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Committee pauses Senate Bill 366 after debate over superintendent qualifications, teacher evaluation and charter building rules
Summary
Senate Bill 366 would make multiple changes to K‑12 rules — including allowing non‑education credentials for superintendents, altering teacher evaluation discussion requirements and extending timelines for charter school renovations under the "dollar law" — but the committee did not advance the bill Wednesday.
Senate Bill 366, a multi‑topic education measure, drew questions from committee members and stakeholders Wednesday and was not moved forward.
Senator Rogers outlined the bill’s provisions, which include a directive to the department of education to prepare recommendations on the school bus driver shortage; a textual clean‑up of duplicate code governing board vacancies; expanded hiring flexibility for school superintendents so a candidate with business experience or degree could be eligible; and a change to the so‑called “dollar law” to permit charter schools more time to complete renovations when they acquire a building at a nominal price.
Rogers also explained the bill removes a statutory requirement that a superintendent “shall” discuss teacher performance evaluation plans with the teachers’ exclusive representative before presenting the plan to a school board. Rogers said the change reflects a deregulatory approach; she told committee members she expected good administrators would continue to consult teachers even without a code mandate: “Teachers are the most valuable asset that a school corporation has,” she said.
But teacher groups pushed back. Joel Hand of the American Federation of Teachers‑Indiana said removing the requirement would remove a guaranteed avenue for teacher input and reduce transparency in evaluation plans. “If you want teachers to feel valued…they need to have some type of a voice in how that evaluation is created,” Hand said.
Other witnesses raised concerns about removing the master’s degree expectation for superintendents. The Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association and the Indiana State Teachers Association said smaller districts might be well served by internal promotions, but warned against weakening training and licensure expectations for leaders in ways that could harm instructional quality.
The bill would also remove a transfer tuition provision that currently governs certain inter‑district transfers; Senator Rogers said that change is intended to simplify accounting and not to prevent transfers, though members asked about the fiscal impacts when enrollment shifts mid‑year.
On the “dollar law” provision — allowing extra time for charter schools renovating buildings they received for $1 — opponents raised language clarity concerns and said drafting needs precision to avoid unintended permanent exemptions.
Several witnesses, including representatives from the Indiana School Boards Association and rural school advocates, offered technical suggestions for rewrite and requested more time. Senator Rogers told the committee she would not move the bill that day and staff would work with stakeholders on clarifying language.
The committee did not vote on SB366 and the bill was not advanced; sponsors and staff said they will continue to confer with interested parties on redrafting specific sections.
