INDIANAPOLIS – A new statewide report is fueling discussions about consolidating Indiana’s smallest school districts, but state lawmakers continue to lack an appetite for action — at least for now.
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has asked the General Assembly to move legislation that encourages school districts with fewer than 2,000 students to consolidate.
Small and rural school officials, longtime critics of the chamber’s lobby for more school consolidation, are pushing back against the new study and the potential for Indiana policies that would require small schools to increase their student population.
“We don’t have a problem with consolidation, but it needs to be driven by locals — it has to be something they want for it to be successful,” said Chris Lagoni, executive director of the Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association. “Our members do feel like there’s a lot of attacking going on here.”
The business advocacy group’s newest report highlights lagging academic performance in the state’s smallest schools, where a fifth of Hoosier students are enrolled and pushes to consolidate at least some of the state’s rural schools and increase district sizes.
Although the latest study dropped just before the start of the 2024 session, the issue of school consolidation doesn’t seem to be on policymakers’ radars.
So far, none of the roughly 700 bills filed deal with consolidation, though such language could be amended into existing bills later in the session.
Instead, education-related agendas released by the governor and GOP legislative leaders focus on literacy, career readiness, and antisemitism.
When asked by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said she hadn’t reviewed the Chamber’s report in full. She additionally did not say whether she thought more Hoosier school districts should consolidate.
Indiana Chamber leadership said cutting the number of small districts in half will help increase educational attainment in Indiana and produce more workforce-ready graduates. It could also help school districts struggling financially.
Read the complete story by Casey Smith in the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
