tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86063523464723841092024-03-13T20:55:07.766-04:00HOOSIER VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATIONHoosier Voices for Public Education is dedicated to the support of Indiana's public schools. We will discuss ideas, share information, and continue to hold our government representatives accountable. We will work together to stand up for Hoosier school children statewide.
We welcome comments and input on any post.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-21550218414067120002018-02-08T22:35:00.000-05:002018-02-08T22:35:53.383-05:002018 Legislative Mid-Session Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiov53p_exjIl38C2ioLHx1j067Idq_yucNIVdrzdiEEa5z51tCvFC2Q0FhbLu5M5Pz0HyRamdNObQ1MBFq5oQKv6rHeFEaCn7e0sF_cXCmzQf-OeWWrxwobEydGjgsa5PXdPjUFKycmzw/s1600/billrecap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiov53p_exjIl38C2ioLHx1j067Idq_yucNIVdrzdiEEa5z51tCvFC2Q0FhbLu5M5Pz0HyRamdNObQ1MBFq5oQKv6rHeFEaCn7e0sF_cXCmzQf-OeWWrxwobEydGjgsa5PXdPjUFKycmzw/s1600/billrecap.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a brief recap of bills affecting education travelling through the Indiana House and Senate along with those that appear to have died due to lack of support or hearing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BILLS STILL IN PLAY - THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-EI8AuvScxEaeq1Rw6xJGgXM9_qeRvD0IHvcmBAnF6OBNovGaWOl6utDA2YFxfD23yoeJEvsEKi4W6DpNjcyTKz6FYPEAJyMC3gcStAW5H2bxAdiM33gYHazYMCeq4ACmpyMs2UmRUc/s1600/billdrag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-EI8AuvScxEaeq1Rw6xJGgXM9_qeRvD0IHvcmBAnF6OBNovGaWOl6utDA2YFxfD23yoeJEvsEKi4W6DpNjcyTKz6FYPEAJyMC3gcStAW5H2bxAdiM33gYHazYMCeq4ACmpyMs2UmRUc/s1600/billdrag.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These bills are on the move from one chamber to the other. Some of these are positive bills that need support from PUBLIC education advocates, others need advocates to push legislators to vote them down, and some are just ugly attacks on PUBLIC schools, students, and educators. Let's take a look at what bills are on the move.</span><br />
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SB 189 and HB 1001</span></u></b>, which move money from a reserve fund to
the state general fund, sped through their respective chambers, and are
on-track to be moved through the opposing chamber. Even with revisions to the
proposed law, it’s likely that a fix will be approved before the session ends
in mid-March.</span><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 189 and HB 1001 would close the gap in
school funding that resulted from miscalculations in the number of students
attending public schools. The bills would let the state transfer up to $25
million per year from a reserve fund to the state general fund, where it could
then be distributed to districts.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>SB 172</b> </span></u>would require public schools to offer
computer science classes as an elective in high schools, as well as a part of
the science curriculum for all students. The bill also sets up a grant program
to pay for teacher training in computer science.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: #38761d;">HB 1420</span></u></b>, among several other measures, would not let
a student who has been expelled from a virtual charter school for
non-attendance re-enroll in that same school during the same school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><u><b>SB 303</b></u></span> would implement a variety of unrelated education
policies, but one element hidden within the bill would damage the teaching
profession. The bill would require bargained teacher contracts to
contain a minimum number of hours per day the teacher is expected to work, as
opposed to a set number of hours. During his term as state superintendent, Tony Bennett tried
this approach and a court found that it violated the law. This bill is disrespectful of the work and time teachers put
in each day. Teachers already put in
additional hours and personal expense to ensure that their students are served. This bill passed out of the Senate 45-3. Please continue to OPPOSE this bill as it
moves to the House. Contact your
Representatives in the House and as them to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OPPOSE SB 303.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>SB 177 and HB 1426</b></u></span> would combine Indiana’s
four diplomas into a single diploma with four “designations” that mirror
current diploma tracks. The bills would also allow the Indiana State Board of
Education to consider alternatives to Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement.
