Education

More than eight thousand Indiana public school students have been awarded vouchers allowing them to use public funds to attend private schools this academic year.

That’s more than double the number awarded last year.

Adam Baker with the Indiana Department of Education says the program approved by the Republican-led General Assembly in 2011 allows for 15,ooo vouchers this year.

"Next year, there’s actually no cap on the number of vouchers available, so we’re hoping that we continue to see this number rise year by year," he said.

The Jefferson County Board of Education will soon consider its largest tax increase in the past four years, as district leaders say the hike is needed to offset a lack of state and federal funding.

Last year, Superintendent Donna Hargens and the JCPS board said the district would only raise taxes a fraction of a penny. The taxes are based on property values, and the increase meant homeowners would pay $1 more for a home assessed at $100,000.

The more than 3 percent increase being proposed now would add over $20 more to the same tax bill.

Nearly 70,000 Jefferson County Public Schools students are taking the bus Tuesday for the first day of school, adding over 900 buses to the roads.

District officials expect some bus delays in the first week while drivers and parents figure out where students need to go after school, but they hope the new GPS-enabled buses will make transportation in the district more efficient. 

Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Donna Hargens says she’ll use the recently announced decrease in JCPS graduation rates as a catalyst for increasing student achievement.

Hargens made her comments during an interview Thursday with the Courier-Journal. 

Summer is ending for students in Louisville and, according to reports, students return to class in the fall one month behind where they left off in the spring. The loss is even greater for low-income students.

To combat summer learning loss, JCPS has invested in two online programs previously offered only to low-performing students.

The programs will now be used to boost learning during the school year.

This fall's Jefferson County Board of Education election will have one of the largest candidate pools in  recent history after eight more candidates filed before Tuesday's deadline.

A total of 17 candidates have filed to run for three seats being vacated by JCPS board members this year. Five are vying in Steve Imhoff’s District 2, five in Larry Hujo’s District 7 and seven in Joe Hardesty’s District 4.

The candidates run the gamut from well known public figures to a concerned parent who wants to change the district’s student assignment plan.