Indiana Senate Education Committee amends, advances two education bills; tax-credit proposal for public school foundations fails

The Indiana Senate Education Committee, meeting for the final time in the 2025 session, approved an amended House Bill 1064 and advanced House Bill 1326 to the Appropriations Committee after adopting several amendments — but it rejected a proposed tax credit for donations to public school foundations.

The committee voted 7–6 to pass House Bill 1064 as amended; the amendment removes a provision that would have required school corporations to offer a cash-payment option for extracurricular activities. Later, committee members accepted two amendments to House Bill 1326 by consent and defeated a separate amendment that would have created a state tax credit for contributions to public school foundations.

The changes to House Bill 1064 were described to the committee as removing a local micromanagement requirement. Senator Brian Buchanan said the amendment “simply removes a provision requiring school corporations to offer [a] cash payment option” to extracurricular activities and argued the decision should be left to local school boards. The committee then passed the bill as amended.

House Bill 1326 drew multiple amendment calls. Senator Geary said his amendments were intended to “slow it down” by restoring an income eligibility threshold for Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), limiting prekindergarten eligibility to four-year-olds…