House budget ups school spending

Indiana lawmakers are considering spending millions more on education over the next two years, but that likely wouldn’t be enough for local schools to hire new teachers or start new programs.

The budget approved by the Indiana House of Representatives includes an increase of about 2 percent in education spending for the 2013-2014 school year and a roughly 1 percent increase in spending for the 2014-2015 school year, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, said.

In total, the House approved spending about $357 million more from sales and income tax revenue for kindergarten through 12th grade. Total education spending on elementary, middle and high schools next year would be about $6.6 billion next year and about $6.7 billion the following year, Brown said.

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