LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
200 W. Washington St., Suite 301
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 233-0696
iga.in.gov
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 6836 NOTE PREPARED: Jan 8, 2024
BILL NUMBER: HB 1219 BILL AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Various Education Matters.
FIRST AUTHOR: Rep. Teshka BILL STATUS: As Introduced
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State & Local
XDEDICATED
XFEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: Mastery Based Education Pilot Program: This bill establishes the Mastery Based
Education Pilot Program (pilot program) to allow school corporations and charter schools selected by the
Department of Education (DOE) to implement a Mastery Based Education Program. It establishes
requirements and exemptions to certain laws and rules for schools participating in the pilot program.
Collective Bargaining: The bill changes the date by which formal collective bargaining may begin to October
1 and amends similar date requirement under the collective bargaining provisions to October 1.
Instructional Time: This bill establishes minimum minute instructional time requirements for each school
year. It amends the instructional day and instructional time hour requirements for each instructional day.
Superintendent Contracts: The bill provides that a governing body of a school corporation (governing body)
may not enter into a contract with a superintendent on or after the date of the election for two or more
members of the governing body (instead of one member) until January 1 of the year immediately following
the year of the election.
Alternate Diplomas: This bill establishes a minimum number of students that may receive an alternate
diploma that may be counted for purposes of a school's or school corporation's graduation rate.
Teacher Appreciation Grants: The bill requires schools to adopt a teacher appreciation grant policy every
four state fiscal years instead of every state fiscal year.
Repealed or Removed Provisions: This bill repeals or removes provisions that require:
HB 1219 1 (1) A governing body to hold a public meeting on a proposed superintendent contract;
(2) A governing body to post an employment contract entered into with a superintendent on the
school corporation's website;
(3) Public schools to provide information concerning employees who are physically injured on the
job by a student;
(4) Principals and school corporations to report aggregate results of staff performance evaluations;
(5) Principals to complete a survey;
(6) Certain teachers to complete a form after the initial year of teaching at a particular school;
(7) DOE to report to each teacher preparation program regarding certain surveys and evaluations;
and
(8) A public hearing before privately negotiating matters during the formal collective bargaining
time period.
The bill also repeals provisions concerning the following:
(1) Strategic and Continuous School Improvement and Achievement Plans.
(2) Cultural competency in educational environments.
(3) The Primetime Program.
Effective Date: July 1, 2024.
Explanation of State Expenditures: Mastery Based Education Pilot Program: DOE is required under this
bill to establish the Mastery Based Education Pilot Program in FY 2025 and the Commission for Higher
Education is required to work with participating public schools to ensure credits earned by participating
students are reflected in their transcript and that the students have access to early college credit. The bill also
establishes the Mastery Based Education Pilot Program Fund, a non-reverting dedicated fund consisting of
appropriations made by the General Assembly and interest, to pay for costs associated with planning and
developing the pilot program. These requirements represent a workload and expenditure increase for the
agencies outside of their routine administrative functions, and existing staffing and resource levels, if
currently being used to capacity, may be insufficient for full implementation. The additional funds and
resources required could be supplied through existing staff and resources currently being used in another
program or with appropriations made to the pilot program fund. Ultimately, the source of funds and resources
required to satisfy the requirements of this bill will depend on legislative and administrative actions.
Department of Education (DOE): The bill repeals and amends certain statutes beginning in FY 2025. These
provisions represent a net workload decrease for DOE.
State Tuition Support: Currently, tuition support received by a public school can be reduced for each day
under the 180-day requirement that the school does not hold classes. Provisions in the bill that change the
instructional time calculation to be based on minutes instead of days may have an undeterminable impact in
the amount of tuition support payments withheld from public schools. [Indiana Performance Qualified School
Districts are already allowed to count instructional time in minutes rather than days, and this provision would
have no impact on these schools.]
Additional Information -
DOE: Provisions in the bill require DOE to modify how they compute full-time equivalency. This workload
increase will be offset by the following provisions:
(1) A requirement to post data onto their website concerning injuries sustained by school staff from
HB 1219 2 students is repealed;
(2) A requirement to collect and post onto their website certain reports regarding state teacher
preparation programs is repealed;
(3) A requirement to make a model school improvement plan for use by schools is repealed;
(4) A requirement to develop materials to assist schools in developing cultural competency is
repealed; and
(5) The number of Teacher Appreciation Grant (TAG) policies that must be reviewed by the agency
is reduced by allowing schools to adopt a TAG policy once every four years instead of annually.
