INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — After a whirlwind non-budget session, several Indiana lawmakers will soon head back to the Indiana Statehouse for what are known as interim study committee meetings.
These meetings are held periodically throughout the General Assembly’s months-long recess that, historically, result in committee reports/recommendations over hot-button issues like healthcare costs, road funding and childcare.
This week, the Indiana Legislative Council announced which topics lawmakers would discuss throughout the summer—an announcement already racked with controversy.
On Tuesday, Indiana Republican leaders said they, as well as school boards, teachers and parents, need to make fixing school absenteeism a top priority leading up to next session.
”Absenteeism is much worse than it was, I think, pre-COVID,” Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-District 37) said. ”We’ve got a pretty good system in place that probably doesn’t need a lot of legislation. It just needs to be refocused on.”
This announcement comes just months after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a controversial literacy bill into law. That law affords the state more control over holding back third graders who can’t read at grade level. State Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-District 40) said she’s concerned the state could take what she a calls a similar, punitive approach to absenteeism.
”There are different factors that are creating absenteeism in our schools and a one-size-fits-all solution is not going to be a solution at all,” Yoder said.
State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-District 86) said while he’s glad lawmakers will discuss the issue, he’s concerned legislation could end up being punitive not only towards students, but schools.
”There is a reference to the financial implications and I’m afraid what that might mean,” DeLaney said. “I don’t think that we can do that to the schools.”
Former State Rep. Mike Murphy, a Republican who was on the House Education Committee for several years, said increasing teacher pay could help address absenteeism, but pointed out that jumpstarting the conversation could be much easier said than done.
”Until the market values teachers, we’re going to have trouble attracting really sharp people to choosing teaching as a career,” Murphy said.
Other topics that didn’t make the study list included:
- Environmental issues
- Economic development
- Cannabis reform.
However, Republican leadership acknowledged some of those topics are being discussed outside of committee meetings, and that they plan to meet with U.S. Senator Mike Braun, the Republican nominee for Indiana Governor, and his team in the near future to discuss what his agenda could look like if elected in the November general election.
