Officials say the funds are necessary to expand state-funded pre-k for all kids, increase tuition support for all schools and bump up funding for small, rural schools.

The 23-member committee met Tuesday for its fourth session as it faces a December deadline for suggestions to be considered during next year's legislative session.

New guidance from the department emphasizes the requirement that schools provide behavioral supports for students with disabilities. It's a measure officials hope can reduce suspension and expulsion.

The school board approved guidelines Monday for negative school lunch balances, one of the funds the State Board of Accounts found in its audit to have more than $414,000 misappropriated.

Creative and fun "maker spaces" are popping up in more schools. But administrators and teachers face big hurdles if they want them to be a sustainable part of the curriculum.

The General Assembly created the panel to get recommendations for the ISTEP+ overhaul before the 2017 session. That comprehensive list must be completed by December 2016.

The state spent $131.5 million in scholarships this year, which is $18 million more than last school year.

Chalkbeat Indiana, the Indianapolis Star and WFYI are teaming up for a joint project to examine why inequality and segregation continue in Indianapolis 60 years after the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education outlawed "separate but equal" schools - and solutions that could lead to change.

With Gov. Mike Pence high on the shortlist of potential running mates for Donald Trump (and rising), the Indiana governor's role in the contentious state fights over education are likely to soon become national news.

The Indiana General Assembly created a study committee after a recent string of high-profile sexual misconduct cases across the state involving school staff.