A bill authored by State Sen. Brian Buchanan (R-Lebanon) that would fully fund students attending school virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic was concurred on by the Indiana Senate today by a vote of 44-4.
Senate Enrolled Act 2 would provide 100% of the state's per-student funding for students at brick-and-mortar public schools who have gone to virtual instruction for part or all of the 2020-2021 academic year, as long as those students weren't already learning virtually prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under current law, public schools receive 85% of the per-student state funding for any student who gets at least half of their education virtually.
“Students and educators have been incredibly resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming many challenges, including remote learning,” Buchanan said. “While the shift from the classroom to virtual learning was necessary, it does not compliment the way we fund Hoosier students. SEA 2 would ensure no school funding is significantly less just because of a large number of students learning online due to the pandemic.”
SEA 2 will now be sent to Gov. Holcomb for consideration.
