Go With Glenda On Common Core

AN OPEN LETTER -

To the Legislators who seek to “color outside the lines” on Indiana Curriculum State Standards,


Glenda is right: the best course of action on SB193 is to slow down and have a conversation - haste makes waste! The Hoosier Mom asks the members of the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development to table this bill where it stands now – in committee. Senator Kruse – your continued hearings on this Bill reflect against the State Superintendent and her capacity to lead a decision-making process typically handled by the IDOE. This is not a course of action you admittedly wish to take: well, at least not according to your statement last week.

The State Board of Education under the leadership of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction traditionally devises the state curriculum standards. Furthermore, this is the way state curriculum standards have been derived in Indiana for years. This process for development of state curriculum standards provides quality education outcomes for the children of Indiana by the people elected and appointed specifically to do that job. The financial and educational ramifications of this bill are numerous, even more so if state standards are routinely changed nilly-willy by well-intended yet misguided legislators who “color outside the lines”.

Senate members, please feel free to work with the State Superintendent and the SBOE on the development of appropriate state standards to achieve desired educational outcomes, but I ask you not to “color outside the lines” with this bill by over-legislation of education decisions best arrived at by the IDOE. Indiana’s education leadership has the expertise to consider the financial and educational ramifications of our state standards. I ask you to leave Common Core in place, have this discussion with Superintendent Ritz, and maintain the state standard adoption process through the IDOE.

Go with Glenda on Common Core!



Sincerely,

The Hoosier Mom On Politics

The Tuesday Tattler

As an elementary school teacher, I hear my fair share of tattling on a daily basis.  From "Billy didn't wash his hands." to "Soosie called me a name."  In deciding on a topic for my blog post, I could't resist the thought of putting together a little "tattle" of my own once a week.  I will use Tuesday to report on someone or some topic dealing with our PUBLIC schools and those who are out to destroy them. So, today I bring you the first issue of The Tuesday Tattler. 

"They don't play nice."

Who does not play nice?  Of course we are referring to the Public Education supporters.  Now, before you start pouting and sending the lynch mob, hear me out.  The accusations have already been thrown at us from outgoing and incoming political office holders. So this is not new news to anyone.  However, I offer this.  Public Ed supporters tend to get themselves worked up over the "latest craze" and most impassioned "bandwagons".  I am just as guilty as most.  We share and post our likes and dislikes.  We look for something to dislike and go after it in impassioned disgust.  We find a cause we support and we push anyone and everyone to look, read, like, and share.

 How did we get here?  We arrived at this point because we are all tired of watching our beloved public schools be beaten and battered by the likes of Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, Michele Rhee, and Tony Bennett.  We decided to take a stand and voice our displeasure with anything and everything these so called reformers threw at us.  We continue to fight back against reform, any reform, and push others to dislike them as we do.  Is it "playing nice" when all we do as "public ed supporters" is bash any and all reform ideas as evil and against our beloved schools?  I dare say, we are not playing nice.  We are not working for the support of Public education if we are not stading for something other than just saying we stand for Public Education.

What are we going to do about it now?  I offer this solution to help us all "play nice" in the future.  Let us work together to determine what it truly means to support Public Education.  It surely means somehting more than finding the latest bandwagon to jump on and then be considered a Publid Ed supporter.  Too many are bashing this reform or that to benefit themselves and their own agenda, then backing away from Public Education when they see no benefit.  All reforms are not bad.  Reform is needed in our Public schools nation wide.  Are we battling the extreme?  Yes, but let us not lose sight of what it means to support Public Education by attacking every reform and every political stance.  There are so many "hot button" items on the political agenda around the country right now.  As we look to support Public schools, we must look to see what truly represents reform and what constitutes a "deformed" sense of educational progress. 

Let's all take a step back, decide if we truly support public education, and work together accordingly.  Let's not buy into the false sense of support being offered by those who seek only to progress their agenda under the guise of public education support.  These people hide amongst us, pushing their "anti this" and "pro that" ideas, when in all actuality they only support their own personal gains and not the whole that is Public Educatoin.  Public eduation is just that, PUBLIC.  It is about our children being taught in the best possible manner by caring educators, benefiting from tax payer money, without the intrusion of private corporations and the lining of their wallets.  If you truly stand for Public Education, you will understand what it means to be a passionate supporter of ALL children.  If you only seek to progress the agenda that will benefit your own children, then you are only supporting you and not the whole of all children, which is truly PUBLIC EDUCATION.

Legislative Lunchbox

Every Friday during State Legislative session, the “Hoosier Mom on Politics” packs a “Legislative Lunchbox” for two of Indiana’s State Legislators based on their support of Public Education and Indiana’s children. One legislator gets a good apple in their lunchbox; the other gets a bad apple in their lunchbox. Check back every Friday at lunchtime to see what the Hoosier Mom packs in the Legislator Lunchbox for the week!

