HB1637 raises the annual scholarship awarded under the next generation Hoosier educators scholarship program to $10,000 from $7,500. It creates the next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship program and fund. It allows eligible applicants to receive a $10,000 scholarship each academic year for up to four years. Additionally, it increases the annual scholarship for recipients of the Earline S. Rogers student teaching scholarship for minority students from $4,000 to $5,000.
The Indiana State House of Representatives passed HB1637 on April 20, 2023 by a vote of 86 to 4. We have assigned pluses to the nays because offering taxpayer funded scholarships based on minority status or ethnicity is reverse discrimination and embraces division and wokeness. Taxpayers should not be on the hook for funding an individual’s education. Government should not interfere in personal matters such as education, and allocating funds based on certain criteria infringes upon personal freedom and violates the 14th Amendment.