Our Public Schools Will Be Hit Hard: Here’s a Rundown of Education Legislation
Close to 90% of Hoosier students choose public schools, which employ around 58,685 teachers. These schools do a great job of educating our children and supporting our communities. West Lafayette School Corporation (WLSC) was recently named a National Blue Ribbon School. Many of our educators, students and parents choose public education. That’s why the majority’s continued attacks on our public school systems are disheartening.
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s education legislation and how our schools will be affected
Prioritizing Vouchers Over Public Schools: In the state budget, public schools will receive an average 2% funding increase. These increases are inflated since they include the cost of curricular materials per student. However, the private school voucher program will get a 23.4% increase in 2027. The program will be universal, with no income eligibility threshold, meaning Indiana’s wealthiest families can fund their child’s private schooling with taxpayer dollars. Last year, Indiana spent a record $419 million on private school vouchers, a 40% increase from the previous school year.
WLSC will get a 3.6% increase in 2026 and only a 1.9% increase in 2027. That’s roughly $7,700 to $8,200 per student over the next three years.
Tippecanoe County School Corporation (TCSC) will get a 3.5% increase in 2026 and only a 1.8% increase in 2027. That’s roughly $8,400 to $8,900 over the next three years.
Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) will get a 2.7% increase in 2026 and a 2.2% increase in 2027. That’s roughly $9,300 to $9,800 per student over the next three years.
Massive Cuts from Property Tax Changes: Senate Enrolled Act 1 will cut school funding by $744 million over the next three years. It also eliminates schools’ ability to collect local income tax revenue, cutting an additional $52 million for 190 school corporations. SEA 1 also requires certain public schools to share the property tax revenue they do receive with charters. The bill also dissolved the Union School Corporation without public input or testimony.
TCSC will lose $8.6 million. WLSC will lose $3.2 million and LSC will lose $1.9 million.
Charter Schools: In the budget, charter schools will receive a larger increase than public schools. Brick-and-mortar charters will receive a 4.8% increase in 2026 and a 3.7% increase in 2027. Virtual charters will increase by 14.2% in 2026 and by 9% in 2027.
Sex Education: Senate Enrolled Act 442 changes sex education in Indiana by requiring any materials used to teach “human sexuality” to be approved by the local school board. It also requires schools to show an anti-abortion pregnancy video, which doesn’t need to be anatomically accurate. We offered amendments requiring the curriculum to include various birth control methods, all STDs and STIs and the topic of consent. Republicans accepted the amendment about consent, then removed it later, claiming consent should be left up to local control. The majority later added consent back into the bill right before it passed. A video is below with House Democrats questioning the removal of consent from the bill.
I will continue fighting for public education to ensure our teachers, our parents and our students get the support they deserve. As always, please reach out to h26@iga.in.gov with any questions or concerns.
I’m Hosting a Tree Giveaway on May 7!
Please join me on Wednesday, May 7, at the West Lafayette Farmers Market (Cumberland Park, 3065 N Salisbury St.) for my annual Tree Seedling Giveaway! I will be giving out two varieties: Tulip and Red Oak. Seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to one per household. Tree seedlings will be approximately 2-4 feet tall.
Trees bring so many benefits to our community and environment. From providing stormwater mitigation and cleaner air to adding aesthetic value to our neighborhoods, planting trees is an easy way to enhance our community. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get a free tree seedling!
If you come out for the giveaway, make sure to check out the rest of the West Lafayette Farmer’s Market, where you can shop for locally grown produce and handcrafted goods. If you’ve never been to the market, I encourage you to come and visit the vendors, mingle with neighbors, enjoy treats and live music, and appreciate this wonderful community asset. I hope to see you there! As always, please get in touch with my office at h26@iga.in.gov with any questions or concerns.
I Voted No on the State Budget: Here’s Why
Last week, I sent out a message about the passage of our state budget. I wanted to provide some additional reasons why I voted against it. It’s a bad deal for the West Lafayette Community. The 2026-2027 budget contains insufficient funding for K-12 public education and cuts higher education. Purdue University will receive a 5% cut, and it will receive no money for capital projects. Local public health initiatives will only receive $40 million a year, and this money can only be used to serve legal citizens of the U.S. This could impact international students at Purdue who rely on local clinics and services. They raised the eligibility threshold for On My Way Pre-K, cut housing assistance and eliminated funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) TV and radio.
I support a few portions of the budget, including cutting funding for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) by roughly 30%. However, I couldn’t support this budget, which will adversely impact families in West Lafayette. Purdue’s funding is getting cut, even though they’ve been an excellent partner with the state. Purdue is experiencing a housing crisis, and the university needs additional funding to build dorms and meet students’ needs.
The cuts for local public health initiatives are concerning since Tippecanoe County uses this money to prevent chronic disease and improve maternal and infant health. Fewer of our families in need will qualify for state-funded pre-K since we’re changing the On My Way Pre-K threshold. Thank goodness, the various attempts to criminalize homelessness failed, but this budget eliminates the Housing First program. This program has been Indiana’s most successful tool to combat housing insecurity.
Our public schools also get the short end of the stick. They’ll get a small increase in state funding, but at the same time, they’ll lose an even bigger amount in property tax revenue. This isn’t what our children and teachers deserve. The bad aspects of the budget outweigh the good
My Thoughts on the Attempts to Criminalize Homelessness
On April 14, the Indiana House majority passed Senate Bill 197. The bill was amended in the House Committee on Judiciary to include language making it a Class C misdemeanor for a person to sleep or camp on public property owned by the state or a political subdivision. Senate Bill 197 attempted to criminalize homelessness, trapping individuals in a cycle of poverty by imposing a fine of up to $500 and 60 days in jail for sleeping outside. Thankfully, the portion criminalizing homelessness was removed from SB 197 during the conference committee. None of the House Republicans’ other attempts to criminalize homelessness passed. However, the fact that this motion did pass on the House floor is highly concerning.
In the last five years, we’ve seen an increase in people experiencing homelessness. Criminalizing homelessness will add more barriers for those experiencing housing insecurity. Individuals already struggling to make ends meet would have to pay a $500 fine, and they’ll be shuffled through the state’s prisons.
Many of them are sleeping outside, trying to get what little rest they can, because they have no other place to go. Only 55 of our 92 counties said they had adequate resources to serve unhoused people. If these measures had passed, individuals experiencing homelessness would go from jail straight back to the street due to a lack of services. Incarceration will create additional barriers to housing and employment.
We should pass legislation ensuring Hoosiers can thrive and grow in our state. Instead, we’re criminalizing the most vulnerable members of our community and forcing them into a cycle of poverty. I find it extremely disappointing that the majority would push for legislation harming people in need instead of addressing the real concerns in our state. People experiencing homelessness matter too.
Thank you to the Lafayette Transitional Housing Center (LTHC) team for your continued advocacy and support at the Statehouse. I’m thankful this language was removed from the final bill and that none of the other attempts to criminalize homelessness passed.
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In service,
State Rep. Chris Campbell
Thanks for including the video. Instructive to see Rep Byrne get schooled on the meaning and implications of consent in sex education by his Democratic colleagues. I hope the legislators can also see the irony of requiring that students see the infamous, anti-abortion fringe, “Baby Olivia” video in their classes but aren’t required to learn science based information on sexual health, including STDs and birth control.
Thank you for your continued support. I know it must be difficult to support public education when other legislators are so set on private schools. I hope more legislators come to realize the importance of public education. Please hang in there.