Indiana House passes bill to shore up public school funding

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana House approved a bill that would stabilize funding for public schools across the state, which have seen an unexpected surge in enrollments.

The measure by Republican Rep. Sally Siegrist of West Lafayette was approved Thursday on a 96-0 vote.

It could pump millions of dollars into public schools that otherwise would have seen a $15 per-student reduction in funding as a result of higher-than-expected enrollments.

The bill would provide a maximum amount of $75 million over the next two years. The money would come from a reserve account.

Some challenged whether the shortfall was actually caused by an increase in enrollments. House Minority Leader Terry Goodin, an Austin Democrat, suggested the shortfall was the result of a calculation error.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.