Petition to Support Public Education in Indiana

Some folks have started a petition to ask the governor and legislature to acknowledge that Glenda Ritz, the Superintendent of Public Instruction-elect was elected to change the plan which Tony Bennett has been pushing in Indiana.

Click HERE to sign the petition.

Here's the content:

Indiana voters elected Glenda Ritz as our new Superintendent of Public Instruction by a large margin. She received roughly 1,300,000 votes--about 100,000 more votes than the governor-elect, Mike Pence. Now, however, Governor Daniels refuses to acknowledge that our election of Glenda Ritz sent a clear message on the direction of school reform, saying instead: "The consensus and momentum for reform and change in Indiana is rock solid." Governor-elect Mike Pence is also choosing to interpret the election results as a "strong affirmation on the progress of education reform in this state," (Journal Gazette 11/8/12). On the contrary: when Indiana voters elected Glenda Ritz as superintendent, we rejected the top-down, corporate reform model imposed by the state. We embraced Ritz's platform and her research-backed proposals to support and improve our public schools.

Petition Letter

Dear Governor, Indiana Legislators and D.O.E. Board,

Indiana voters elected Glenda Ritz as Superintendent of Public Instruction by a large margin. She received roughly 1,300,000 votes--about 100,000 more votes than the governor-elect, Mike Pence. We call upon Governor Daniels, future governor Mike Pence, the D.O.E. Board, and our legislature to respect voters' clear message on the direction of public education in Indiana. We affirm our support for our candidate and her platform:

"More time to education, less time to testing" The use of high-stake testing to judge children, schools, and communities harms the process of teaching and learning.

"More control to local school districts to implement state and federal standards" Local schools need resources and support, not rigid dictates.

"Clear the barriers to quality vocational education" Schools must be given the flexibility to support a vibrant curriculum for high school students' vocational interests.

"Make teacher licensing and evaluation standards top in the nation" All children should be taught by qualified instructors. Effective teacher preparation programs are vital, and teacher licensing should be based upon comprehensive, effective teacher preparation.

"Stop the flow of public tax dollars to private education companies running take-over schools"

We believe public tax dollars belong in public schools. All school districts in Indiana deserve equitable funding.

The vote for Glenda Ritz is a mandate for the protection of the child's constitutional right to a free, high-quality public education as articulated in Article 8, Section 1 of the Indiana State Constitution, funded by tax dollars.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

And here's another one which seems to be specifically directed at supporters of Mike Pence, the Indiana Governor-elect.

November 9, 2012: Question of the Day

Do you think that Mike Pence and the Indiana legislators are representing your choice of direction for public education?

What can we as educators, parents, grandparents, and concerned citizens do to push back against the legislators who refuse to acknowledge that we voted against these ill conceived reforms?

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Click the question mark below to see all our Questions of the Day or click the link in the sidebar.

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Write to the Select Commission on Education

To our Indiana friends,

Join us at NEIFPE in flooding the mailboxes of the Select Commission on Education in Indiana.

We suggest that you attach one of the documents from our blog with a brief personal note to each of these committee members letting them know that we are informed, we are concerned, and we are voters. For this first week, we suggest sending the Cost of Testing brochure.

Click HERE to download a copy of the brochure to attach to your emails. You can also find the brochure and other documents under INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS in the right column of this blog.

To email all members at once click on the ALL MEMBERS link below.

ALL MEMBERS

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To email individual members click on the email address next to the individual's name.

