Indiana
McCormick emphasizes curriculum, accountability and teachers in Indiana education plan • Indiana Capital Chronicle
School accountability, teacher salary boosts and “academic freedom” are priorities on Jennifer McCormick’s education plan, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate announced on Thursday.
The former state public instruction superintendent, along with running mate Terry Goodin, said their platform largely intends to create more flexibility for K-12 administrators and educators to craft curriculum, while still ensuring academic rigor and accountability across both public and private schools.
The plan also guarantees that teachers would be paid at least $60,000 per year — an increase from the current $40,000 minimum.
“Obviously, education is my passion. It is also Terry’s passion. We believe in the power of education — not just for our kids — but for our families and our communities and the entire state. It’s also what empowers us as a nation,” McCormick said during a Thursday press call. “Too often in Indiana, we talk about the expense, because we are incredibly expensive, but we don’t talk about it as an investment, and it needs to be. … It’s not a K-12 isolation, it is a system of education.”
The costs of the proposal are unknown at this time.
Democrats outline education priorities
The McCormick-Goodin “Commonsense Education Plan” is broken down into five pillars: increased funding for early education; school accountability; teachers’ pay and bargaining rights; keeping partisan politics out of school curriculum decisions; and “re-establishing” a statewide emphasis on attaining post-high school education.
Specifically, the Democratic plan would expand “quality and affordable childcare to address Indiana’s childcare deserts.” The platform also seeks to guarantee universal pre-kindergarten education for all Hoosier families.
Although McCormick said the state is doing “a much better job” at expanding child care now than in years past, she emphasized that “we still have an enormous amount of Indiana” that does not have access to quality care.
“And with some of that childcare, too, we’re really struggling to find providers because of (low) wages,” she added.
The platform also promises to “protect the rights of students and parents” by establishing a “streamlined,” “consistent” and “transparent” accountability platform for all schools accepting public dollars. McCormick said the system seeks to ensure schools — public, private, urban, rural and so on — are all being held to the same academic and fiscal standards.
This would impact private schools receiving voucher dollars that currently don’t have to follow some of the same rules and regulations.
“We’re a school choice state, and there are no quality guardrails on that system,” she said. “And so in order to really do it in a way that makes sense and is fair to kids and families and our business industry — that’s relying on us getting this right — and taxpayers, there should be some accountability.”
“If we’re going to be a state of school choice, it needs to be parent choice and not school choice,” McCormick continued. “It also needs to be one that those quality guardrails are tight so parents at least know there’s some threshold that when you come into a school, that you do have some educated and trained teachers. What kind of curriculum you are following? What kind of fiscal responsibility are we following?”
McCormick and Goodin said they’ll also “champion” Indiana’s K-12 and post-high school instructors “by implementing policies to recruit and retain the best and brightest educators.” That means fighting for a minimum base salary of $60,000 for Hoosier teachers, and adjustments for veteran teachers’ salaries “to reflect their non-educator peers.”
When it comes to finding the funding for increased salaries, McCormick said “there are a lot of areas” in the state budget that “we just need to re-look at again.”
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“It’s about prioritizing,” she said, noting that her property tax relief plan, for example, “really offers some relief” and “tries to relieve some of the local dollars, which would also help with some of the expenses at the school level.”
The Democratic duo further promised to uphold teacher rights by “protecting the freedom of teacher unions to bargain for wages and benefits.” Mandates placed on educators and school boards will be reviewed, too — and where unnecessary or burdensome — those will be eliminated, McCormick said.
The plan additionally calls for “autonomy at the local level” to design a unique curriculum “that prepares students for the future they choose.” The Democratic nominee said that doesn’t mean lowering standards, though. Rather, it’s guarantee of “more flexibility.”
“Why should we have to go to the State Board of Education to beg them to address the needs of our kids?” McCormick asked. “We can still hold everyone accountable for certain thresholds and certain standards of performance, but allowing them to take care of the needs of their schools with the resources they are provided — given where they are located within the state of Indiana, and the partners they have access to and don’t have access to — only make sense. For too long, Indiana has said one size fits all.”
