2026 Indiana Legislative Agenda

THE INDIANA SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION BELIEVES:

* The leadership of Local School Boards made up of engaged citizens closest to the school represents the most invested groups properly suited to guide the operation of the local school district while making important decisions involving budgets, leadership, curriculum, shared services, cooperative agreements, district organization, CONSOLIDATION, and district improvement. (Local Control)

       ●    The Indiana General Assembly should fully fund new laws and administrative code mandates that require adding staff for a specific state-mandated program, supplementary staff training time, or specific school security procedures and equipment, and document the impact on school districts’ local financial resources. (Unfunded Mandates)

      ●  Local school boards should be given Local Option Income Tax funding as a referendum option instead of property taxes as the sole source for referendum funding.

      * The General Assembly should NOT expand the Indiana Education Scholarship Account Program that incentivizes the withdrawal of students from public schools to access a paid benefit.

      THE INDIANA SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS:

      • Legislation and public policy requiring all Indiana schools receiving public funds to meet and report the same operational, accountability requirements, academic, and rigorous legal standards while being held to the same equal access requirements public schools are required to follow.
      • The curricular materials funding should be a silo that is not included in bargainable funds and should be increased based on inflation.  

      •  Indiana should increase pre-K funding to ensure all high-poverty students qualify for SNAP and TANF benefits also qualify for On My Way Pre-K.  
      • We support changes in Indiana energy policy allowing schools to control peak energy charges, based on credits for energy production.  (Offset peaks by credits against the peak instead of a paid wholesale value.)
      • Indiana should incentivize group purchasing for energy to reduce costs for large customers like schools and hospitals. 
      • Open energy markets, where consumers can purchase electricity from the lowest-cost provider. 
      • Career Scholarships Accounts should not be funded with tuition support dollars.
      • Students who are classified as Chronically Absent should not transfer to a virtual provider until an intervention plan has been developed with the provider.