INDIANAPOLIS — A year ago, Batesville Community Schools Superintendent Paul Ketcham and State Rep. Robert Behning discussed ways the southeastern Indiana district partners with businesses to prepare students to join the workforce.
They focused on expanding Batesville’s model to the rest of the state.
On Tuesday, the men brought the idea to the Indiana House Education Committee with hopes of implementing programs to reach students beyond Batesville’s rural area and going into urban districts.
“Our goal is to expand and maximize our co-op and work-based experiences so that high school students can earn college credit and work towards obtaining an associate’s degree or TGEC, transfer general education core,” said Ketcham.
TGEC courses are based on competencies in the areas of intellectual skills and ways of knowing.
“While earning these credits, students can simultaneously capture credits in soft skills and technical skills as they prepare to immediately enter the workforce as productive, debt-free members of our community,” Ketcham said.
House Bill 1398, authored by Behning, R-Indianapolis, would allow the Indiana State Board of Education to approve a coalition of between four and eight districts to form partnerships with businesses, industry, higher education institutions or community members. The legislation is intended to provide flexibility in setting up work-based
The bill passed from the committee Tuesday and now goes back to the House.
The bill is backed by Batesville Mayor Mike Bettice as well as representatives from Batesville Tool & Die and Hillenbrand Inc., both firms that work with the program. Other districts also spoke in favor of the concept.
However, some legislators questioned whether taxpayers were essentially covering the costs of a teacher and a company worker to train an intern. Among numerous concerns, other legislators were unsure if there would be too much variety between districts in meeting state requirements for high school classes and graduation.