Press Release

Legislation authored by State Representative Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) and sponsored by Senator Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) to provide resources for teachers to identify students with dyslexia was ceremonially signed into law by the governor.

House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1108 requires aspiring teachers to be instructed on how to recognize dyslexia and other reading disorders in their students. This will allow them to teach their students more effectively according to their needs.

“By establishing a more clear definition of dyslexia, it is our goal that teachers will be able to identify the signs earlier, thus preventing students from falling behind in their coursework and improving their overall learning,” said Rep. Burton. “Dyslexia presents a challenge to the typical learning process, but with the proper teaching methods, there is no limit to student success.”

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may affect an individual’s ability to read, write, spell and pronounce words. Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and is unrelated to intelligence—it does not inhibit a student’s ability to think or be creative. One in five people in the U.S. are dyslexic to some degree. Many famous and successful people have dealt with dyslexia, including Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab and Steven Spielberg.

“I have enjoyed working with Indiana’s Decoding Dyslexia organization in an effort to bring greater awareness to the needs of students with dyslexia,” said Rep. Burton. “I look forward to the positive impact this new law will have on countless students in our community and throughout the state, and I am proud to author legislation which ensures these students get the quality education they deserve.”

In recognition of his work on HEA 1108, Rep. Burton was recently recognized at Pinnacle School, a school that specializes in teaching students with dyslexia and other information processing differences, as a Dyslexia Champion.

HEA 1108 will got into effect on July 1, 2015. For more information, please visit iga.in.gov.

House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1108, authored by State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland), was signed into law by Governor Mike Pence. HEA 1108 requires that aspiring teachers be instructed in how to recognize dyslexia and other reading disorders in their students. This will allow them to teach their students more effectively according to their needs.

“I authored this legislation to make sure that students dealing with dyslexia get the quality education they deserve,” said Rep. Burton. “It is important that our teachers know how to instruct students with dyslexia, who have the same potential as any student but just learn in a different way. This legislation is a step toward that goal.”

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may affect an individual’s ability to read, write, spell and pronounce words. Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and is unrelated to intelligence—it does not inhibit a student’s ability to think or be creative. One in five people in the U.S. are dyslexic to some degree. Many famous and successful people have dealt with dyslexia, including Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab and Steven Spielberg.

“I have enjoyed learning from and working with Indiana’s Decoding Dyslexia organization,” said Rep. Burton. “These Hoosiers understand the importance of advocating for children with dyslexia, and they have done an admirable job of supporting this legislation. Our combined efforts to support children with dyslexia have paid off with the signing of the law.”

Budget brings largest increase to education funding in state’s history

Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis), announced the end of session, or Sine Die, on Wednesday evening with many accomplished priorities for the House Republicans. State Representatives Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) and John Price (R-Greenwood) applaud the success of the House Republican agenda, which was released in October and focused on four key categories: Budget Integrity, Education Funding, Ethics Reform and Public Safety.

House Republicans championed a two-year budget that is honestly balanced and does not increase taxes on Hoosiers or placing an unsustainable financial burden on future generations. The budget also protects Indiana’s healthy reserves and strong structural surplus, which are both critical to maintaining Indiana’s triple-A credit rating.

“Indiana’s triple-A credit rating is a testament to our sound financial decisions and fiscal integrity,” said Rep. Price. “I am proud of the budget that was passed as it is crucial to our state’s economic success and prosperity both now and in the future.”

Nearly two-thirds of this year’s biennial budget is devoted to Indiana’s education system. In fact, by increasing K-12 appropriations by $474 million, this budget contains the largest increase in K-12 education in the state’s history. House Republicans also led and successfully passed legislation that provides teachers who purchase their own classroom supplies with a $100 tax credit. Additionally, the House Republicans fixed the funding formula by substantially reducing the spending gap between the traditionally highest and lowest funded public schools.

“One of Indiana’s highest priorities is education, and we continued that tradition during the 2015 session,” said Rep. Burton. “I am pleased with all we have accomplished including providing teachers with a tax credit and substantially increasing our investment in education.”

House Republicans have a long track record of public accountability initiatives and added to that list this session. In a bipartisan effort, historic ethics reform legislation passed unanimously this session increasing accountability by strengthening reporting requirements and disclosure of conflicts of interest.

“We enacted unprecedented ethics reforms. It is my hope this will work to limit conflicts of interest and bolster the public trust,” said Speaker Bosma.

House Republicans also worked to address several public safety concerns including domestic violence victim support, infant mortality reduction and criminal justice funding. Through the budget, House Republicans doubled funding for domestic violence prevention and treatment and dedicated $59 million new money over the biennium for investments in community corrections programming and capacity building. Additionally, the budget included a $13.5 million appropriation to fund the Safety P.I.N. (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) grant program to reduce Indiana’s incredibly high infant mortality rate.

“We pledged to address these critical issues this session and we have delivered. Through our commitment to fiscal integrity, education, ethics and public safety, we have made great achievements for Hoosiers,” said Speaker Bosma.

State Rep. Woody Burton  authored House Bill (HB) 1108, which passed the Senate unanimously. The bill more clearly defines dyslexia and provides resources for teachers to more easily identify the disorder in students.

“This legislation will better equip teachers to address the learning needs of dyslexic students,” said Rep. Burton. “It is vital that we do what we can do to ensure a bright future for all Indiana students.”

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may affect an individual’s ability to read, write, spell and pronounce words. One in five people in the U.S. are dyslexic to some degree. Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and is unrelated to intelligence. It does not limit one’s ability to think, speak or be creative. Some filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg have dyslexia in addition to business leaders like Charles Schwab and Apple founder Steve Jobs.

“It has been a privilege to work with members of Indiana’s Decoding Dyslexia organization, a group of Hoosier families dedicated to raising awareness about dyslexia,” said Rep. Burton. “Together, we can help give students the opportunities they deserve to reach their potential.”

HB 1108 has now passed the House and Senate. Visit iga.in.gov for more information about the bill.

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State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) represents a portion of Johnson County. He serves as Chairman of the Financial Institutions Committee. He also serves on the Education, Elections and Apportionment, Insurance, and Rules and Legislative Procedures Committees.

State Rep. Woody Burton, a member of the House Education Committee, applauds House Bill (HB) 1009. The bill encourages teacher innovation by allowing teachers and administrators the ability to develop a plan to improve educational performance and student outcomes. The bill is scheduled for further consideration and debate by the committee.

“In order to provide the highest quality of learning for Hoosier students, we must allow teachers and administrators the freedom to create the best learning environment,” said Rep. Burton. “This legislation will focus more resources on the classroom and free teachers from burdensome regulations.”

HB 1009 allows a group of teachers, a principal or a superintendent to submit a plan to a school board to designate a school, entire district or multiple school districts as a Freedom to Teach school or district. The plan should focus on improving student outcomes through innovation and increasing salaries for teachers, rated effective or highly effective. The bill also establishes a Freedom to Teach Grant Fund that would provide resources to schools whose innovative proposals are approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE).

“This legislation is an important step towards attracting and retaining the best teachers,” said Rep. Burton. “I am pleased to see the success that Indianapolis Public Schools have had with a similar model, and I believe this legislation will allow teachers the flexibility and freedom they need to better educate the next generation of Hoosier leaders.