And when it comes to higher education, McCormick and Goodin said they intend to “celebrate, champion, protect, and better fund our higher education institutions and direct workforce development training programs.” That means ensuring resources are place for high schoolers to earn certifications they can use upon graduation, McCormick noted, in addition to maintaining and promoting clear paths towards college.
No specific GOP plan yet
McCormick was endorsed by the political action committee for the Indiana State Teachers Association — the state’s largest teachers union — earlier this year.
A former Republican, McCormick fell out of favor with the Indiana GOP while serving as state superintendent.
The Republican-controlled legislature — with approval from Gov. Eric Holcomb — eliminated the elected position and replaced it with a Secretary of Education, who is appointed by the governor.
McCormick switched sides to become a Democrat shortly after. She announced her campaign for governor in May 2023 and was the only gubernatorial candidate on the Democratic primary ballot in May.
Goodin, a former Indiana lawmaker and social conservative, was previously a teacher, assistant principal and public school superintendent at Crothersville Community Schools.
“I think, unfortunately, the other team, they look at education as a liability. But our team, the Democratic team, looks at it as an investment,” Goodin said Thursday. “We look at the state budget … over 50% of that budget goes to education. We’re looking at that as an investment that will make Indiana better going forward and into the future. And the folks on the other side say that it’s a waste of money, and that’s been proven in the policies that they’ve been trying to push for the last, three, four, five 10, years. ”
McCormick’s competitor, Republican Sen. Mike Braun, has yet to release a detailed education platform.
Braun’s campaign website emphasizes that while more than half of the state budget is spent on K-12 education, “far too many of our graduates are not prepared to enter the workforce or pursue a degree.”
The Republican candidate — a former school board member — “knows parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s education and every family, regardless of income or zip code, should be able to enroll in a school of their choice and pursue a curriculum that prepares them for a career, college or the military,” Braun’s website continues.
Recently, he has additionally supported the state education department’s proposed overhaul of Indiana’s high school diplomas and graduation requirements, saying Hoosier education focuses too little on career readiness.
Libertarian Donald Rainwater is also running for governor.
He said he is troubled by McCormick’s focus on “expanding government control over our children and their educational opportunities. Rainwater supports expanding educational opportunities, including school choice.
“Let’s break down barriers, empower parents, and create a vibrant educational landscape,” he said. “By trusting families and respecting their choices, we build a stronger Indiana—one where every child’s potential is unlocked.”
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The resort area of southwest Michigan along Lake Michigan is wildly popular with Chicagoans in summer and fall for good reason. The coastal stretch offers sophisticated dining and shops, breweries, wineries, beaches, sunsets on Lake Michigan and a vacation vibe wherever you go.
If you haven’t been in a couple of years, you’ll find Indiana’s coast, home of the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park, is worth more than a hiking or gas-station stop.
Though the towns along the lake are small and don’t have centers of commerce, many exciting new places have sprung up on U.S. Route 12, the scenic drive that skirts the lake’s edge.
Beverly Shores and Michigan City, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 54
Sadly, the orange Studebaker that for years served up excellent wood-fired pizza is no longer parked in Beverly Shores, a small lake community famous for its collection of historic homes from the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. The only way to get a South Shore Ovenworks pie now is to reserve the food truck for a private event.
Console yourself with shopping. The founder and former owner of Cowboys and Astronauts, a men’s store in Andersonville, has opened Blanket Fort (1 E. Dunes Highway), a design studio and shop in Beverly Shores. Matthew Buccilla describes his style as “vintage modern meets-cozy cabin-meets Japanese wabi-sabi.” His bona fides include designing spaces around the world for furniture maker Herman Miller. Blanket Fort, located in a cool midcentury building, is open the first and third weekends of the month.
The Heron, a French restaurant in Michigan City, Ind.
Neighboring Michigan City has seen an explosion of new restaurants, including The Heron (522 Franklin St.) which thankfully has strayed from the usual New American/Italian playbook and instead focuses on French food. A great happy hour from 4-6 p.m. (even Fridays!) features $10 martinis and deeply discounted wine and beer.
