As Indiana's education landscape shifts under voucher expansions and funding debates, Dubois County residents have a front-row seat tonight to unpack the stakes. The sixth event in Building Community 2025's Teach-ins series, titled "Challenges Facing Public Education," kicks off at 6 p.m. with live music, followed by a 6:30 p.m. panel discussion at St. Benedict’s Brew Works / Monastery Event Hall, 860 E.

Tenth St. This free, open-to-all gathering promises unfiltered talk on how state policies ripple into local classrooms—from Jasper's bustling high schools to Ferdinand's rural elementary wings. The lineup features heavy hitters with deep Dubois roots: Rick Allen, retired superintendent of Southeast Dubois County Schools; Teresa Kendall, a retired educator and recent Indiana House District 63 candidate; Mary Roberson, former Perry Central Community Schools superintendent and principal of Bower Consulting; and State Sen.

Daryl Schmitt (R-District 48), whose territory includes much of Dubois County.

They'll dive into thorny topics: the gaps between public, private, and charter schools; Indiana's K-12 funding formulas strained by nearly $500 million in voucher spending during the 2024-25 school year; and looming legislation that could reshape access for the county's roughly 7,400 public school students. Building Community 2025, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging divides through conversation, frames the evening as more than policy wonkery. "In a world that often feels divided, we believe in the power of conversation to bring people together," organizers state in the event announcement. "We’re inviting all in our communities to join us for a thoughtful, respectful teach-in where we listen with compassion and speak with honesty.

We begin to build bridges where walls once stood. Let’s talk.

Let’s listen. Let’s learn. Let’s show up for one another.

All are welcomed." It's a timely nudge in a county where education fuels the economic engine—think Kimball International's Jasper headquarters or the tech firms drawing on Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools grads. Yet, with Indiana's universal voucher program now open to all families regardless of income, critics worry it siphons resources from public districts already pinching pennies for bus routes and STEM labs. For Dubois families, the implications hit home.

Voucher uptake here remains modest compared to urban areas, but enrollment dips could strain budgets at Northeast Dubois or Southwest Dubois districts, where per-pupil spending hovers around $7,500 annually.

Panelists like Allen and Roberson, with decades steering local schools, bring insider stories: how federal aid post-COVID masked deeper cracks, or the challenges of long rural bus routes. Schmitt, a key voice in the General Assembly, can spotlight bills like the 2025 tweaks to chronic absenteeism penalties, which could affect truancy rates in Huntingburg's working-class neighborhoods. What makes this teach-in stand out? It's not a lecture—it's a forum for parents, teachers, and taxpayers to grill experts amid national headlines on book bans and culture wars.

In a county of 43,000 where community ties run deep (think annual Herbstfest crowds or St.

Joseph Hill Shrine pilgrims), such events counter isolation. As the clock ticks toward 6 p.m., expect packed parking at the Monastery Event Hall, a stone's throw from the Ohio River's bluffs. Will tonight spark calls for local advocacy, like lobbying Sen. Schmitt on equitable funding? Or reveal unexpected alliances between voucher skeptics and supporters? One thing's clear: in Dubois County, education isn't abstract—it's the thread weaving tomorrow's workforce, from factory floors to Ferdinand's family farms.