The job of a state representative is to create and pass legislation that will benefit the citizens of his or her district, as well as the entire state.
Table of Contents
Ross Deal
Education: Bachelor’s, IUSB
Campaign phone: 574-258-0805
Jake Teshka
Job: Business development officer
Education: Master’s, IUSB
Indiana taxpayers currently fund four different types of K-12 education: traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools (using “choice scholarships”/”vouchers”), and online education. What, if anything, would you change about the current funding structure for K-12 education?
Deal: In 2008, the General Assembly changed the school funding formula by removing local property taxes. In addition to the removal of local property taxes, the ability for local levies to fund debt service, transportation, and capital projects was also eliminated. In 2009 then governor Mitch Daniels cut an additional 300 million dollars from school funding. That money was never put back! Traditional public schools have lost ground, especially in light of the fact that the pie has so many more divisions than before. In the latest budget passed strictly on party lines, traditional public schools were given a 2.06 % increase in ‘20 and 2.07 % for ‘21. Charter schools received 10.30% in’20 and 10.47% in’21. Virtual schools received increases of 5.25% in ‘20 and 9.14% in ‘21. Voucher schools received 9.28% and 5.60% increases. So, when you ask me if I would change anything about the current funding structure, I say yes! Our primary obligation is to educate students in traditional public schools
Teshka: I believe that every Hoosier child deserves a shot at a great education. Every Hoosier child doesn’t learn the same, however which is why I support and would expand on Indiana’s current practice of allowing education dollars to follow the child and maximizing parental choice. I would work to create accountability mechanisms that help drive more dollars directly into the classroom rather than feed bloated school administrations.
Has the Indiana State Legislature done enough to address the rising cost of health care, stagnant wages across the state, teacher pay, and K- 12 education funding? Can the state afford to do more? What would you recommend?
Deal: The legislature has not done enough to address any of these issues. Two of the issues causing health care costs to rise can be directly related to Pharmacy Benefit Managers and prescription drugs. An effort was made to regulate PBM’s and to cap the cost of prescription drugs. The amendments were defeated on party lines. An amendment was presented by the Democrat caucus to allow for the importation of FDA approved drugs from Canada. This too was defeated on party lines. The legislature has had a direct negative effect on wages. Right to Work legislation was passed which effectively took away the rights of workers to negotiate with employers for wages and working conditions. The legislature has harmed workers by repealing the common construction wage. Recently attempts have been made to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour. This was defeated on party lines. ‘Things like teacher pay, K-12 education and funding pre-k have continually been kicked down the road. We can do better
Teshka: Many regulations on small businesses were eased during the pandemic. I would work to make that permanent and allow our small business owners to drive up wages.
On health care, I am confident that we will implement common sense solutions to drive down the costs of medical care and prescription drugs. We achieve this by building on recent legislation which addressed surprise billing and transparency in pricing while encouraging more competition in our state’s insurance market.
If recent state spending tells us anything it is that Hoosier lawmakers value education. Spending on K-12 education accounts for more than half of our budget. However, data shows that while enrollment in traditional public schools and numbers of teachers have both decreased in recent years, numbers of administrative staff have exploded by nearly 40%. As a a legislature, we need to hold local districts accountable and ensure that their budgets drive those dollars into the classroom, including teacher salaries.
Should laws about marijuana use be decided by the states or by the federal government? What is your position on decriminalization or legalization of medical and/or recreational marijuana in the state of Indiana?
Deal: I am a proponent of states rights. Many states have defied the federal government and passed their own legislation, which puts them at odds with Washington. The problem facing Indiana is that all of the states that border us have passed some form of legislation with regard to medical and/or recreational marijuana. If Indiana does not act we risk creating criminals out of law-abiding citizens. I have been in meetings where we have heard from people suffering from chronic pain or PTSD. In almost every case these individuals testified that medical marijuana has allowed them to resume living without dependence on prescription pain killers. This is significant, in light of the opioid crisis. All of the data that I have studied suggests that the public is overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing marijuana. While I am personally ambivalent to this issue, I work hard to represent the will of the district. That being said, I would likely vote in favor of legalization if legislation was presented.
Teshka: As a strong supporter of the 10th Amendment and principles of federalism, I believe that laws regarding marijuana should be left to the states. I also believe that at the very least, the Indiana General Assembly should take up legislation decriminalizing marijuana. Current practice and penalties put too much strain on our criminal justice system and disproportionately set young people up for failure.
Some states are proposing free tuition for state colleges and universities. Do you support such an initiative? If so, how would you propose to PAY for it? If not, how would you make post-secondary education more affordable for Indiana residents?
