EDITORIAL: 'Indiana Way' could also be misguided

The state could have received up to $80 million to use for preschool programs for low-income students. But the Pence administration decided it wanted to go it alone on this well-documented and crucial strategy for improving the chances of kids to succeed in school.

Pence released a statement about his decision on Friday. It was called “Develop Pre-K the Indiana Way.”

Up until this year, the Indiana Way was to not develop preschool at all, despite repeated calls to the Legislature to do so and evidence that most other states were substantially ahead of Indiana on this issue.

Here’s the twist Pence put on that: “Earlier this year, our state made history by approving the first state-funded, pre-kindergarten grant program for low-income families in Indiana. The General Assembly enacted bipartisan legislation to launch a five-county pilot the Indiana way, with $10 million in state funds combined with matching funds from each county. Along with local partners around the state, my administration is hard at work completing the design of the pilot and is on track to start serving thousands of vulnerable children early next year.”

All true, of course. The governor does deserve credit for getting the Republican-controlled Legislature to commit to something. But by the time Indiana made history, about 40 other states already had publicly funded preschool programs. During the 2012-2013 school year, all Midwestern states except Indiana funded preschool for their kids. Twenty-nine percent of 4-year-olds in Kentucky were going to preschool, for instance.

So Indiana’s Way on preschool was to adopt a watered-down pilot program for five of Indiana’s 92 counties, and then to delay implementation of that.

Pence said, “It is important not to allow the lure of federal grant dollars to define our state’s mission and programs. More federal dollars do not necessarily equal success, especially when those dollars come with requirements and conditions that will not help — and may even hinder — running a successful program of our own making. ... While accepting federal grant dollars can at times be justified to advance our state’s objectives, when it comes to early childhood education, I believe Indiana must develop our own pre-K program without federal intrusion.”

Meanwhile, Hoosier children fall behind. And that should never be the Indiana Way.