Author: Phil Downs

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Cumulative Voucher Program costs since 2017-18

Recently I went back and constructed a spreadsheet that added up each school district’s cost/share of the Voucher Program going back the 2017-18 school year when I started to track this. I added a cumulative cost/share column next to the name of each school district.

The list is sorted by the four digit school id number. You see this number on school busses.

I am protecting the sheet, but believe you can do a search and type in your school district’s name to find it quickly.

The spreadsheet can be found here.

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2023-2024 Indiana Education and Voucher Funding Summary

While the overall Indiana General Fund Budget has grown faster than inflation, growth in Indiana’s budget for public school personnel has not. As of October of 2023, the current budget to pay the majority of the personnel in public, charter, and voucher-receiving schools is $232M behind the 2009-10 budget when inflation is taken into account.

All comparisons run from Jan of 2010 to Oct of 2023 unless noted.

The Consumer Price Index (inflation rate) has grown by 41.99%.

The Indiana General Fund (i.e., monies legislators control) has grown by 62.46%, much better than inflation. The state has a lot more money to spend than it did in 2009-10 relative to inflation.

The K-12 Tuition Support Budget has grown by only 38.37%, well behind inflation. The Tuition Support Budget funds nearly all personnel working in public, charter, and voucher-receiving schools.

Continue reading “2023-2024 Indiana Education and Voucher Funding Summary”
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2022-2023 Indiana Education and Voucher Funding Summary

While the overall Indiana General Fund Budget has grown faster than inflation, growth in Indiana’s budget for public school personnel has not. As of October of 2022, the current budget for the majority of the personnel in public, charter, and voucher-receiving schools is $590M behind the 2009-10 budget when inflation is taken into account. The current budget, at the time it passed, significantly made up the difference on a year to year basis; however, recent spikes in inflation have eaten those gains.

Continue reading “2022-2023 Indiana Education and Voucher Funding Summary”
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How Much of Your Income Tax Goes to Your Public Schools

The link below will allow you to see how much of your income tax goes to pay for the teachers and employees in each public school district as well as the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (Vouchers). The sheet will allow you to enter a “taxable income” number and the four digit code for your school district. If you do not know your four digit number, there is an alphabetical list of all the public schools to the right. 

Continue reading “How Much of Your Income Tax Goes to Your Public Schools”
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Constraints

Submitted by Phil on Mon, 10/11/2021 – 05:08

No constraints = no problem to solve = boredom

Within self-determination theory, the concept of Mastery calls for a task that is challenging and attainable: too easy, boredom; too hard, quitting. A challenging task implies some friction or constraints. Finding that balance is one of the roles of a teacher/manager.