Governor Mitch Daniels has signed into law a plan giving Indiana the nation’s most sweeping private school voucher program.The Republican governor gathered with lawmakers and supporters at the statehouse today to sign the voucher bill and another measure to expand charter schools."Today is about education, it’s also about social justice, it’s about equality. Every child deserves and equal chance and every parent deserves an equal chance to make the decision about their child’s future that we trust them to make wisely," he said. Most of Daniels’ education agenda was approved by the Republican-controlled legislature. The voucher program allows families who meet income guidelines to use taxpayer money to send their children to private or religious schools. Critics say it will blur the line separating church and state and spreads scarce education money too thin. (Information for this story came from the Associated Press)
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