Rep. Robert Behning, Co-Chairperson - H91@in.gov

Rep. Rhonda Rhoads - h70@in.gov

Rep. Timothy Brown - H41@in.gov

Rep. Edward Clere - h72@in.gov

Rep. David Frizzell - h93@in.gov

Rep. Kathleen Heuer - h83@in.gov

Rep. Cindy Noe - H87@in.gov

Rep. Jeffrey Thompson - H28@in.gov

Rep. Greg Porter - h96@in.gov

Rep. David Cheatham - h69@in.gov

Rep. Clyde Kersey - h43@in.gov

Rep. Vernon Smith - h14@in.gov

Rep. Shelli Vandenburgh - h19@in.gov

Sen. Dennis Kruse, Co-Chair - Senator.Kruse@iga.in.gov

Sen. Carlin Yoder - Senator.Yoder@iga.in.gov

Sen. James Banks - Senator.Banks@iga.in.gov

Sen. James Buck - Senator.Buck@iga.in.gov

Sen. Luke Kenley - Senator.Kenley@iga.in.gov

Sen. Jean Leising - Senator.Leising@iga.in.gov

Sen. Scott Schneider - Senator.Schneider@iga.in.gov

Sen. Earline Rogers - S3@iga.in.gov

Sen. Frank Mrvan - s1@iga.in.gov

Sen. Timothy Skinner - s38@iga.in.gov

Open Letter to Indiana's Select Commission on Education

This letter to the members of Indiana's Select Commission on Education was written by Paul Obermeyer, a businessman and lifelong resident of Indiana. Both his wife and daughter teach in the public schools.

General Education Concerns State of Indiana and the Select Commission on Education

I have been following the Legislation of Public Schools and the recent laws passed by the Republican Administration the past several years and am very concerned about the future to come for education in this State. Yesterday, as I celebrated Mother’s Day with my wife and family (my daughter and wife both teach) we had a family discussion of just how unappreciated teachers are. It is our opinion, that Governor Daniels, Dr. Tony Bennett and the Director of Budget, Adam Horst, as well as the Republican Party and the State of Indiana have turned their backs on the teaching profession. Today, I noticed that the Department of Education has made available a video on how much Hoosiers appreciate Teachers. Excuse me for being just a bit cynical…but how have the recent funding decisions and legislation been supportive of teachers?

Teachers today are expected to do more than teach and are faced with social problems never before confronted in the classroom. Governor Daniels and Dr. Bennett worked “in concert” and made certain that every parent and student were given a pass for their performance in the classroom, spending over two years working to undermine the integrity of Public School Teachers. Recent legislation which gutted the ISTA and teachers’ rights, as well as their voice in the classroom, did so much damage to the morale of the profession, it may never be undone. As a leader within a business, I feel the Department of Education has LOST the support of the people they need most…the teachers. If you run a business, and I don’t care what kind of business, you must make the employees feel important and give them a voice in the process. The Department of Education has NOT done that, and, even more, has attacked the teachers and penalized their efforts. A good coach does not ruin the morale of the team…they must instill confidence and faith. WE did just the opposite…WE destroyed the profession. Time will prove this out. We will start to see fewer people seeking to be educators. (This is already happening.) Imagine four years of college and ongoing classes to be a licensed teacher, just to take a starting job paying about $12.00 per hour. Couple that with other facts, such as; extreme scrutiny and ongoing evaluations, reduced benefits, longer school years, working more and more hours of your own time on lesson plans and grading papers, no pay increases (FACT THAT CAN BE DEMONSTRATED), no job security and getting thrown under the bus by legislators who want to solve the problem of education on the cheap, doing so through dirty party politics.

Does the Department of Education feel that this video will repair the damage done to the people you need most… the teachers? I can tell you the answer is that it probably will not. There is an old saying that “Talk is Cheap” and nothing proves that more than this type of propaganda.

I am sorry to say that after 57 years as a resident of the State of Indiana I have never been more embarrassed by the actions of those in charge. The path of destruction to the educational system in this State, to achieve some needed changes, has been horrific. Why did we have to throw out the baby with the bath water? Changes, if properly administered, could have achieved the same goals without all of the personal damage and destruction to the morale of the teachers and educators in this State! Use of the whip has been far more frequent than use of the carrot. I know for a fact that my sentiments are more aligned with the majority of the educators in this State and their morale is at rock bottom. I am glad to see that someone must have recognized this and through this video is attempting to communicate a positive message, but remember, “talk is cheap”!

Sincerely Submitted,

Paul R. Obermeyer

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You might also be interested in:

Another Parent letter to Indiana Select Commission on Education

The next Select Commission on Education meeting will be held Monday, May 21. Click HERE for the agenda and past minutes.

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