Funding available for lead-testing won’t cover all schools: IFA

The available funding for a new Indiana law requiring schools to test their water for lead will require 677 Indiana public schools who haven’t tested their water since 2018 through the Indiana Finance Authority to look for other sources of funding, officials said.

House Bill 1265 was proposed by Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, and requires schools statewide to test water for lead once by 2023 and take action if results show lead at higher than 15 parts per billion.

Lake County schools would have to test every two years beginning in 2023, which was an amendment added by Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb March 18, and it will go into effect July 1. A spokeswoman for the governor’s office directed questions about schools funding lead-testing under the new law to the Indiana Finance Authority.

A Tuesday press release announcing the governor signing the law said the state received a grant from the Indiana Finance Authority to cover the costs of the testing.

But, Kevin Hannah, a spokesman for the Indiana Finance Authority, said that is not entirely true. The Indiana Finance Authority has received an EPA grant of $753,000 to conduct lead testing in schools for the 2019-2020 school year, Hannah said.

For the 2017-2018 school year, the Indiana Finance Authority completed a statewide lead-testing program for all Indiana public schools, which was voluntary, Hannah said. Schools that were classified as a “public water system” were not included in the study “because they are already required to sample their facilities” for lead, according to a report of the study.

During the 2017-2018 lead testing, 915 schools out of 1,742 public schools eligible participated, Hannah said, which means 827 schools did not participate.

The new law states that schools that participated in the 2017-2018 Indiana Finance Authority program, will participate in the 20192020 program, or have otherwise tested water for lead at least once since 2016 are exempt from the law.

That means the 827 schools that did not participate in the 2017-2018 program can apply to participate in the 2019-2020. But, based on available funding, only 150 schools will be able to participate, Hannah said.

The IFA’s consultant 120Water has calculated that the EPA grant will cover the cost of lead testing at 150 schools in 20192020 based on the cost of an online database, sampling bottles, postage to send the bottles to the facilities and to the laboratory once collected, Hannah said. Additionally, the grant will cover sample analysis cost, he said.

The remaining 677 public schools, if they haven’t tested their water for lead since 2016, will have to look for other sources of revenue to comply with the new law, Hannah said.

“To ensure all schools are tested under this new law, the legislation requires each school to look for both state and federal assistance with testing and/or use other available funds,” Hannah said. “IFA will continue to look for grant opportunities to assist schools. However, there are no applications pending at this time.”

Jackson said Wednesday that when the bill was proposed, “we were in contact with IFA (and) I was told they have funding for testing.”

Jackson said she was told that testing 60 faucets at a school costs approximately $1,600, which most schools can pay “out of pocket.” She also put her faith in the federal government to provide more funding.

“I think they can afford $1,600. That’s not a lot, especially when it comes to the health of a child,” Jackson said. “Knowing the emergency and seriousness of this, I’m sure the federal government will allocate grants.”

On Thursday, a corrected press release was sent out stating “school administrators will be responsible for seeking state and federal grant money” to cover costs.

Lead poisoning, especially dangerous for children, can cause irreversible brain, kidney and nervous system damage, lower IQs, slower development, learning, attention, and behavioral issues, hearing and speech problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Originally, Jackson’s proposal also included cooper screening, as it covered schools and various day cares in Lake County alone. As the session went on, it evolved, expanding statewide, but dropping the copper and day care parts.

The result is not ideal, but it’s a first step, Jackson previously said. When lead is found, the first step usually is to shut an affected water fountain off, she said. Within Indiana’s Republican-dominated legislature, “it’s very hard to get any bill heard, let alone get it passed,” she said.

Meredith Colias-Pete contributed.