Guest column: Republican education policies have left Indiana’s children behind

August 9, 2026 - 02:12

For the last sixteen years, Indiana Republicans have stood before voters with the same promise: this is the year public education finally gets fixed. Yet, year after year, that promise fades as quickly as it is made. The result is not just a broken political pledge, but a generation of Hoosier children who are being left behind while the adults in charge point fingers.

The numbers tell a story that is hard to ignore. Reading and math scores have stagnated, and in many districts, they have dropped. Teacher pay remains stuck in the middle of the pack nationally, which pushes some of the best educators out of the classroom and into neighboring states. Meanwhile, the state pours more money into private school vouchers, pulling resources away from the public schools that serve the vast majority of students. The logic is simple: if you keep draining the pool, eventually there is nothing left to swim in.

What makes this harder to swallow is the constant talk of reform. Every session, there is a new bill, a new task force, or a new slogan. But the actual outcomes for kids have not improved. Parents see larger class sizes, fewer support staff, and a curriculum that is squeezed between testing requirements and political talking points. The people making these decisions are not in the classrooms, and it shows.

This is not about blaming every single Republican lawmaker. Some have tried to push for real change, but they are often outnumbered by those who see education as a budget line item to cut rather than an investment to protect. The state has the money. It chooses to spend it elsewhere.

Indiana's children do not have another sixteen years to wait. They need leaders who will stop making promises and start making a real difference. Until then, the gap between what is said and what is done will only grow wider, and the kids will keep paying the price.