Dozens of new laws that impact education in Indiana, from sex education to teacher pay, become effective Tuesday.

State lawmakers spent three months, from January to April in Indianapolis, crafting the bills that Gov. Mike Braun would eventually sign into law.

The GOP-dominated legislature focused closely on education, from establishing a new K-12 grading system to creating new rules for teaching sex education.

According to Gary Teachers Union president GlenEva Dunham, there are 87 new laws relating to education.

“It’s crazy. I’m going to try to have a lawmaker come in and explain it all at our next union meeting,” Dunham said.

Most Indiana K-12 leaders are focused on the fallout from a tax reform measure, Senate Bill 1, that provides property tax relief to taxpayers, but slashes revenue for schools and local governments.

The taxpayer relief at the expense of local governments was part of Braun’s “do more with less” mantra.

Braun, a businessman, argued that local governments and school districts could find efficiencies to help them trim costs.

The law also calls for school districts to share referendum revenue with charter schools attended by students in their district beginning in 2028. It would impact about 30 districts and hit the Gary Community School Corp. hard since more than half its eligible students attend charters.

The tax relief law is estimated to cost districts about $744.4 million, per a legislative estimate. The measure also limits referendums to the fall ballot only.

That’s already had an impact as the Duneland School Board voted last week to shift the renewal of its $71.2 million operating referendum from May 2026 to the Nov. 4 ballot to ensure funding is available next year.

“The impact of SEA 1 will be news for a while as public entities come up with ways to keep quality services intact, as per the expectations of many constituents,” said Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco.

In the state budget, the legislature also provided schools with 2% additional money or about $640 million.

Braun and GOP lawmakers continued to expand the state’s voucher system, dropping income limits and making it a universal “school choice” program funded by taxpayers.

Here’s a look at other new laws:SB 287: Partisan school board elections

The bill drew controversy and plenty of testimony. In the end, the law ushers in party politics into school board races for the first time.

The law allows a candidate to declare a party or disregard the party tag and run as a nonpartisan candidate.

The federal Hatch Act limits political activities for federal employees and opponents said it prevents them from running for a school board because the contests are partisan.

HB 1498: A-F grading

Dormant since 2018, letter grades return next year with a new framework to assess performance.

The State Board of Education has until the end of the year to finalize new rules, but it’s likely to add IREAD literacy scores, student attendance and chronic absenteeism to the third grade assessment.

Schools in grades 4-8 could be evaluated on ILEARN proficiency in math and English, attendance data and advanced courses.

High schools in grades 9-12 could be graded on measures that dovetail with the state’s new diploma standards just approved by the state board in December.

HB 1001: state budget

Within the 200-page bill is a provision that caps the percentage of teachers eligible for Teacher Appreciation Grants at 20%.

Veracco said it’s problematic in a time when salary increases will likely be small and won’t keep pace with inflation.

Dunham said it creates a “divide and conquer” system as some teachers could receive a $7,500 stipend for high performance while other teachers would not receive anything.

“It’s selective and subjective, we argued against it,” said Dunham, who also heads the Indiana Federation of Teachers.

State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, said previously 90% of teachers are considered effective or highly effective and presently could receive grants between $250 and $600. The new system would mean about 54,000 won’t receive the stipend.

SB 146: Teacher compensation

It increases the minimum salary from $40,000 to $45,000. It also increases the amount of tuition support required from 62% to 65%. Just 44 districts had minimum salaries over $45,000 last year.

SB 482: Absenteeism

It requires the State Board of Education to establish chronic absenteeism guidelines and create a list of best practices to reduce student discipline.

Chronic absenteeism was defined as missing at least 10% of school for any reason.

It allows county prosecutors to hold “intervention meetings” with parents before any legal action is taken.

SB 442: Sex education

Teachers will be required to show “age-appropriate” students a three-minute ultrasound video tracking fetal development and a computer-generated look at fertilization and development.

Teachers will also discuss the importance of consent in sexual relations. Parental consent forms must say if the class will be taught by gender or in a unified setting, as well as the teacher’s sex.

HB 1634: Math education

Schools will be required to provide early intervention for K-8 students at-risk of not meeting grade level proficiency.

It calls for schools to give a screening test for K-2 students for targeted support.

HB 1002: Education laws deregulation

The wide-ranging bill from House Education chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, takes aim at current education law. He said its purpose is to lighten the load of regulations off school districts.

One of those regulations halts state guidelines for teacher preparation to include training on social-emotional learning, cultural competency and restorative justice.

Right-learning groups have opposed the concept saying those values could conflict with what students learn at home.

Opponents said the training helped reduce suspensions and behavioral incidents. Republicans said the bill doesn’t ban the practice, it just makes it no longer a requirement.

The bill also discards the education requirement so the governor could appoint a Secretary of Education with no education experience.

Added, was the removal of a 2018 requirement for high schools to offer a semester-long elective ethics course.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.