Mastery Based Education Pilot Program: The pilot program established in this bill requires DOE to:
(1) Determine how pilot program participants will be selected;
(2) Annually determine common skill masteries to be used by participating schools;
(3) Approve dedicated lead partners who will implement the pilot program in a participating school;
(4) Receive annual reports from dedicated lead partners; and
(5) Submit an annual report to the Legislative Council.
Explanation of State Revenues:
Explanation of Local Expenditures: Public Schools: The bill repeals and amends certain statutes beginning
in FY 2025. These provisions represent a workload decrease for public schools.
Mastery Based Education Pilot Program: Public schools whose applications are selected to participate in
the pilot program will be required to contract with an approved dedicated lead partner, adhere to the pilot
program requirements, establish community partnerships, and provide necessary data or information to DOE
when requested. The bill’s requirements represent an additional workload [and/or expenditure] for schools
outside of their routine administrative functions, and existing staffing and resource levels, if currently being
used to capacity, may be insufficient for full implementation. The additional funds and resources required
could be supplied through existing staff and resources currently being used in another program or with new
appropriations. Participating schools will be exempt from certain state requirements, which may provide an
offsetting workload decrease. Ultimately, the source of funds and resources required to satisfy the
requirements of this bill will depend on legislative and administrative actions.
Instructional Time: Provisions in the bill reduce the minimum number of instructional days a school
corporation must provide educational services to its students from 180 days, to 175 days. However, the bill
requires schools to also meet annual minimum instructional minute requirements. Schools who reduce the
number of instructional days may be able to reduce transportation, utility, and other expenditures that may
be offset by a reduction in certain school revenue. The impact on public school expenditures is dependent
on local action.
Residential Treatment Facility (RTF): Public schools are required to pay a daily per diem for every student
that is placed into and receives educational services from an RTF. The payment amount is equivalent to the
proportional share of the basic tuition support the school receives per student, plus any special education
grants received by the school for the student. Under current statute, this amount is prorated according to the
number of instructional days the student received educational services from the RTF. Under the bill, this
amount is instead prorated according to the amount of instructional time in minutes received by the student.
This may have an undeterminable impact on public school daily per diem expenditures paid to RTFs.
Additional Information -
HB 1219 3 Public Schools: Public schools will experience a workload decrease due to the following provisions:
(1) A requirement for public schools to provide reports to DOE regarding certain incidents in which
school staff was injured by a student is repealed;
(2) Requirements for school corporations to hold a public meeting before they hire a superintendent
and to post provisions of the superintendent’s contract onto their website are repealed;
(3) A requirement for school corporations to hold a public hearing regarding certain collective
bargaining topics before they may engage in formal collective bargaining negotiations is repealed;
(4) Certain requirements for public schools regarding staff performance evaluations and teacher
preparation programs are repealed;
(5) A requirement for public schools to develop a school improvement plan is repealed; and
(6) Public schools may adopt a TAG policy once every four years instead of annually.
Instructional Time: Provisions in the bill reduce the minimum number of instructional days schools must
provide from 180 to 175, but still require students in grades 1 through 6 to receive 54,000 instructional
minutes, students in grades 7 through 12 to receive 64,800 instructional minutes, and flex students to receive
32,400 instructional minutes. This is the equivalent amount of time required by current law, which expressed
that time in hours. The bill also places a cap on the instructional time a student may receive per day to seven
hours. Schools who reduce the number of instructional days they provide to students may be able to reduce
expenditures. Based on a school year of 180 days for example, school corporations spent about $4.1 M per
day to transport students to school in FY 2023 and $3.4 M in food service expenditures.
Explanation of Local Revenues: Instructional Time: School corporations who reduce the number of
instructional days provided to students may experience a decrease in revenue dependent on local action. [For
reference, school corporations received approximately $3.8 M a day in food service revenue from federal,
state, and local sources in 2023.]
State Tuition Support: [See Explanation of State Expenditures.]
State Agencies Affected: Department of Education; Commission for Higher Education.
Local Agencies Affected: Public schools.
Information Sources: Department of Education; LSA Education Database.
Fiscal Analyst: Kelan Fong, 317-232-9592.
HB 1219 4