As the school year comes to a close, districts across the state are announcing their choices for teacher of the year. Each local winner will advance to the state level for consideration for the 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year, which is announced in the fall.

The Bridging The Gap initiative will provide students who complete core components of the program with college credit and some cash.

Federal COVID-19 relief funding is providing K-12 schools with an influx of critically-needed cash, but millions of dollars are also providing support for early childhood education. Part of the funding will go toward a child care scholarship program for essential workers in the state.

The searchable database shows the total each public school district, charter school and adult high school in Indiana is receiving from the two federal pandemic relief spending packages and how much that amounts to per student in the district.

Nearly $2.6 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds is headed to Indiana schools. In rural districts where income from property taxes is low, some of that money will pay for long-delayed building maintenance.

Some parents of online learners still have lingering concerns about sending their children back to school specifically for in-person standardized tests but the state says most students have already taken their federally required assessments, and there aren't consequences if they don't.

It's the first time only one school corporation in Indiana has sought referendum approval during spring elections in the past decade.