Does Gregg have PUBLIC school interests at heart?

Has Christel DeHann's $50,000 bought her Christel
House Academy another passing A-F grade? 

John Gregg looks to be the Democratic nominee for Governor, barring any last minute challengers entering the Democratic race.  This will set up a re-match of the 2012 Governor's race and call many campaign details into question.  The one hot detail for Indiana's education arena is just how much does/will a Governor Gregg support Indiana Superintendent Glenda Ritz (if she earns re-election) and Indiana's PUBLIC schools.

John Gregg(a supposed FORMER member of ALEC) has received campaign contributions from DFER (Democrats for Education Reform, a group that supports many bogus and destructive reforms similar to those of the Indiana GOP) in the past, and has recently gained the support and a $50,000 contribution from Christel DeHann (Noted Indiana Philanthropist, Freedom Indiana Supporter, and namesake of the Christel House Academy at the center of the Tony Bennett "Grade Changing Scandal". (See Open Letter from Doug Martin to John Gregg)

Bennett changed grades for Dehann's Christel House

Tony Bennett received hefty contributions from DeHann during his campaigns and these contributions have always been rumored to come with strings.  Bennett was defeated by Glenda Ritz in 2012 in Indiana and then left the same post in Florida after the grade changing scandal came to light.

 

Indiana needs a clear cut candidate, openly supportive of PUBLIC schools, clean of campaign contributions from Private and Charter school leaders who give freely with strings attached.  Rumors are that DeHann has contributed to the Gregg campaign to show her support for the LGBT community and the repeal of RFRA.  However, there needs to be a definitive statement from John Gregg as such and a strong statement that he FULLY supports Glenda Ritz, PUBLIC schools, and the end of destructive policies and vouchers.  It is time for a candidate to stand up to the contributors who seek favor from their donations and stand up for the middle class tax payers who pay to fund PUBLIC schools and not continually supplement the voucher seekers and private or charter schools.

 

John Gregg, stand up.  Stop using Glenda Ritz and public schools as photo ops and campaign props.  Say what you truly intend to pursue as Governor for Indiana's school children and stop touting false support in sound bites for the evening news. 

 

Mike Pence MUST GO, but at what further expense to our PUBLIC schools.



Can You Say Nepotism?

Let us start with a simple definition of the term.

nep·o·tism / ˈnepəˌtizəm/
noun
the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.

synonyms:favoritism, preferential treatment, the old boy network, looking after one's own, bias, partiality, partisanship

"hiring my daughter was not nepotism—it was just good business"

Now, lets look at Indiana's "nepotism law" effective July 1 2012.

Ind. Code § 4-15-7-1 : Indiana Code - Section 4-15-7-1: Nepotism

(a) No person being related to any member of any state board or commission, or to the head of any state office or department or institution, as father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, a husband or wife, son or daughter, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, niece or nephew, shall be eligible to any position in any such state board, commission, office, or department or institution, as the case may be, nor shall any such relative be entitled to receive any compensation for his or her services out of any appropriation provided by law.

(b) This section shall not apply if such person has been employed in the same position in such office or department or institution for at least twelve (12) consecutive months immediately preceding the appointment of his relative as a board member or head of such office, department, or institution.

(c) This section does not apply to the authority of the board of trustees of a state educational institution to employ any person the board considers necessary under IC 21-38-3-1.

(d) No persons related as father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, husband, wife, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, niece, or nephew may be placed in a direct supervisory-subordinate relationship.

(Formerly: Acts 1941, c.16, s.1; Acts 1961, c.8, s.1.) As amended by Acts 1982, P.L.23, SEC.35; P.L.36-1995, SEC.1; P.L.2-2007, SEC.44; P.L.3-2008, SEC.8.

With this background information, let's take a look at the reappointment of Sarah O'Brien to the Indiana State Board of Education and her recent election as the board's Vice-Chair.  How does this appointment and Vice-Chair position relate to a possible violation of this "nepotism" law, along with a variety of potential ethics violations?  Mrs. O'Brien isn't just a 4th grade teacher from Avon who, as a Republican, was appointed to the SBOE and recently reappointed after legislative changes to the boards structure, she is also the daughter of Republican State Representative Bill Fine of Munster.  This is where the possible violation occurs.  Representative Fine is a Republican member of the House Education Committee who pushed the passage of legislation that changed the structure of the SBOE and co-authored key language that created the Vice-Chair position to share powers with the Elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz.

