INDIANAPOLIS – President Donald Trump’s budget includes millions of dollars in proposed cuts to critical teacher training and after-school programs that, if passed, would be felt in classrooms across Indiana. The Trump budget is so callous and clueless that a member of his own political party, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick, called it, “devastating”, “concerning” and “not the best course of action”.
From StateImpact Indiana: Indiana Schools Would Lose $56 Million Under Trump Education Budget
“Is it concerning? Absolutely,” McCormick says. “We need as much money to flow into our traditional public schools, and our public charter schools that are struggling, [as] we can get there.”
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“Some of those after school programs are a vital part of what we’re doing,” McCormick says. “Just to eliminate it, I don’t think, is the best course of action.”
McCormick says she is also concerned about the move to eliminate funds for teacher training and retainment.
“That would be devastating,” McCormick says.”
Trump’s draconian cuts would mean more kids packed into classrooms and fewer resources to train and retain teachers. The Supporting Effective Instruction grants on Trump’s chopping block are used in Indiana schools to reduce class sizes and provide continuous, ongoing training that help teachers prepare to instruct students. The grants are a critical tool in recruiting and training teachers with experience and strong credentials at high-risk schools.
From StateImpact Indiana: Indiana Could See Millions Cut From Federal Teacher Training Funds
“Those districts really do need those dollars to support and to retain teachers,” Cole says.”
If the Trump education budget becomes law, 20,000 Hoosier kids could be out of before and after-school programs currently offered through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
From Indianapolis Star: Trump budget would cut programs for 20,000 Indiana kids
“The $20 million in cuts statewide, which would eliminate programs for low-income students offered through the Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA, school corporations, parks departments and community centers, suggest that “poorer folks are being devalued,” Whitten said.
For thousands of children in Central Indiana, the 21st Century funding means a safe place to go after school, where they get tutoring, mentoring, health and fitness education and a meal — things they might not get regularly at home. The goal is to improve academic outcomes in the short and long term. And while opponents say there’s no proof such programs work, a 2013-14 Indiana University study says otherwise. [Emphasize added].”
The Trump education budget: More crowded classrooms, fewer safe places for high-risk kids and less training for teachers. Hoosier teachers, parents and students can’t afford it.
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