Indiana Senate Passes School Start Date Bill

Feb. 2, 2010 -- The Indiana Senate passed SB 150 establishing a post-Labor Day school start date around noon today!

Thank you to the hundreds of supporters who emailed their senators and made phone calls.  We were told by many senators hearing from constituents is what pushed them to support the bill.  This bill couldn't have passed without you all!

The bill passed the full senate with a vote of 31-19.  Click here to see which Senators supported our bill and who didn't.

I don't have information regarding the House Education Committee schedule for hearing the bill but will email you with that info the moment I receive it.  I will also forward a link to allow you to email all committee members within the next day or so.

Everyone said a group of parents couldn't pass this type of legislation, but look at us....we have passed the Senate and are on to the House!

January 27, 2010 -- Senate Education and Career Development Committee Passes School Start Date Bill 8-1.  Bill Moves to Full Senate for Consideration
 
The Senate Education and Career Development Committee today passed Senate Bill 150, relating to school start dates.  The bill is being sponsored by Senator Delph and co-sponsored by Senators Kruse, Schneider, Zachas, Young, Randolph, Hume.  The next stop for SB 150 is the full Senate.  Check back for updates.

Below is a listing of committee members and how they voted on the bill. 

Senator Dennis Kruse -- YES
District 14: Northeast Indiana – Steuben, DeKalb and Allen counties.
 
Senator Carlin Yoder  -- YES
District 12: Elkhart
 
Senator Jim Buck - YES
District 21: portions of Boone, Hamilton, Tipton and Howard Counties
 
Senator Randy Head -- YES
District 18: Counties Served: portions of Cass, Fulton, Kosciusko, Miami, Pulaski and Wabash Counties
 
Senator Luke Kenley -- ABSENT
District 20: Hamilton, Madison, Grant, Tipton
 
Senator Jean Leising -- YES
District 42: Decatur, Fayette, Rush, Shelby and a portion of Franklin County
 
Senator Earline Rogers -- NO
District 3: portions of Lake County
 
Senator Sue Errington -- YES
District 26: all of Delaware County except Van Buren Township and includes the city of Muncie
 
Senator Frank Mrvan -- ABSENT -
District 1: portions of Lake County.  District 1 communities include Hammond, Whiting, Munster, Highland, Dyer and Griffith
 
Senator Connie Sipes -- YES
District 46: portions of Clark and Floyd Counties
 
Senator Scott Schneider - YES
District 30: portions of Hamilton and Marion Counties

 
Senate Bill 150 proposes a post-Labor Day school start date.  The bill is being sponsored by the Senate Education Committee Chair, Dennis Kruse, Committee Member Scott Schneider and Senator Mike Delph.   
 
This year is a short session for the Indiana Legislature and all legislation must be passed by mid-March in order to be sent to the Governor to become law.   We have no time to waste, please email the committee today to express your support for the bill.

Thanks to the support of the American Camping Association we are able to offer our supporters the use of CapWiz to send emails to legislators.  Simply click on the following link and you can send an email to all committee members in less than one minute.  You can either create your own email, use the talking points provided to draft and email or send our sample email. The process is easy and effective!   http://www.capwiz.com/acacamps/issues/alert/?alertid=14521401

If you have questions or need help email me at info@SaveIndianaSummers.org.

Thank you.  Keep checking the website for updates and we will notify you of advocacy opportunities.
Tina Bruno
210-559-5277

 

If you would like your voice heard, vist our blog.
Save Indiana Summers Blog

In the mean time, please sign our on-line petition so you can be kept informed of our activities and please consider sending your legislator a letter asking for her/his support of a uniform school start dare for all Indiana K-12 public schools.
 
More to come......

Save Indiana Summers is a non-profit, statewide coalition of parents, teachers and community members disappointed with the ever-earlier start to the school year. Our mission is to educate consumers of the education system, taxpayers and other interested people about the negative impact the early-August school start date and nontraditional school calendars have on our students, teachers and families. It is our hope that we can work with parents and school districts to help establish educationally and fiscally sound school calendars; a school calendar that allows more money to flow into teachers' salaries, classroom supplies and educational services ... without a heavier tax burden on Indiana families.

Voice Your Opinion!

Voicing your opinion on the school start date to your local legislator is the single most important thing you can do to move this issue forward.

 

 

Indiana Education Forum