With the passage of this legislation, Governor Pence re-appointed O'Brien to the Board and set up her opportunity to be elected as Vice-Chair.   This selection was rumored before the SBOE met for their restructuring meeting.  The "election" of O'Brien appears to have been a done deal as part of Pence's plan when he made his recent appointments and refused to reappoint certain members who might have been more viable possibilities to be named Vice-Chair.

This may not be a clear violation of Indiana Law, but it appears to set up potential questions regarding "nepotism", board appointments, committee selections, and legislative ethics.

Indiana voters need to be vigilant in monitoring recent SBOE actions, the Governor's continued education agenda, and the co-mingling of legislators and appointed board members.  Raise questions, raise your voices, and demand transparency in all aspects of government activity.  Most importantly,  voters in Indiana need to get to the polls and vote to save our PUBLIC schools from the continued destruction and privatization planned by Pence and his wealthy corporate "reform" supporters.

WHO WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE?

Who will rise to the top as the cream of the crop? 

As the Democratic party sets the stage for a true Democratic Primary to lead up to the Governor's race against the likely battle scarred, Mike Pence, it is time to address some questions and issues the eventual Democratic nominee must answer for Hoosiers.  Currently, three Democrats (John Gregg, Karen Tallian, and Glenda Ritz) will seek the nod from the Democratic Party.  Each one has been battle tested in their own way, each has more experience in their little finger than Pence has in his entire political career.  All three will bring something to Hoosiers that the GOP has not been able to deliver in years, economic stability and basic equal rights for ALL.  Let us first discuss each potential candidate and their strongest probable platform item.  Then let us look at what a Democratic platform must include going forward in order to impact the most Hoosier voters in a general election against the the probable GOP candidate and wounded incumbent, Pence.

The Democratic Primary Candidates

John Gregg, 2012 Democratic candidate, is a supporter of the now repealed common construction wage law.  The "man with the mustache" had been a champion of labor unions and a strong proponent of maintaining state recognition of labor unions as a means of supporting the middle class worker.  This is a strong base, but proved not enough to get past Pence in 2012.  How will he increase his voter base, answer questions truthfully about his ties to ALEC and Wall Street, and address the issues below?

Karen Tallian, the Democratic Party's "Marijuana Princess" of the Indiana Senate, supports legalization of medical Marijuana and possibly farther reaching expansion of legalization in the future, as well as a perspective on women's issues regarding healthcare access and abortion rights.  Senator Tallian has also come out as a strong supporter of Democratic Superintendent Glenda Ritz due to the constant attacks on public education during the recent legislative session, but one may wonder if that support was her setting up possible voters for a potential primary run.

Glenda Ritz, Superintendent of Public Instruction, was elected in 2012 as the only Democrat voted into State office.  Ritz garnered more votes than Pence with 1.3M plus supporters on election day over incumbent Superintendent Tony Bennett.  Superintendent Ritz has been a strong proponent of public schools, has cleaned up the messes and mistakes of the Bennett administration,  and weathered many attacks from the appointed State Board of Education and the GOP supermajority.  She has proven time and again to be a steadfast supporter of children and families when it comes to Indiana's Public schools, has displayed a welcoming acceptance of the Hoosier LGBT community, and has a focus on jobs and economic growth, but is her platform multifaceted enough to tackle the issues a Governor will need to address?

Issues they MUST tackle

1 - The number one issue all candidates will need to address is RFRA and LGBT protections statewide.  The disaster created by this unnecessary and discriminatory law stirred up many Hoosiers who call the supposed "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" nothing more than bigoted discrimination against the LGBT community.  The public outrage and business push forced a "fix" to the law, but that fix was a mere bandaid over a wound much larger than recognized, and the bleeding still has not stopped.  A Democratic platform, MUST contain a true goal and push for securing equal rights and protections for all LGBT Hoosiers in State law.

2 - Transparency and true ethics reform are issues facing elected officials across the country, and Indiana is not immune.  There must be clear laws calling for transparency in dealings of elected officials and reforms calling for stiff punishments for ethics violations that go beyond a simple "slap on the wrist".  It is time our elected officials are held accountable as normal citizens are for violating the laws of the state.

3 - Education related issues are always a must to be addressed, and 2016 is no exception.  After the onslaught of attacks on Indiana's Public schools over the past 12 years it is time to stop the destruction of public schools to the benefit of private and charter schools, and put appropriate financial support back in the hands of our public schools more equitibly and with more focus on teaching and less emphasis on testing and privatization.

4 - Reforms of the BMV, Department of Transportation, and infrastructure of highways and interstates is another major issue facing all candidates.  The BMV has faced questionable financial issues of late, the Department of transportation faces much scrutiny over leased toll roads and questionable response times to snow removal, and wasted time on upgrades and improvements to existing roads as well as financing new highways like the nearly $3 billion dollar I-69 project.

