Several local school corporations would stand to benefit from a bill introduced last week in the Indiana House of Representatives. Francesville Republican Doug Gutwein has co-authored a bill that would reestablish a small school grant for 2017 through 2019.
Under the proposed legislation, school corporations with 1,000 students or fewer would be eligible for a grant of $200 per student. Corporations with between 1,001 and 2,400 students would get $100 per student. That would cost the state an estimated $27.3 million in fiscal year 2018, going up to $27.5 million in 2019. The bill, authored by Representative Bill Friend, now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
Several rural school corporations throughout the local area, including Culver and West Central, have been joining together to ask lawmakers to increase funding for small and rural schools.
