HB 1135 creates two new grant programs within the Indiana Department of Education, both effective July 1, 2025. The first is the Real World Readiness Grant Program and Fund, which would provide grants to eligible public high schools, charter schools, and state-accredited nonpublic high schools to develop or implement learning opportunities that better prepare students for life after graduation. These activities may be carried out independently or with an approved partnering organization and are intended to support project-based, experiential, and career-connected learning.
The second program is the Personal Financial Responsibility Curriculum Grant Program and Fund, which would support eligible public and nonpublic schools serving grades 8 through 12 in developing or adopting personal financial responsibility curriculum. The bill ties this curriculum to existing Indiana law on personal financial responsibility instruction and allows schools to work with external organizations to deliver it. In both programs, the department must establish application procedures, award guidelines, and criteria for approving outside partner organizations, and it may adopt rules to administer the programs.
Impact
HB 1135 adds two new chapters to Title 20 of the Indiana Code, creating dedicated grant funds and administrative frameworks for career-readiness and financial literacy programming. It authorizes the Department of Education to distribute money from the new funds, set eligibility and award criteria, approve partnering organizations, and require reporting on student outcomes for the financial responsibility curriculum grants. The bill also establishes that fund balances do not revert at the end of the fiscal year and may include appropriations, gifts, private grants, and transferred state funds.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a broadly supportive education initiative focused on workforce preparation and financial literacy. Its stated goals—career exploration, experiential learning, and personal finance instruction—suggest a positive policy orientation toward student readiness after graduation. No formal opposition or recorded debate is included in the provided context.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are likely to be administrative and policy-design issues rather than the underlying goals. The bill gives the Department of Education substantial discretion to set grant guidelines, approve outside organizations, and define student success metrics, which could raise questions about oversight, accountability, and how partners are selected. Another possible area of debate is whether public funds should support partnerships with external organizations and whether the grant programs should prioritize certain schools or instructional models over others.