Ball State Charters Meeting Diverse Need
Andrea Neal column for Sept. 14 and thereafter740 words (Note to editors: This is the second in a two-part series).When the Southwest Sullivan School Corp. closed Graysville Elementary School in a cost-saving move, residents got mad. Then they got creative. Concerned citizens asked Ball State University to sponsor a charter school in their southwest Indiana Read the full article…

Income Tax, Property Tax or “None of the Above?”
Andrea Neal column for Feb. 3 and thereafter (EDITORS: Please note ellipsis should go inside quote in graf 5) 725 words INDIANAPOLIS — Given a choice, which would you rather pay: income tax or property tax? That’s the question posed by House Bill 1008, which would allow county, town and city governments in Indiana to Read the full article…

Do-nothing Session Was a Blessing
Andrea Neal column for March 10 and thereafter725 words INDIANAPOLIS — Lawmakers left town with few notable accomplishments. Thank goodness. Accomplishments cost money. Indiana is running a billion-dollar deficit. A few months from now, the failure to pass all-day kindergarten will be a distant memory. Instead, we’ll be engaged in budgetary second-guessing. Should legislators have Read the full article…

More Mayors Need Chartering Authority
Andrea Neal column for Sept. 7 and thereafter740 words (Note to editors: This is the first of a two-part series. The second part looks at the Ball State charter school experience).INDIANAPOLIS – When the Indiana General Assembly passed a charter school law in 2001, it carved out a unique responsibility for one man: Indianapolis Mayor Read the full article…

At Last: HB 1008 Offers Foundation for Tax Reform
Andrea Neal column for Jan. 27 and thereafter770 words (Editors: Please note spelling of Markt Lytle in graf 3 is correct. Also, date of House vote referenced in lead sentence was Jan. 22). INDIANAPOLIS — House Bill 1008, which passed the House on a 52-47 vote, is the best idea so far to come out Read the full article…

A Day to Honor a few Great Men
700 words For publication on Monday Feb. 16 or thereafter (EDITORS: PLEASE NOTE COLUMN SHELF LIFE IS LIMITED DUE TO PRESIDENT"S DAY FOCUS) INDIANAPOLIS — As a President’s Day exercise, I asked the 30 students in my 8th grade U.S. history course to write a paragraph on a president of their choice — someone they Read the full article…

