A bill authored by State Sen. Brian Buchanan (R-Lebanon) that would fully fund students attending school virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic passed the Indiana Senate today by a vote of 41 to 6.
Under current law, public schools receive 85% of the per-student state funding for any student who gets at least half of their education virtually.
Senate Bill 2 would provide 100% of the state’s per-student funding for students at brick-and-mortar public schools who have gone to virtual instruction for part or all of the 2020-2021 academic year, so long as those students weren’t already learning virtually prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While at times challenging, virtual learning has proven itself to be an invaluable resource for schools across the state to get through these challenging times,” Buchanan said. “SB 2 ensures that no school is left underfunded due to a large number of students unexpectedly participating in virtual learning because of the pandemic.”
SB 2 will now move to the House of Representatives for further consideration.