Articles
Governor Daniels' Weekly Update: 8/15/08
A look at news and events in the Daniels Administration
Volume 2, Issue 93
August 6 - 14, 2008
Governor proposes Hoosier College Promise
August 13, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels will ask the next Indiana General Assembly to approve the Hoosier College Promise, a program that would provide Indiana high school graduates with more affordable access to higher education.
The governor introduced this idea several months ago and has further developed the concept. The Hoosier College Promise would be available to Indiana students from families who earn about $60,000 or less annually. They would receive two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College or an equivalent amount of $6,000 to use for their first two years at another college or university that is recognized by the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI). Students would be required to be enrolled full time and maintain a 'C' average in a degree program.
"Too many of our kids don't believe they can go to college. Yet the jobs being created in the 21st century require skills and knowledge beyond a high school education. We seek to assure each Indiana high school graduate, as far up the income scale as we can reach, the chance to go to college for at least two years," said Daniels.
Indiana ranks 44th among states for share of the adult population over age 25 who have a bachelor's degree and 41st for share of working-age adults with an associate degree or higher. And 69 percent of Indiana high school juniors who are in families where there is no college graduate in the household do not think they can afford to go to college, according to a Commission on Higher Education study.
The Hoosier College Promise would supplement the more than $200 million in need-based financial aid provided through SSACI. For example, students from families with average incomes of $40,000 currently receive an average of $400 of need-based aid to attend Ivy Tech. The governor's plan would make up the difference to $3,000 annually for each of two years. Students who attend four-year public or private universities generally receive larger grants from SSACI and would get less assistance from the Hoosier Promise program.
It is estimated the plan would cost about $50 million annually, once fully implemented. About 24,000 new high school graduates (incoming freshmen) are expected to receive a Hoosier College Promise award each year.
The governor said issuing bonds and repaying them with the growth in Hoosier Lottery revenues is one way to pay for the program. Another is to invite private companies to compete to manage the lottery. Daniels believes that at a minimum, a company would pay the state $1 billion up front for a 30-year agreement. If the state received a higher amount, more students would be eligible.
"With the Hoosier College Promise program, we can redeem the lost promise of the Hoosier Lottery. When it was created, Hoosiers were told it would be dedicated to education. It's time to finally do just that, by putting part of our lottery proceeds in trust for college aid. We believe we can lower our high school dropout rate and increase our college attendance rate," said the governor.
Ivy Tech has agreed to hold any tuition increase to the rate of inflation for at least five years, assuming consistent state support, and Daniels has challenged other Indiana colleges and universities to consider what they can do to keep tuition increases in check.
Governor proposes more dollars to classroom for student learning; offers tax credit for teachers
August 12, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels says schools must find a way to increase spending in Hoosier classrooms, and he will propose actions to free resources for student learning.
Daniels will ask the next Indiana General Assembly to require that schools work through the Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) to purchase goods and services unless they can show they can get better prices another way. A 2006 law encouraging collective purchasing has had some success, but the governor believes much more must be done.
The governor also said he will work with the legislature and the State Board of Education to provide incentives to schools that are doing a good job of spending efficiently or are making progress toward their dollars to the classroom goals. For example, those schools might receive preference in the competition for Department of Education discretionary grants and programs.
"Only 61 cents of every dollar spent in our schools makes it to the classroom, even under a liberal interpretation of what counts," said Daniels. "Each one percent of improvement would mean over $100 million new dollars to hire more teachers, pay them better, make class sizes smaller, reduce the cost of textbooks, and so on. That's a huge opportunity, and we must seize it."
According to 2005-06 data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, fewer than half of those who worked in the state's K-12 system were teachers. Indiana is 48th in the nation for its ratio of teachers to total staff and 45th in the ratio of in-school administrators to teachers working in those schools.