5 - Balancing a budget that will meet Hoosier needs and not the pet projects of select legislators.  The budget needs to be one that is less of a spending burden on tax payers yet puts needed resources back into public schools, public housing, welfare assistance, and healthcare expansion as well as cutting frivolous spending on pork barrel projects proposed by ALEC and Wall Street CEOs.

6 - Job growth and economic stability are important factors in maintaining the Hoosier population, as many young families move away to find more economic stability securing better incomes.  A strong and knowledgeable candidate must have a clear cut plan for growing jobs and increasing economic growth across the state to keep Hoosier families in Indiana and avoid more relocation out of state.

Other issues will need to be addressed to secure the nomination of either party, like stopping attacks on employee unions, women's rights to healthcare choices, and affordable education for all, but the main issues above are MUST agenda items for the Democratic Party to secure a win over the stagnant, bigoted, and discriminatory GOP in 2016.

TUESDAY TATTLER : WHO ARE THESE "Hoosiers for Quality Education"?

Formerly known as Hoosiers for Economic Growth, this Fred Klipsch group appears to be a false front for Quality Education in favor of stripping true PUBLIC schools of much needed funding in support of vouchers and private corporation profits through their "false advertisement" of being supportive of Indiana's school children.  Hoosiers for Quaility Education sits in the front line of attacks against State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz.  They endorse most all of the attempts of the House and Senate leaders, and Governor Pence, to strip Superintendent Ritz of her powers as an elected official and to siphon more financial support from Indiana's PUBLIC schools into the pockets of private and charter school leaders.  

The Institute for Quality Education, a partner with Hoosiers for Quality Education, has gone so far as to "steal" the Hoosier-Voices title for a section of their website. Both of these groups list Fred Klipsch as their CEO/Chairperson and Founder.  This move blatantly confuses true supporters of Indiana's traditional PUBLIC schools, by leading them to believe Hoosier Voices agrees with these bills and the support of the GOP agenda to further destroy our educational system by over testing, under funding, and stripping the ELECTED Superintendent of the duties and powers 1.3 million plus voters put her in office to see through.

Looking further into this group you find that none other than Tony Bennett, the man who lost to Glenda Ritz, acting as a "consultant" to them on matters of quality education.  Hoosier voters, both Republican and Democrat, saw through his inabilities and together voted him out.  Why would any group claiming to support quality education and the children of Indiana choose this man as a consultant in any manner.

Onto other matters with this group, their name and economic status, there are major questions and issues bordering on legality.  Public School supporter Justin Kuhnle points out...

"Hoosiers for Quality Education was formally known as a 501(c) group, Hoosiers for Economic Growth, who as of 2013, has contributed over $2.3 million dollars in 7 years to 99.4% of Republican candidates.  In that time frame, one lobbyist of interest emerges -- Lindsey Brown.  While your group claims in one point to have only spent $274k in the 2014 election, what's troubling, that according to filing, expenditures totaled $338k.  What's equally troubling that according to the filings with the Secretary of State's page in Indiana, your group is past due in it's Business Entity Reports.  Now, according to some filings, your chairman is Fred Klipsch, who entertains interesting ties to certain groups (Koch Bros. to name one specific.) Wait, isn't he also Pence's treasurer?  One particular agenda item of this group is "projects that explore how the principles of free enterprise and classical liberalism promote a more peaceful and prosperous society" and are issued for education grants.  What's lost on these groups, is free market, as an economic idea, is lost due to risk mitigation to be used at the expense of the taxpayers, with a potential ultimate goal of increasing standardized testing (with projections of 14 hours 30 minutes this year alone for 3rd graders -- thank you GOP mandated at the state level to let CTN/McGraw do their will unabridged) and when standardized tests don't completely destroy public education, privatization will.  So in the end, without releasing all your little secrets, Hoosiers for Quality Education, you are promoting this agenda under the guise of a new, "cheerier" name. "

This is the beginning of a series of posts to call out those who claim one thing and then act contradictory to their statements and goals.  This is part one of our mission to point out the discrepancies of this particular group and who they truly are.  There is so much more information to point out there needed to be a starting point.  Now we must continue to alert true "friends" and "supporters" of Indiana's PUBLIC schools as to who these characters are and what their ultimate purposes include.  We must stand up to, not only our legislators and Governor, but also to these "false support" groups and make sure our PUBLIC schools and our children are no longer harmed by their desire to make money for their friends and cronies across the country.


WE ARE HOOSIER VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. THERE IS NO OTHER!!

#WeAreHoosierVoices