House GOP Cuts IPS Funding While Increasing Money For Charter Schools

Indiana House Republicans had no problem putting their stamp of approval on a new $83 million publicly-funded soccer stadium for a shadowy Turkish immigrant whose high-paid lobbyists have been wining and dining them for the past couple of years, but their charity doesn't extend to Indianapolis residents who send their children to IPS schools. Funding for IPS would be cut $18 million over the next two years under a budget unveiled by House Republicans yesterday in order to send more money to wealthier suburban school districts. According to the Indianapolis Star, Hamilton Southeastern Schools will see its state funding increased by $24 million over the next two years as IPS' state funding is slashed.

State Rep. Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville), who chairs the committee that approved Ersal Ozdemir's publicly-funded soccer stadium, said the goal of the education spending plan was to narrow the gap between the highest and lowest state-funded schools while boosting overall spending by $469 million over two years. "I feel good that we are able to give such large increases, that we made that a priority," Brown said. The education profiteers who drive education policy in Indiana won a new $1,500 per student grant for children who attend charter schools to pay for building and technology needs under the new budget. Ah, yes. Let's take care of our folks in the construction industry and IT vendors who make generous campaign contributions to us. These people are so transparent.