INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is calling for preschool to be made available to every Hoosier child free of charge.
Ritz says the proposal would be possible through re-prioritizing funds that are already in the budget, and by pursuing all available federal money.
Ritz says the system isn't fair when some students are exposed to early childhood education and others are not.
"We have a retention rate that continues to grow in our kindergarten programs," Ritz said. "So we have a retention rate that's costing more than $30 million now at kindergarten. And it's been shown that pre-K can offset that. So we have to absolutely invest with our little ones."
The topic is one that's setting up to be a major debate in the next legislative session. Late last week, Gov. Mike Pence called for an expansion of the state's pilot program, which is currently offering scholarships to a limited number of low-income children in five counties.
Pence says the focus on needy kids is the right path forward.
