Rep. Porter Condemns Budget Cuts at Indiana School for the Deaf

Written from press release

INDIANAPOLIS — June 27, 2025

State Rep. Gregory Porter (D-Indianapolis) is raising alarms over significant budget cuts at the Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD), calling the Braun administration’s handling of the situation “appalling” and urging immediate legislative oversight.

With the state’s new fiscal year beginning July 1, final operating budgets have been set, and ISD is facing layoffs and program eliminations due to reduced state funding. Porter, whose district includes ISD, said the cuts forced the school to eliminate 26 positions, including nine teaching jobs and an overnight nurse who cared for students as young as three in the residential program.

“This lack of respect for the ISD demonstrates the jarring viewpoint this administration has towards Hoosiers in need—as profit margins,” Porter said in a statement Friday. “Children can’t be equated to dollar signs on a piece of paper.”

Porter noted the cancellation of the school’s annual summer camp and reductions in custodial staff, which will now require teachers to clean classrooms and facilities themselves.

“Republicans are always saying that all schools deserve the same treatment,” Porter added. “Hopefully, the majority is comfortable requiring teachers in their district to cut costs by scrubbing the floors.”

He criticized the administration’s priorities, citing the state’s $655 million investment in building a combined campus for the Indiana Schools for the Blind and Deaf, while current operational needs go unmet.

“If Indiana can spend $655 million to build a new combined school for the blind and deaf, we can surely fully fund the ISD for the biennium,” Porter said.

Porter announced he will submit a formal letter to the State Budget Committee’s chair to demand a discussion on ISD funding at the committee’s next meeting. He noted a prior request sent on June 18 has gone unanswered. He also invited Governor Braun to visit ISD to witness firsthand the impact of the school’s work.

The post Rep. Porter Condemns Budget Cuts at Indiana School for the Deaf first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.