Local Educator Speaks to Senate Education and Career Development Committee

Posted on March 27, 2019
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI

A Knox Community High School teacher testified before the Indiana State Senate Education and Career Development Committee earlier this month to encourage lawmakers to look into budget cuts at smaller schools with the restructuring of the school budgets.

Travis Flora, a Knox High School Physics and Chemistry teacher, said it comes down social aspects which puts small, rural schools at a disadvantage.

“One of the issues is the complexity index which is a measure of some socio-economic situations such as single parent homes, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) – basically the economic status of people – Special Education and English as a Second Language.  Somehow, Knox dropped by 20 percent in the complexity index.”

The complexity index is a formula that determines funding for schools with a host of variables to create funding for schools.

In his speech to lawmakers, Flora pointed out that the draft budget finds an increase of $145,000 from the foundation grant for the Knox Community School Corporation, but will lose $340,000 with the complexity index, which amounts to about a 20 percent shortfall in the school’s budget.  It trickles down to hurt a student’s education, according to Flora, and it doesn't allow for teachers to gain in salaries to keep up with the increase in the cost of living to continue in the profession.

“A lot of small town rural communities view their school as the nucleus of the community and it’s being defunded.  You look at all the small towns around here, a lot them are getting hit.  Is it intentional or is it neglect?  I don’t know.  You’ll have to ask the people making the decisions.”

Flora noted that he hasn't personally gotten any feedback from lawmakers regarding his testimony, but hopes that they make a decision that will assist schools in a positive direction.

Click here to view his speech.