Aleksandra Appleton

Aleksandra Appleton

Reporter, Chalkbeat Indiana

Aleksandra Appleton is a Reporter for Chalkbeat Indiana. She previously reported on schools in Las Vegas and Fresno, California, where she grew up. Aleks is a graduate of UC San Diego and the Columbia School of Journalism.

Lawmakers discussed and in some cases advanced bills about sex ed, DEI, restrictions on history lessons, and chaplains in schools.

Officials say they want to pare down funding for some programs in order to increase support for both public schools and private school vouchers.

A bill advanced by the House Education Committee would require the Indiana Department of Education to develop a new A-F grading system for schools by the end of this year.

Indiana students’ NAEP scores are still lower on average than before the pandemic, but remain higher than national averages.

Indiana has been at the forefront of policies aimed at trans students, curriculum, and school choice that could soon be reflected on a national scale.

Two bills advanced by Indiana lawmakers would cut DEI programs and initiatives at schools and universities. They echo previous fights in the legislature over critical race theory.

In his first budget as governor, Braun proposed sales tax holidays for back-to-school and youth sports supplies.

The legislation would provide 20 days of paid parental leave for teachers under certain conditions and raise their minimum pay to $45,000. The latter proposal would cost around $14 million.

As lawmakers create the next state budget, they may seek to fund an expansion of school vouchers and pay raises for teachers. But the state’s revenue forecast could complicate matters.