Heading Into Her Final Year In Office, McCormick Releases 2020 Priorities

The state’s schools chief has announced what she plans to prioritize during her final year in office.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick released her legislative agenda for the State Department of Education Thursday.

McCormick’s priorities include things like increased accountability for virtual and brick-and-mortar charter schools. She also plans to push for measures addressing student vaping, and streamlining how the state collects data from schools.

“Our 2020 legislative priorities build upon past successes with a focus on areas in which we can improve to better serve students and educators,” McCormick said in a statement. “Our goal remains to create safe learning environments that academically prepare students for life beyond high school through providing educators the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom. This has been the department's focus since day one of my term. As Indiana’s last elected state superintendent, I will continue to advocate in the best interest of kids.”

Another core piece of McCormick’s plans for 2020 focus on teacher needs. 

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Part of her teacher-based priorities include giving more special educators access to teacher bonus grants and making a new career awareness license rule optional.

And as the state grapples with how to handle ILEARN test results, McCormick plans to press for more school accountability work through the state board. The legislative session begins in January.

Contact Jeanie at jlindsa@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @jeanjeanielindz.