On today’s edition of Bring It On!, host Clarence Boone spends the hour with April Hennessey, the board president of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, and Dountonia S. Batts, a community advocate and board member of the Indiana Coalition of Public Education (ICPE). They discuss the impact of Trump’s most recent executive order, which directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start dismantling the Department of Education.

Congressional approval, however, would be needed to fully abolish the department. Trump said that he hoped Democrats would vote in favor of legislation to do that. Seated at the signing was Indiana Governor Mike Braun, whom the President warmly acknowledged. Trump’s agenda seems to be matched also Indiana. Not only is Governor Braun a supporter of Trump’s agenda, but, on January 8, 2025, Indiana Representative Jake Teshka, Jeffrey Thompson, and Timothy O’Brien introduced Indiana House Bill 1136 for consideration. HB 1136 provides that:

“…if more than 50% of students who have legal settlement in a school corporation were enrolled in a school that is not operated by the school corporation on the 2024 fall average daily membership count date, the school corporation must be dissolved and all public schools of the school corporation must be transitioned to operating as charter schools. Establishes a new governing board, requirements, and procedures regarding the dissolution and reorganization of the applicable school corporations.”

To date, this legislation appears to be dead in the legislature.

Here to shed light upon this Executive Order by Donald Trump, proposed educational bills in the Indiana legislature, and their views on charter and public schools are April Hennessey, board president of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, and Dountonia S. Batts, community advocate and board member of the Indiana Coalition of Public Education (ICPE).

Credits: