, earns a B+ on the dubious roll and ranks it first in the May 9, 2013

Bad news for voucher supporters

A different state, a different decision. Louisiana's Supreme Court has ruled the funding mechanism for the school voucher program violates theMay 7, 2013

The Journal Gazette’s Dan Stockman looked at the effect of assessed value on tax rates and found tremendous inequity between wealthier and poorer districts.

In 2008, Logansport taxpayers, with the highest school tax rate in Indiana, had an average per-capita income of just $18,467, but paid a total school tax rate of $4.17. In the Carmel-Clay Schools, taxpayers had a per-capita income of $41,359 but paid a school tax rate of just $1.03.

Stockman’s story points out the likely damage the 2008 property tax overhaul will cause for poorer school districts, particularly with regard to building and transportation costs, but he doesn’t touch on the additional pain lawmakers piled on this year by approving the nation’s broadest voucher program and a bill that will make it easier to open a charter school and further dilute support for existing public schools.