Morning Bell: Voucher Program Expansion, Publicly-Funded Early Education

Elle Moxley / StateImpact Indiana

Students sing and play music games during choir class at St. Charles Catholic School in Bloomington. A proposal to expand the state's voucher program would allow students of current participants to attend private school without first having attended public school.

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #104 – “With this bill, for the first time, students could get a voucher without transferring from a public school. Each voucher then would become a new fiscal expense for the state, ending the rationale that vouchers will save money. This bill therefore has a fiscal impact and would require new additional state funding.” Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education

Local early childhood education advocates weigh in about full-day preschool efforts – “[Indianapolis Public Schools] hopes to enroll 1,400 4-year-olds in free, full-day preschool for the 2013-14 school year. Could that — and perhaps the better question is, should that — happen here?” Muncie Star Press

Indianapolis Public Schools power shift on school board signals change – “The result shattered a rock solid, four-member majority that had reliably backed Superintendent Eugene White. Only Michael Brown remains from that group.” Indianapolis Star

Pushing school prayer … – “Fortunately, Kruse’s bill – Senate Bill 23 – has been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee, a signal that it will not advance. But issues that appear dead can resurface in a legislative session – especially one where one party has a “supermajority” in both houses.” Fort Wayne Journal Gazette