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Nov. 3, 2017 Next Level Recovery Last month, Gov. Eric Holcomb launched Indiana’s Next Level Recovery website, which serves as an online resource for Hoosiers that addresses the opioid crisis in our state. Next Level Recovery offers ever-evolving information on Indiana’s opioid battle to emergency personnel, community leaders, law enforcement officials and healthcare professionals, as well as those struggling with substance abuse disorders and their families. The website includes data on opioid abuse prevention, treatment and enforcement; information on state initiatives; and ways for Hoosiers and employers to get involved. Indiana lawmakers are working hard to combat the drug epidemic in our state, and I hope to see this resource have a positive impact on our efforts. For more information or to visit the site, click here. College Goal Sunday Financial aid professionals will be volunteering at 39 sites across Indiana Sunday, Nov. 5, to help college-bound students and their families file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The program, College Goal Sunday, has helped more than 93,000 Indiana students and families complete the FAFSA accurately and on time. Students should attend the event with their parent or guardian. Parents should bring completed 2016 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 forms and other income and benefits information. Students who attend may also win one of five…

Giving Schools More Fiscal Flexibility By State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper)       With more than half of our state’s general fund dedicated to K-12 education, school funding is always an important topic for the Indiana General Assembly. This past legislative session, lawmakers passed House Enrolled Act 1009 to provide school districts with greater financial flexibility starting in 2019. Right now, school districts have some funds they can only use for specific purposes, giving them very limited flexibility with these dollars. By limiting the use of these funds into specific “silos,” many districts struggled with providing enough money for instructional costs. HEA 1009 eliminates these funding silos, providing school districts with the flexibility to use their revenue where their budget has shortfalls. This law does not change how the revenue is collected by property-tax levies, but does allow transfers between the money used for educational instruction and operating costs. HEA 1009 will help schools send more dollars to the classroom, which will support Hoosier children and teachers since districts won’t be limited in using their money for a specific purpose. By allowing schools to pool the individual property-tax levies into one fund for all non-instructional costs, schools will be able to better respond to shifting financial needs and priorities. This…