Daniels also wants to help teachers who reach into their own pockets to buy needed supplies for their classrooms by giving them a break on their state income taxes. The governor proposes to help teachers by offering them a $50 credit annually on their income taxes for supplies they've purchased for their classrooms.
"This is a modest proposal, but we want to do whatever we can to support teachers and their commitment to students," said Daniels. "As schools refocus their spending away from overhead and into the classroom, we hope eventually to make out-of-pocket teacher spending unnecessary."
Two years ago, the Indiana legislature passed HEA 1006, the governor's bill that requires the Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget to track school expenses in four broad categories to measure every school corporation's record of spending in the classroom. Expenditures in the first two categories are considered to be dollars in the classroom spending. The categories are:
-Student academic achievement: including teacher salaries, principals, speech pathologists, media services, textbooks, school libraries
-Student instructional support: including guidance counselors, nurses, curriculum development, superintendents, school boards, technology
-Overhead and operational: including legal services, business support, maintenance, transportation, food service, athletic coaches
-Non-operational: including school construction, debt, interest, lease rental
Results from the first two years of tracking vary widely, but in 2007, the statewide average ratio of student instructional expenditures to total expenses was 61 percent. The ratio for each school corporation can be found on the list at http://www.in.gov/omb/2349.htm
As a part of the 2006 legislation, the state's nine regional Education Service Centers were asked to play a role in helping their member school corporations purchase goods and services collectively to gain savings. The service centers reported that for 2006-07, they jointly saved Indiana school corporations over $14 million in both shared services and joint purchasing agreement.
The governor says that's a good start, but he believes there is more opportunity for savings. During the past three years, the state, through IDOA, has centralized purchases to obtain better prices. The state's OneIndiana initiative, which incorporates all efforts to leverage the state's buying power, is expected to save taxpayers $165 million over the span of contracts. Quantity purchase agreements, known, as QPAs, are part of the state's efforts to negotiate the lowest possible prices for everything from office supplies to janitorial chemicals to computers.
Now, the governor is proposing to bring schools into these agreements. For example, from June 2006 to June 2008 some schools have participated in purchasing Dell computer equipment. IDOA estimates that schools have achieved savings of at least $6 million through the agency's purchasing agreement.
IDOA is developing a Web site, Oneindiana.net, which will make it possible for school corporations and other units of local governments to participate in the discounted purchase programs. IDOA purchases a wide range of products and services that school corporations use, including office supplies, computer products, software, fire extinguishers, mowers, paper products, paint, lab equipment and food items.
Governor announces school discipline plan to protect teachers
August 11, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels today announced his intention to seek legal protection for teachers and school staff who act in good faith to maintain discipline and order in their classrooms.
"Students can't learn and teachers can't teach in classrooms where kids are disruptive. Some teachers are afraid to restore order when needed because they fear legal harassment. It's unacceptable that a teacher would have that hesitation," Daniels said. "Ultimately, we need parents to recognize that firm school discipline is in every child's interest, and support teachers in doing whatever is necessary to maintain it. But for now, we need action to see that no student's education is damaged by the bad behavior of anyone around him."
The governor said he would ask the 2009 Indiana General Assembly to pass a law providing legal immunity for teachers who act in good faith to preserve order in their classrooms or other school settings. In addition, he said he would work with the next Indiana Attorney General to help in this effort by using the office's statutory authority to defend any teacher who becomes the target of unreasonable litigation.
Daniels said teachers should feel comfortable maintaining discipline in their classrooms. Though many cases do not result in litigation, teachers have said they frequently worry about taking action in difficult circumstances because they fear lawsuits.
For example, in one Central Indiana school, a student filed a notice of tort claim and a complaint for injuries against a gym teacher who required the student to do push-ups for an infraction. In the Indianapolis area, a student filed claims against school personnel after teachers tried to separate two students involved in a fight, and in northern Indiana, a student sued the school and a principal for attempting to restrain the student when he was separated during a fight.
