Originally Posted by JanatheShort

I very much disagree. He has cut funding to colleges across the state. How is this preparing the state of Indiana for the future? Colleges reacted by layoffs and tuition raises. This makes students at greater risk of needing to drop out for financial reasons or raising horrendous debt to go to college. Less people completing college mean less people in an educated workforce prepared to make and participate in a stable economy in the future.

He is sacrificing the future of Indiana to make himself look good in the present.

Originally Posted by kokonut

People need to learn that getting an education is a personal investment. Who better to invest in than yourself?

Originally Posted by Foxrac

WTF? Education is part of personal basic and should be free to everyone, however anyone is free to have a private education if they wants.

The education is very important for our futures.

Originally Posted by Grayma

Once more, there are many highly educated people who don't have college degrees. College has, in many cases, degenerated into nothing more than a credential.

Very few things in this life are actually free. I think what you mean is that somebody else should have to pay for college. That is an interesting sense of entitlement to other people's money.

It also devalues a college education for those who get one. You get out of your education what you put into it, and if you don't have to work for it, it doesn't mean as much for you.

Originally Posted by Grayma

Once more, there are many highly educated people who don't have college degrees. College has, in many cases, degenerated into nothing more than a credential.

Very few things in this life are actually free. I think what you mean is that somebody else should have to pay for college. That is an interesting sense of entitlement to other people's money.

It also devalues a college education for those who get one. You get out of your education what you put into it, and if you don't have to work for it, it doesn't mean as much for you.

Originally Posted by Foxrac

I'm talking about K-12 education is basic needs for all children.

Well, without college degree, you will probably not get a stable job and you will have to look so hard to get a decent job. When you lose the job and still have college degree so you will have better chance to find another decent job, even no need to be unemployed for very long time or have to work in low pay, especially fast food or retail. Most IT jobs require college degree and couple of IT professors told me that almost all IT jobs require college degree in near future. One IT professor told me that her husband couldn't get a job at IT due to no college degree, despite about experienced in IT so he went to college to got a college degree so he got job in his hand.

I'm interested to work in IT and my job selection is limited due to usher syndrome, also it is safety issue. I had numerous accidents at retail job and they rather to let me go instead getting fired. I have 2 years to left at university and I have plenty of scholarship/grants to cover college expenses. After completion with undergraduate so I am going head to graduate school.

Originally Posted by JabberJay

k-12 I agree should be paid by the government.

Originally Posted by shel90

I am SICK!!!! This is quoted by HEARINDIANA.ORG website, encouraging citizens of Indiana to write to their senators using this letter.... READ ON!!!

Dear Senator __________,

I am writing to encourage your SUPPORT for HB 1367.

{INSERT YOUR PERSONAL STORY. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH ISD/OUTREACH. OUR REPRESENTATIVES NEED TO KNOW WHY ISD/OUTREACH IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ALL FAMILIES.}

IMPORTANT FACTS:

95% of deaf and hard of hearing babies are born to HEARING parents.
80-90% of parents choose a Listening and Spoken Language as their communication option.
Newborn babies can wear hearing aids, and profoundly deaf babies can get a cochlear implant at age one.
99% of all profoundly deaf children are candidates for a cochlear implant, a device which allows them to listen, speak, and thrive in the hearing community.

Indiana's status quo concerning deaf and hard of hearing education is NOT working effectively for 80% of all Hoosier families. Of course, 100% of parents deserve to receive unbiased, comprehensive information about communication options, so they can make an informed decision about what is best for their family. HB 1367 will help ALL children who are deaf or hard of hearing, not just some of them. ALL parents deserve to have their communication choice(s) respected. Likewise, a family's use (or non-use) of hearing technology should be respected and supported through appropriate services. Under the current system, Hoosier parents do NOT have equal access to all communication options or information about hearing technology. Outreach services for the entire state should not be associated with one school and ONE philosophy.

HB 1367 is NOT adding an agency, but rather, it is moving one. Unlike ISD/Outreach, which promotes ASL as the language for thinking, the new Center would be unbiased toward any particular mode of communication. It would serve ALL deaf and hard of hearing families regardless of the communication methods chosen.

HB 1367 includes tracking and monitoring of children who are deaf and hard of hearing as they are identified and enrolled in appropriate services. These activities will prevent children from falling through the cracks. As a result, the State of Indiana will spend less money in intervention down the road.

HB 1367 offers the opportunity to align our state with the best practices in early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. I will be very disappointed if we do not take advantage of this opportunity to make our Indiana system work for all children who need it.

Every 48 hours a baby in Indiana is born with a hearing loss. We can't wait. We must make this change NOW!

For our children’s future, please SUPPORT HB 1367.

Sincerely,