Up the street is Rocco’s Tavern (827 Franklin St.) from the family who owns Cafe Farina next door and Farina’s Supper Club in Michiana. Rocco’s makes you feel like you’re in a Rush Street steakhouse.
Interior of Rocco’s Tavern in Michigan City, Ind.
A reservation-only 12-seat Lebanese restaurant, C.12, (132 E. 6th St.) just opened in the lower level of a 100-year-old Masonic Temple. It’s owned by longtime area restaurateur Momahed “Moe” Mroueh. Diners sit around a horseshoe-shaped counter with an open kitchen. There’s one seating a night, offering a prix-fixe tasting menu ($65).
Also below ground is The Nightingale (1108 Franklin St.), a moody spot with small lamp-lit tables, great old-school cocktails, and live music, mostly jazz and blues. It’s open only occasionally so check before you go.
Cellar Door (1901 Franklin St.) opened last year in an historic building that once housed Harmony Bar. Cellar Door is everything you want in a classic neighborhood tavern — friendly service, carved wooden bar, games (10-pin bowling! Vintage pinball!), patio — and then add good wine and creative food. The head bartender and chef came from the well-regarded Hummingbird Lounge in New Buffalo.
A few new shopping options have popped up in Michigan City, too: The Wren (410 Wabash St.), a gift shop with a focus on sustainable, natural products, is across from Lighthouse Place Outlet Mall. Abigail Hayden Interiors & Design (607 Franklin St.) is a charming shop in the Arts District, filled with home accessories and art, as well as the owner’s own line of upholstered furniture.
The Standard 1208 in Michigan City, Ind.
The Standard 1208 (1208 E. Second St. at U.S. 12), formerly called Unsalted No Sharks and located in downtown Michigan City, has opened in an old Standard Oil station across from Burn ’Em Brewing (1215 E. Second St.). In addition to cool gifts and souvenirs, The Standard serves Italian sub sandwiches, great for taking to the beach. A second location just opened in New Buffalo (19 N. Whittaker St.).
Michiana, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 67
The bar at Tavern on Twelve in Michiana, Ind.
Heading north on Route 12, Swells: A Dive Bar (3201 U.S. 12), cooks up four kinds of pizza: tavern style, Detroit style, deep dish and hand-tossed (New York style) and manages to do it all extremely well. There are soups, salads and sandwiches, too. It’s the sort of place where groups come to watch their team on TV. A dive bar with Veuve Clicquot on the menu? Sign me up.
Just up the road is Tonelli’s Tavern on Twelve (3103 U.S. 12), from the owner of Michigan City’s popular Tonelli’s, which closed a few years ago. This property has hosted a few restaurants in recent years (Blind Pig, Trip’s Tree House), but Tonelli’s seems to have found a groove in its 12 months in business, serving up classic Italian red-sauce fare at decent prices.
New Buffalo and Union Pier, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 70
Farmette, a provisions store on the outskirts of New Buffalo
Across the border in Michigan, you might think not much changes in the little towns along Red Arrow Highway save for the time change. But many new restaurants and shops have opened, and a couple of longtime favorites have shuttered.
Just past all the new cannabis dispensaries on Route 12 (some 18 or so with more on the way), Farmette (18439 U.S. 12) on the outskirts of New Buffalo has become an instant favorite, with an in-house bakery specializing in sourdough, a coffee and drinks bar, and specialty food shop with a well-stocked freezer and refrigerator case, as well as produce and flowers in season (much of it grown on site). The owner tended Rick Bayless’ garden in Chicago once upon a time.
New Buffalo is home to arguably the hottest restaurant along this coast: PostBoy (207 N. Whittaker St.), which opened in fall of 2024. Heading the kitchen is James Galbraith, who founded Benton Harbor’s foodie favorites Houndstooth and Anemel. Galbraith previously worked under Chicago chefs at Intro, Blackbird, Elske, S.K.Y., Bellemore, and Boka. There’s a hopping patio and indoor/outdoor bar; be sure to reserve ahead. This place gets jammed.