"In schools today, teachers are protected from litigation when they hand out medicine, but there are no protections for them when they try to prevent disruptive students from disturbing others who are trying to learn," said the governor.
A number of states have implemented laws that are more protective of teachers than current Indiana law. Those are being reviewed to determine which have been the most effective and if they might serve as a good model for Indiana.
Governor proposes expansion of teacher preparation program, completion of funding for full-day kindergarten
August 14, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels has announced the final components of his 2009 K-12 and higher education agenda by proposing to expand a prestigious teacher preparation program and to complete the job of funding full-day kindergarten.
The governor will request state funding to expand the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship, a master's degree program that prepares top math and science graduates for careers as math and science teachers in high-need Indiana classrooms. Indiana is the first state to implement this program created by the former president of Columbia Teacher's College, Arthur Levine, who joined the governor for today's announcement.
Daniels and Levine announced last December that Indiana would be the first state to implement the innovative new master's program that puts teachers in K-12 classrooms earlier and for more time during their training to bring theory and practice together. Funding from the Lilly Endowment will support 80 fellows. The governor's goal is to increase the number of fellows to 200 per year. His plan would cost about $5 million annually, an amount he believes can be found within the approximately $300 million spent annually by the Department of Education.
"We need major improvement in the math and science mastery of Hoosier kids, and we need it now. The way to get started is a new wave of math teachers who really know their math and science teachers who really know their science, trained intensively for a year in the classrooms of experienced educators," said Daniels.
Since the original announcement, Levine's team has been preparing the four universities initially selected for the program - Ball State University, Purdue University, the University of Indianapolis and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis - to deliver the program curriculum. Applications for the first 80 fellowships in the competitive process are being accepted through December 15, and those selected will start their work next year. The first group will start classroom teaching in 2010. All participants agree to teach in high-need Indiana schools for three years.
The fellowship provides stipends of $30,000 for prospective teachers who majored in math or the sciences and combines best practices in teacher education, such as early classroom experience, preparation to teach specific subjects, and ongoing mentoring for the first three classroom years.
"I applaud the governor's action today in taking a step that has not been taken in any other state. He has offered a comprehensive remedy to some of the greatest challenges in teacher education," said Levine. "Just as fellows will be selected based on their excellence, the four schools impressed us with their commitment to find better ways of preparing teachers."
The first group of fellows will concentrate on math or science, but the governor envisions expanding the program to add new subject areas and to include more universities in the program.
Daniels also intends to ask the next Indiana General Assembly to increase the state funding available to school corporations for full day kindergarten (FDK).
The 2007 budget bill signed by Daniels included $33.5 million (a $25 million increase from the previous budget amount of $8.5 million) for full-day kindergarten in the 2007-08 academic year; the amount increases to $58.5 million for the 2008-09 school year. Daniels said he is determined to complete funding for full-day kindergarten within the next four years and will work with the General Assembly to determine the appropriate funding increase in the next state budget.
According to the Indiana Department of Education, full-day kindergarten enrollment increased by 43 percent between the 2006-07 academic year and 2007-08 (32,356 to 46,409), when increased state funding became available.
More information about the program may be found at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Web site at www.woodrow.org
Nestlé to expand its Indiana manufacturing operations
Aug. 12, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from Nestlé USA this week to announce the company's plans to expand its 880,000 square-foot beverage production facility in Anderson, creating nearly 135 new jobs by 2011.
The company, which is on track to begin full production at the central Indiana facility later this year, will invest $200 million to add additional beverage production and distribution capacity at the 190-acre site located approximately 45 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
"Nestle is making an even bigger commitment to Anderson and to Indiana. The company had a resounding response from Hoosiers who want to work at the new Anderson plant, and now before it even opens, the company is choosing to invest again in the facility and create new jobs for Hoosiers," said Daniels.
