Two Months Later, Disagreements Among Lawmakers Persist

A woman watches a panel of education policymakers discuss and debate K-12 education issues at the IU School of Education. (Photo by Kyle Stokes / StateImpact)

Indiana House Education Committee Chair Robert Behning defended his party’s education overhaul as “what’s best for kids, not adults” at a panel discussion at IU on Thursday, while Democrats continued their objections to new laws on collective bargaining, private school vouchers, and teacher merit pay.

“What we did this year goes against all research,” panelist Rep. Terry Goodin (D-Austin) told the audience of 60 at the IU School of Education.

The panel — comprised of two Democratic legislators, two Republican legislators, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ education advisor, and the head of the Indiana Association of School Principals — revealed how policymakers are still nursing their wounds after a bitterly-fought legislative session.

Goodin and Daniels advisor Scott Jenkins both said this was the first time Democrats and Republicans had publicly discussed the issues since the session ended in April.