The Indiana Farm Bureau says the state needs to increase funding for rural schools, but there are no proposals at the statehouse to address the issue.
The Farm Bureau says getting schools in rural communities the funding they need is difficult, because state funding follows the student. With declining enrollments, many schools are getting fewer state dollars.
Some turn to referendums to keep their districts afloat.
Justin Schneider is the Director of State Government Relations for the Indiana Farm Bureau. He says they’ll continue to push for a solution beyond this session.
"Education funding is something that is on the legislative calendar every year. I think it’s one of those issues that I think we’re going to continue to work on," Schneider says.
Despite limited action from legislators on rural school funding, the bureau says their members are optimistic about a number of other initiatives that include farmland preservation, local government control, and industrial hemp.