The expansion comes two years after the company initially announced plans to site its $359 million Nestlé Nesquik Ready-to-Drink and Nestlé Coffee-mate Liquid manufacturing and distribution center in the Indiana city. As part of the latest expansion, the company will hire engineering staff, technical support specialists, production associates and warehouse staff.
"We're very excited to be expanding in Anderson," said Michael Strong, factory and facility manager, Nestlé Anderson. "We are deeply appreciative to the State of Indiana and the City of Anderson for working with us during the evaluation period and making this announcement possible."
The Anderson, Ind. facility is one of 51 manufacturing operations and six distribution centers the company operates in the United States. A subsidiary of Vevey, Switzerland-based Nestlé S.A., Nestlé USA employs more than 14,000 across the country.
IN THE NEWS
Discipline creates the environment learning requires
Fort Wayne News Sentinel
Editorial
August 13, 2008
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels proposes to give teachers stronger immunity from litigation over efforts to enforce classroom discipline, and it's such a good idea that even Democratic gubernatorial opponent Jill Long Thompson says its worthy of consideration.
We all wish that all students would show up for classes well-rested, well-fed, in good health and with perfect manners. But too many parents aren't getting the job done these days, and the schools have had to take over more and more responsibilities that go far beyond the basic education mission.
Discipline is one of those lacking areas. Not only are parents failing, some think their precious little darlings should never be challenged over anything, so they are quick to sue teachers and schools over what most would consider legitimate efforts to enforce order in the classroom.
And that makes teachers hesitate, and the kids know that, and it makes some push the limits of obnoxious behavior, and discipline gets even more lax. It's unrealistic to expect much learning to happen in such an environment.
Several Indiana lawsuits have come from disciplinary actions, The Associated Press reports. A northern Indiana student sued a school and principal for attempting to restrain the student after he was separated during a fight, while another student filed a tort claim after a gym teacher required the student to do push-ups as a punishment.
Daniels proposes to change the environment. A federal Teacher Protection Act was passed as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, but it is very narrowly tailored. And current Indiana law does not offer teachers explicit protection, a Daniels aide says.
No protection would prevent people from suing, but a good law can make it easier for a judge to throw out a frivolous lawsuit. And some questions wouldn't be answered by legislation: Should the state permit or outlaw corporal punishment, for example?
No law can tell a teacher how to use discipline to create a good learning environment. That has to come from experience, and Fort Wayne Community Schools board President Mark GiaQuinta has a good idea on that: Schools that are having problems with discipline should study the school systems that seem to be doing a good job on it.
But Daniels' proposal is one important piece of the discipline puzzle, and legislators should take it seriously.
Protecting teachers from suits good move
Gary Post Tribune
Editorial
August 14, 2008
There's merit and good sense in Gov. Mitch Daniels' proposal to give school teachers legal immunity to prevent them from getting sued for restraining students involved in school fights.
In today's litigious society, some disruptive students who have grown up never being told "no" can become belligerent when a teacher metes out discipline.
Teachers have found themselves on the defensive side of lawsuits filed by angry parents in recent years and because of the court action, some students feel they're immune from disciplinary action.
"In schools today, teachers are protected from litigation when they hand out medicine, but there are no protections for them when they try to prevent disruptive students from disturbing others who are trying to learn," Daniels said.
Daniels plans to ask the General Assembly next year to give teachers such immunity.
Several states have passed laws that are more protective of teachers than current Indiana law, Daniels said. His staff is reviewing them to determine which have been the most effective and if they might serve as a good model for Indiana.
The lack of immunity from a lawsuit leaves some teachers hesitant to enforce discipline and restore order in the classroom. A teacher's main duty is to teach, not referee fights.
Daniels cited a northern Indiana student who sued a school and principal for attempting to restrain the student after he was separated during a fight. Another student filed a tort claim after a teacher ordered him to do push-ups as a punishment.
Obviously, protections need to be built into the law to prevent student abuse, but Daniels' proposal is one the General Assembly should adopt.
