Indiana Senate committee dials back Pre-K fund proposal

Republicans in the Senate again took a knife to a key plank of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s agenda, this time slicing a proposed funding increase for pre-kindergarten programs.

Holcomb, also a Republican, is pushing to double On My Way Pre-K funding to $20 million a year. But the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, led by powerful chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, cut the amount to $13 million, just $3 million above current funding.

The measure also includes an additional $3 million for other pre-K ventures. About $1 million would go toward a new pilot program for parents to teach their children at home using software, and another $2 million would continue the Early Education Matching Grant funding that was set to expire.

Earlier this week, the GOP-dominated Senate also voted to defeat a Senate bill to make the superintendent of public instruction an appointed position rather than an elected one. That legislation was one of Holcomb's priorities. The House passed similar legislation the same day, but its fate is unclear.

Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/23/indiana-senate-committee-dials-back-pre-k-fund-proposal/98297766/