DeLaney condemns passage of charter industry legislation

Today, House Republicans moved to yet again transfer public assets and tax revenue into private pockets with the passage of Senate Bill 391. The pro-charter industry legislation would continue the state's $1 law and require that public school districts in Lake, Marion, St. Joseph and Vanderburgh Counties share property tax referendum dollars with charter schools.

Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement upon the passage of SB 391 out of the Indiana House of Representatives:

“Senate Bill 391 is a set of covenants broken and new covenants forged. As for the discarded covenants, this legislation takes public school buildings and gives them to non-public entities. Two, it takes public school referendum dollars and transfers them to unaccountable, private pockets, i.e. charter schools. It ultimately undercuts the tax system and undercuts the state government's commitment to taxpayers. With our public covenants now broken, supermajority lawmakers have established a new, private covenant between the GOP and the charter industry.

“My Republican colleagues never call a spade a spade, so I'll do it for them. This bill is designed to defund public schools. What's more, it's designed to kill off public schools in counties with some of the state's largest minority populations and Democratic representation: Lake, Marion, St. Joseph and Vanderburgh Counties. If charter schools are the godsend the supermajority claims they are, then this bill should encompass all of Indiana's 92 counties – not just these four. The supermajority is courting a lawsuit on multiple fronts with this legislation, given that it will force minority-serving public school districts to surrender referendum dollars to charters while leaving most majority-white districts alone.”

SB 391 passed the House of Representatives by a 64-33 vote.