By SHANE GIBSON
Local Columnist
NEW ALBANY — The Indiana Legislature in the final days of session is attempting to develop solutions to the education funding fiasco created by themselves and the recent cuts in education from Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Our local public school corporation announced approximately a $6.6 million budget shortfall last week.
In recent Opinions columns, Rep. Ed Clere tried to justify his position on the solutions being offered in the Legislature and the budgetary shortfall for our school corporation.
It is the State of Indiana that funds the daily operations of our local schools. It is not, as many believe, locally funded or budgeted. Thus, it is our elected legislators in the House and Senate along with the governor that decided what each school gets in funding for any particular year.
So, let us examine the budgetary numbers for 2010 approved by Rep. Clere and signed into law by the governor.
The state average increase in budgets for schools (K-12) in 2010 was .5 percent. New Albany-Floyd County Public Schools only received a .2 percent for that period. So, New Albany-Floyd County Schools received less of a percentage increase when compared to the State average for all K-12 schools. Moreover, Rep. Clere voted in favor of New Albany-Floyd County Schools receiving less than the state average. Add on top of the dismal budget for 2010, the governor announced an additional 4.5 percent reduction in state funding for K-12.
When examining the K-12 budgets, it is not enough to simply look at the State average and our local public school budget numbers, other comparisons are necessary to understand the inequity inflicted on the New Albany-Floyd County Public Schools due to the failure of our legislator to protect funding for our local K-12. The following are some Indianapolis schools and their budgeted increase in 2010 for comparison: Monument Lighthouse School received a 45.17 percent increase in the same 2010 budgetary period, Indiana Math and Science Academy received 44.82 percent, Herron Charter received 30.52 percent, and Indianapolis Metropolitan High School received 25.20 percent increase. Again, these increases for schools in Indianapolis are in the same budget voted in favor of by Rep. Clere that included only a .20 percent increase for New Albany-Floyd County. Of course, this was all before additional slashing of school budgets for K-12 was ordered by the governor.
In simple understandable terms, does anyone think that a 4.5 percent decrease in funding is going to have the same effect on the daily operations of the Monument Lighthouse School who received a 45.17 percent increase for the year 2010 when compared to New Albany-Floyd County Public Schools? Monument Lighthouse will now only see about a 40.67 percent increase. On the other hand, New Albany-Floyd County Schools, after being shoved a .20 percent increase in comparison, will now have a decrease in funding for the year of -4.30 percent.
At the end of the day, all I know is that several Indianapolis schools have money still put in their pocket by the state and the New Albany-Floyd County School Corp. schools have money snatched away from them, and then some, which is now leading to potential closure of local schools.
Now we all understand that times are difficult. But we only get one chance to educate our children and it is important that we get it done right. The funding needs of Indianapolis schools should not be put ahead of our local schools.
Shane Gibson is city attorney for New Albany and currently a candidate in the race for the District 72 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives. He can be reached via e-mail at shane@shanegibsonlaw.com or by mail at P.O. Box 582, New Albany, IN 47151.
