The state's House Ways and Means committee approved a bill Wednesday that would have a major impact on financially struggling schools. But, some key provisions of the bill are causing concern.
It would allow financially struggling school corporations to fire up to 5 percent of teachers mid-year. It would also give a state board the power to suspend or revoke licenses for superintendents of districts identified as "at-risk" for four consecutive years.
Representatives from Gary and Muncie are also worried about the legislation.
It would limit the number of times the Gary school board can meet to just four times a year. It would also change the board's function to an advisory committee. And, an amendment would allow Ball State University to take over Muncie Community Schools.
The Ball State University takeover proposal includes a seven-member appointed board that would replace the current five-member elected school board. There are 11 such boards in Indiana, one being a hybrid elected-plus-appointed board. That's 11 out of nearly 300 districts.
Muncie Democratic Representative Sue Errington says that idea concerns the community.
"Ball State's trustees – only one of them, I believe, even lives in Muncie – they're people who are appointed themselves. Muncie Community Schools would be governed by a board that's twice-removed from the people, as far as the Ball State appointments are concerned."
In Wednesday's meeting, Brown slightly changed how those board members would be nominated from his original amendment proposal.
Democratic Representative Ed Delaney of Indianapolis proposed an amendment that would have kept Muncie's elected school board and added new appointed members. While it was not approved, Delaney says he still believes in having elected boards.
"And if I were a member of an elected school board today, I'd be asking myself, ‘What's my status? If, somehow, we get into trouble, are we going to have the Indiana General Assembly take over our district?' I'd be bothered about that."
Delaney's failed amendment would have also limited Ball State's takeover plan to three years, and would have given the university control of the academic side only – not financials.
Committee members approved both the Ball State – Muncie Community Schools takeover amendment and the entire school financials bill in a 16-7 vote. It now goes to the full House.
