Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis (left), Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond (center) and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner (right) at the annual Dentons Legislative Conference on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, held at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Stricter cellphone bans, more focus on STEM and increased school “efficiency” are shaping up as some of the highest-priority education debates Indiana lawmakers will tackle during a fast 2026 legislative session that starts back up next week.

The session will be shorter than usual – ending by late February – after legislators already convened for two weeks in December on redistricting. Senate bills must be filed by Jan. 9, and House bills by Jan. 14.

Multiple education bills have already moved, and one – a cellphone crackdown proposal – was heard in the Senate education committee in early December. Caucus leaders in the Republican-dominated General Assembly won’t formally roll out their priority agendas until next week, however.

At an annual legislative conference hosted last month in Indianapolis, lawmakers and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner previewed a crowded policy landscape shaped by academic recovery concerns, declining enrollment, student disengagement and growing unease about children’s use of technology.

Cellphones In Classrooms – And Beyond

One of the most visible education debates of the coming session is already underway: whether Indiana should expand restrictions on student cellphone use to cover the entire school day.

Under current law – approved by lawmakers in 2024 – schools must prohibit cellphone use during instructional time unless a teacher permits it for academic purposes. Senate Bill 78 would go further, requiring public schools to ban cellphone use “from bell to bell,” including during lunch and passing periods, with limited exceptions.

The bill already received public testimony in the Senate Education Committee in December and was authored by committee chairman Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond. Raatz said the committee is likely to vote on the measure early this month.

Supporters argue the change would reduce distractions and improve student focus and mental health. Opponents – including some parents and students – have raised concerns about safety, emergencies and local control.

Jenner signaled broader alarm about technology’s impact on children, calling for a statewide conversation that extends beyond classrooms.

House Education Committee Chair Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said lawmakers are also exploring ways to regulate social media platforms themselves, particularly the algorithms that keep children engaged.

More Work On Literacy

Lawmakers and education officials continue to tout Indiana’s recent gains in early literacy, driven by state investments in reading instruction and intervention. But Jenner said the work is far from finished – and may prompt additional statutory changes on top of major policies passed in the last two sessions.

“We’ve seen some great success in reading, but we have a lot more work to do,” Jenner said, noting that the state saw a 5% jump in reading proficiency. Current law requires schools with fewer than 70% of students reading proficiently to participate in a state literacy cadre program, which provides targeted, evidence-based instructional support for teachers.

One persistent challenge, she added, is middle school literacy.

Doubling Down On STEM

Beyond literacy, lawmakers and state officials signaled a renewed push to strengthen math and STEM instruction – an area they acknowledged is lagging behind recent reading gains. STEM is shorthand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Behning said Indiana’s success with literacy initiatives could serve as a model for future investments in math, particularly early numeracy.

Behning pointed to the state’s literacy cadre as an approach lawmakers could look to replicate in math classrooms.

Behning added that many educators were never trained in “foundational, explicit skills in math,” leaving schools struggling to improve outcomes without additional state support.

Funding Equity And School Operations

Education funding is also expected to remain a flashpoint, particularly for districts with weak property-tax bases. Rep. Ed DeLaney, an Indianapolis Democrat who sits on the House Education Committee, warned that public schools’ share of the state budget has declined over the past decade and urged greater state investment to support high-need districts.

But legislators are also watching closely as Indianapolis leaders advance recommendations from the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which calls for a new authority to manage school facilities and transportation across traditional public, charter and innovation schools.

Supporters say the plan could reduce costs and allow school boards to focus more on classroom outcomes. Critics worry about local control and whether similar models could spread statewide.

Jenner stressed that conversations around consolidation and shared services look very different outside Indianapolis.

Rural lawmakers and education leaders, she added, are closely watching how urban proposals could influence policy elsewhere, particularly in counties facing population decline, long bus routes and limited resources.

Jenner cautioned legislators against using enrollment alone to drive decisions, however, instead urging them to weigh student outcomes and fiscal health when considering changes.

Other Priorities Rolling In

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education has called for greater state investment in K-12 schools, more equitable funding for districts with limited property-tax bases, and caution against additional mandates without funding.

Meanwhile, the Indiana School Boards Association is urging lawmakers to focus on local flexibility, shared services, school safety and workforce-related learning, while reducing regulatory burdens on districts.

The Indiana State Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, has not yet released its 2026 agenda.