If you’re looking for food to take to your Airbnb or vacation home, Angela’s Provisions (225 N. Whittaker St.) has homemade soups, pastas, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads, made to order or stocked in the fridge/freezer case.
Bookshore in New Buffalo, Mich.
The perfect hostess gift for discerning hosts is at Bookshore, which features big, gorgeous art books meant for a coffee table — or any surface. It’s owned by the same family that runs the popular tourist draw Stray Dog restaurant.
Harbor Country’s biggest news lately was the closing of Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer, a popular spot for 12 years. But beer lovers have other options.
The newest of the lot, which opened last fall, is Mangata Beer Co. (15936 Red Arrow Highway) in Union Pier, a sister operation of the award-winning Transient Artisan Ales (4229 Lake St.) in Bridgman. This tasting room focuses on easy-drinking, lower-alcohol beers such as pilsners, lagers, saisons and Belgian ales, all created at Transient’s brewhouse.
Sawyer and Three Oaks, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 80
Longstory, a restaurant in Three Oaks, Mich.
Fulcra Brewing Company (13400 Red Arrow Highway) opened last July in a two-room bungalow in Sawyer, the dream of two home brewers (one a Dark Matter Coffee alum.) Fulcra focuses on balanced, drinkable brews. A beer garden has just opened; look for live music, food trucks or restaurant pop-ups, the owners say.
Three Oaks saw the closing of its popular pizza take-out, Patellie’s, last winter. But while pizza lovers mourned the loss, the owners used the space to expand their wine and beer store. P.+E. Bottle Shop (28 N. Elm St.) now carries cheese, bread, crackers, olives and prepared food — all the stuff that goes great with wine. And speaking of wine, there’s now a much-expanded selection of wine and craft beer.
For breakfast or lunch, two Chicago transplants have reopened the popular Viola Cafe (102 N. Elm St.), which was closed for a few years. Along with their chef, former Chopping Block owner Shelley Young, they’ve put a Southern twist on it. Think po’ boys, beignets, meat loaf, greens, fried green tomatoes and mac ’n’ cheese alongside breakfast classics.
Three Oaks had not had a stylish dinner spot for dinner until recently, with the opening of Longstory (8 Maple St.) in December 2024. The restaurant has had some bumps, with chef changes and the like, but is popular with locals, who gather for happy hours and order from the New-American-with-an-accent menu of chicken shawarma, Tuscan kale salad, polenta torte, grilled fish, New York strip, roasted beets and more.
Inside the popular boutique Goods & Heroes (7 Maple St.), a former clearance room has become a store within a store, GH Yarn Haus, which specializes in natural fibers and holds knitting get-togethers and classes.
Dreihart Winery, a wine tasting room, in Three Oaks, Mich.
A small wine tasting room (capacity: 25) opened in spring 2025 just off Three Oaks’ main drag. Dreihart Winery (6 Linden St. E.) is an offshoot of 6 Linden, which sells local meat, produce, eggs and cheeses, along with imported pastas and such. Winemaker Gottfried Hart, a charming man with a few stories to tell, is usually pouring. A former co-owner of Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan, he’s one of several area winemakers who understands that Michigan can produce dry, complex wines similar to those from Austria and his native Germany. Grab some smoked trout rillette to pair with your wine.
Jan Parr, a former Chicago journalist, lives in the middle of the Indiana Dunes, in Beverly Shores. She writes about local happenings at DunesDiva.com.
Saturday, May 30, 2026 12:14AM
HIGHLAND, Ind. (WLS) — Police are searching for a missing man with autism who was last seen riding a bicycle near his home in Northwest Indiana.
Brody Shelton, 21, was last seen around noon Thursday near Laporte Street and Johnston Street in Highland, Indiana, officials said.
Indiana State Police have issued a Silver Alert as the the search for Shelton continues.
He is 5 feet 2 inches tall, 155 pounds, brown hair with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a beige and green sweatshirt, and riding a blue/green Huffy mountain bike, police said.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Highland Police Department at 219-838-3184 or 911.
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(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
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