Senate bill could change law regarding vacant or underused public school buildings

Right now, Indiana law says a public school building can be leased to a charter school for a dollar if it's vacant for 30 days or more, but Republican State Sen.

Ron Alting says Senate Bill 358 would change that.

Definition of a law allowing charter schools to buy underused or vacant buildings from public schools for a dollar.

I spoke with a local lawmaker about the bill and a school corporation superintendent who is affected by it.

They tell me why they think it's an attack on public education.

Alting "it's a bad bill for school corporations, our public schools and it's a bad bill for tax payers."

Right now, indiana law says a public school building can be leased to a charter school for a dollar if it's vacant for 30 days or more.

But republican state senator ron alting says senate bill 358 would change that.

Alting "the definition is so vague and so unfair, that it's frightful."

If passed, a corporation must report vacant or underutilized buildings by the fall of 2021.

A school is considered underutilized if it doesn't maintain 50 percent or more of students compared to the building's capacity.

Unfortunately, west lafayette community school corporation superintendent rocky killion says the former happy hollow elementary building qualifies as vacant.

Killion "if you want to pass on an underutilized billing or an unused building, at least allow us to get fair market value for those buildings."

Alting says it hurts schools and tax payers who have invested in the property.

Alting "west lafayette school corporation could have an $800,000 building that tax payers could get money for to go into that school corporation for teacher raises or for any purpose that they see fit.

Instead, they're going to hand it over to a charter school for one dollar."

As we've reported the west lafayette school corporation is challenging the current law.

It joined several other corporations and filed a lawsuit against the state in lake county.

Killion "if tax payer dollars are going to an entity, there should be some kind of a public hearing about how those tax dollars are being used.

Public schools have to go through multiple hearings."

News 18 reached out to one of the bill's authors, republican state senator linda rogers, for comment.

In a statement to news 18 she said, "senate bill 358 was authored to clean up and improve the state's $1 purchase/lease law of school buildings.

Sb 358 will be heard next week in the house committee on education, and i have been working with numerous stakeholders to make improvements to the introduced legislation."

Killion "local tax payers paid for this, and they're not even a voice."

However, happy hollow isn't the only building that would be affected by the legislation.

Lafayette school corporation superintendent les huddle says he believes the durgan elementary and washington school buildings would be affect.

Washington houses the lafayette adult resource academy and oakland high school.

Durgan houses the greater lafayette special needs program.

Alting "these are children with disabilities.

A very, very important program."

It doesn't meet capacity requirements because it has students from two other school districts.

Alting "lafayette owns it, but only about 30 percent of the students are from lafayette."

As for happy hollow, killion says it takes time to redevelop a building into something the tax payers can benefit from.

He says he doesn't mind if a charter school uses the building, as long as it's a fair exchange of funds.

Killion "i have no problem competing with the world's best education systems or charter school systems or private schools as long as they play by the same rules."

A lake county judge denied indiana's motion to dismiss the lawsuit involving the west lafayette community school corporation last september.

Killion believes this case will end up in front of the indiana supreme court.

The bill is waiting to be heard in the committee on education.

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