For this first post of the “Legislative Lunchbox”, I chose to pack a lunch for Senator Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn) and for State Representative Robert Behning (R-Indianapolis).

Senator Dennis Kruse received a good apple in his lunchbox for his opening remarks in the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, which he chairs. Senator Kruse said, “We’re not going to hear any bills here in the Senate bills that reflect in any way against our new superintendent. She has been doing an excellent job so far and getting along with us very well, and I will continue to work with her the best I can” (courtesy of Eric Bradner of the Evansville Courier & Press, as posted on his blog ‘Capitol Journal’). Senator Kruse – this Hoosier mom could not agree more! Regular folks like me voted for Glenda Ritz because she was the best candidate for the job and we trust her to lead Indiana’s Public Schools. She has done an excellent job in her position so far and I am sure she will continue to do an excellent job for Indiana’s children. She and her staff have actively sought to build positive relationships with State Legislators and I ask you to continue to work with Superintendent Ritz’s professional approach to the support and improvement of Indiana’s Public Schools.

Representative Robert Behning received a bad apple in his lunchbox for his authoring and support of House Bill 1309 in the House Education Committee, which he chairs. This Bill calls for the dilution of the authority of the State Superintendent’s leadership position over the State Board of Education. It would require the board to elect a vice chairman with authority “to call meetings, set and amend agendas, arrange for witnesses and carry out other administrative functions related to the meetings of the state board.” It also makes the commissioner for higher education the third co-chairperson of the Education Roundtable, currently headed by the governor and state superintendent. The effectively establishes a 2-1 advantage for the governor and commissioner for higher education (appointed by a panel of 14 gubernatorial appointees). Representative Behning – if I were one of your constituents in Indianapolis, I would send you to “time-out” next election. Shame on you for your blatant political opportunism and for seeking to circumvent the wishes of the Indiana voters: that is neither responsible governance nor leadership. This Hoosier mom wants Superintendent Ritz to lead the State Board of Education; and if I did not want her to lead, I would vote for someone else. I ask you to follow Senator Kruse’s lead and seek to work with the duly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction – she will work with you!

The Hoosier Mom hopes all the readers will spread the word about the Legislative Lunchbox. Feel free to email me with suggestions for next week’s lunch: for whom should I pack lunch and why?

SUPPORT FOR SUPERINTENDENT

Superintendent Glenda Ritz needs our support now more than ever in the form of letters and calls to Governor Pence as well as your Representatives and Senators. Getting her elected was only the beginning, people. Now we must step to the plate and continue to make our voices heard in support of her. Let Governor Pence know exactly what 1.3 million votes sounds like, because he didn't get that many!

It is beginning to look like our 1.3 million votes are making a difference in the Indiana State Senate.  Yesterday, January 23, 2013,  Senator Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn) opened his committee hearing (Senate Education & Career Development) with the following statement:
“We’re not going to hear any bills here in the Senate that reflect in any way against our new superintendent. She has been doing an excellent job so far and getting along with us very well, and I will continue to work with her the best I can"

Then, Senator Kruse publicly invited ISTA lobbyist Roni Embry to work on SB 330 (having to do with the school accreditation process) with Sen. Earline Rogers (D-Gary), and John Barnes (legislative liaison to the Department of Education) to ensure that the Department of Education is appropriately included in the bill.

All of this is very good news for school employees across the state and reflective of your work in sharing with Senators your concerns about bills that have been introduced that appear to seek to diminish the authority of the office of the State Superintendent.

The story appears different in the House of Representatives where Republicans are attempting to gut the authority of the newly-elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction and ignore the will of the Indiana voters! I think it's time for a revolution!

House Bill 1309, filed by House Education Committee Chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, would dilute the superintendent’s authority over the State Board of Educati...on. It would require the board to elect a vice chairman with authority “to call meetings, set and amend agendas, arrange for witnesses and carry out other administrative functions related to the meetings of the state board.” It also makes the commissioner for higher education the third co-chairperson of the Education Roundtable, currently headed by the governor and state superintendent.

The effect would be to set up a 2-1 advantage for the governor and commissioner for higher education, who is appointed by a panel of 14 gubernatorial appointees.

House Bill 1251, sponsored by Rep. Todd Huston, an Indianapolis Republican who once served as Bennett’s chief of staff, removes the requirement that at least four members of the State Board of Education be licensed educators currently employed in the schools. It also drops the requirement that no more than six members represent the same political party.
 

It is time to continue our MARCH.  We marched to the polls in November and accomplished an upset of historic proportions here in Indiana.  We must continue to march and make sure our 1.3 million "voices" continue to be heard by those who work as OUR representatives in the Indiana state legislature and in the Governor's office.