Deal: Free tuition may be a worthy goal, but not an idea that I can support at this time. The more immediate issue, is that of student loan debt. Student loan debt in the U.S. has implications for the future beyond anything most people envision. Many students graduate and start their careers with crippling debt. As state funding has decreased, the burden has shifted to students, and as that burden has shifted, student loan debt has soared. Currently the state of Indiana is funding approximately 18% of the budgets for state institutions. We can afford to do better. As is the case with teacher pay and health care, we (the Republican-controlled legislature) have kicked the can down the road. Funding increases to public colleges and universities need to be a higher budget priority. We need to stop pushing students to attend four-year colleges that they may not be interested in. A great many students who do not find success in college could excel in career technical education and the trades.
Teshka: I support the numerous programs in Indiana which provide tuition assistance to eligible students as well as efforts by innovative university administrators like Purdue President Mitch Daniels which seek to maximize efficiency and have frozen tuition rates. Given the current budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I do not believe that “free” tuition for every student is feasible or advisable.
Some states are proposing free tuition for state colleges and universities. Do you support such an initiative? If so, how would you propose to PAY for it? If not, how would you make post-secondary education more affordable for Indiana residents?
Ross Deal: Free tuition may be a worthy goal, but not an idea that I can support at this time. The more immediate issue, is that of student loan debt. Student loan debt in the U.S. has implications for the future beyond anything most people envision. Many students graduate and start their careers with crippling debt. As state funding has decreased, the burden has shifted to students, and as that burden has shifted, student loan debt has soared. Currently the state of Indiana is funding approximately 18% of the budgets for state institutions. We can afford to do better. As is the case with teacher pay and health care, we (the Republican-controlled legislature) have kicked the can down the road. Funding increases to public colleges and universities need to be a higher budget priority. We need to stop pushing students to attend four-year colleges that they may not be interested in. A great many students who do not find success in college could excel in career technical education and the trades.
Jake Teshka: I support the numerous programs in Indiana which provide tuition assistance to eligible students as well as efforts by innovative university administrators like Purdue President Mitch Daniels which seek to maximize efficiency and have frozen tuition rates. Given the current budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I do not believe that “free” tuition for every student is feasible or advisable.
Why does the United States account for such a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 infections and deaths? In your view, how well has Indiana done at controlling the spread of the virus? What specific steps, if any, should the General Assembly take to limit COVID-19 deaths and to help those most affected by pandemic?
Deal: The United States accounts for disproportionately high COVID-19 infections and deaths because the response by the Federal government has been slow and uneven. People were led to believe early on that the situation was not that serious and a window of opportunity was missed to get ahead of the curve of infection. Additionally, promises of PPE were made to states, but clearly the systems of procurement and supply were inadequate. Indiana has done many things right in responding to the pandemic. Clearly, we are in uncharted waters and there was no playbook. It’s important that we learn from this experience in order to be prepared for a future event. The General Assembly needs to make sure that systems are in place, and resources available for deployment in anticipation of future like events.
Teshka: Current state leaders found themselves in an unenviable position this year when the pandemic hit just as the General Assembly was ending its session. I believe that leaders at the executive level have made the best data-driven decisions that they could under very difficult and fluid conditions. I am looking forward to the legislature having the opportunity to address these issues in the coming months.
The economic fallout of the pandemic has been devastating to businesses, livelihoods, mental health and more. However, after more than a decade of strong fiscally conservative leadership, we are poised to make a robust resurgence. As we emerge stronger, we need to double down on the policies that prepared us to weather this storm so that we are prepared for the next one.
We’re about to have our once-every-10-years opportunity to redraw legislative boundaries based on the results of the 2020 Census. What process should be used to draw those boundaries, and should the General Assembly do anything to prevent partisan gerrymandering, this year and going forward?
Deal: The census has created a political tug of war for many years. This is now exacerbated by the extreme partisanship which exists in our country. This unfortunate situation will exist regardless of which political party is in the majority, until such time as the General Assembly takes action to require legislative districts be drawn by an independent, non-partisan group. Indiana is approximately 55 percent Republican, but the make up of the Indiana House would lead one to believe that it is 67 percent Republican. The state senate is worse. Of fifty state senators, ten are Democrat and forty Republican. Those numbers might lead a casual observer to conclude that Indiana is 80 percent Republican. Both parties have used their time in the majority to keep a firm grip on power. Only when we change to a non-partisan system will we be able to convince voters that their vote has value.
Teshka: The United States Constitution and federal legislation including the Voting Rights Act clearly lay out standards for redistricting. I support adhering to those standards while working diligently to keep communities of common interest together.