The House bill would change the state high school exam to a national
college-entrance exam, require high schools to test students in science, and
eliminate the requirement that schools give the Accuplacer remediation test. It
would also change rules for getting a graduation waiver and create an
“alternate diploma” for students with severe special needs. These bills make some changes that could damage the rights and potential success of students with special needs. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This proposal to change the graduation waiver system is the
latest attempt by the state to amend graduation requirements as part of a
policy initiative to ensure that students are prepared for life after high
school. The change in waiver policy could make it more challenging for students
who struggle academically to complete high school.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I want to make sure we have as few waivers as possible,”
said Rep. Bob Behning, Republican chairman of the House Education Committee and
author of House Bill 1426, which includes the waiver changes. And if a waiver
is necessary, he said, he wants the requirements to be stringent enough to
ensure post-graduate success and further harm some of the state's most fragile students. OPPOSE diploma changes that discard a general diploma and place more stringent requirements on special needs students.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b><u>SB 297</u></b></span> would require schools to include “employability skills,” also known as “soft skills,” in their curriculum. The idea for the bill came from David Freitas, a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">member of the state board of education. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">SB 387</span></u></b> would allow the state to grant an “initial
practitioner license” to prospective teachers even if they have not passed
subject area exams so long as they have at least a 3.0 GPA, have completed
student teaching, and have received a job with a school. The bill would let
districts hire up to 10 percent of teachers with this license under these
circumstances. The bill would also let districts pay teachers different amounts
in an effort to fill jobs in special education, science or math fields. A
previous measure that would let districts hire up to 10 percent of unlicensed
teachers was removed. This would act as a simple band aid for the teacher shortage, would allow potentially unqualified persons to be employed ans teachers, and undervalues some teachers based on their licence area.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">HB 1398</span></u></b> would allow a group of charter schools and
districts to form a “coalition” to pursue innovative academic strategies.
Coalition members could also waive certain state requirements, such as the
requirement that students pass Algebra 2 to graduate. Just another bill to show favor to charters and undermine PUBLIC schools by changing the rules.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: #990000;">HB 1315</span></u></b> passed out of the House, 65 - 26. House Democrats
offered amendments that would have
improved the bill, including an amendment from Rep. Melanie Wright (D -
Yorktown) that would have made certain Muncie teachers had the right to a
collective voice and a seat at the table, but it was defeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HB 1315 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Even if
you have already completed the call to action, we need your voice again, as
this time you will be contacting your senator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This bill would hand control of Muncie Community Schools
over to Ball State University (BSU). BSU would be empowered to appoint a new,
unelected school board for Muncie Schools. To summarily remove a locally
elected school board is drastic action. The bill would also punish Muncie
teachers by stripping them of their right to association recognition and to
bargain wage issues and discuss student learning issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For all other teachers in the state, the bill would hold
classroom teachers responsible for the state of a school districts' finances by
specifically calling for the termination of up to 5 percent of the teacher
force by the end of a fall semester, if a district is designated as being in
fiscal distress. These actions would no doubt impact student learning and academic
goals and increase class sizes right in the middle of a school year.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: purple;">SB 50</span></u></b>, which now includes the workforce provisions from
SB 157, would allow students to stay in high school for an additional
year to pursue advanced classes or finish a certification related to their
careers. It would also create a state agency and executive to oversee career
and technical education, among other proposals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: purple;">SB 65</span></u></b> would require parents to give their approval
for children to participate in instruction on sex, including gender identity
and sexual orientation. Currently, the system is opt-out, not opt-in, as the
bill proposes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <b><u><span style="color: purple;">SB 8 </span></u></b>would require all districts, charter and
private schools to teach cursive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: purple;">HB 1388</span></u></b> would require the state board to create
elementary teacher licenses in math and science.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: purple;">HB 1421</span></u></b> would ask the state education department to
develop a school discipline model that reduces suspensions and expulsions,
especially among students of color. It also requires the department provide
guidance and information to districts, beginning in 2019, that want to use that
model. It encourages the legislative council to study positive student
discipline and restorative justice and asks the education department to survey
districts on those practices.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="color: purple;">SB 217</span></u></b> would require districts and charter schools
to screen students for dyslexia and by 2020, to employ at least one dyslexia
specialist, among other provisions.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>BILLS THAT HAVE DIED THIS SESSION</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCMFpJCUgEvTl_KN0ShPec5CvMb6OT2TlhN0gge6vJ86-_cEJlTm84RdksPZ7YQWUa1ToDLMzlNKy16uCEttbLPoKXpGcTdxppDa-MJiqgry3zIATabRgp1rb95ihxaoul8-4Z8Vy5DQ/s1600/billdead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCMFpJCUgEvTl_KN0ShPec5CvMb6OT2TlhN0gge6vJ86-_cEJlTm84RdksPZ7YQWUa1ToDLMzlNKy16uCEttbLPoKXpGcTdxppDa-MJiqgry3zIATabRgp1rb95ihxaoul8-4Z8Vy5DQ/s1600/billdead.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These bills have either "died" in committee, failed to get a hearing, or were voted down in their respective chamber leaving them dead for this short session. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 29 and HB 1042 would have allowed low-income families to apply for state preschool scholarships even if they were not employed, in school, or training for a job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 272 and HB1392 would have made kindergarten mandatory by lowering the state’s compulsory school age to 5. It is currently 7. This bill was supported by Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jennifer McCormick and many educators across the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 205 would have allowed students transferring from one private school to another to take their remaining voucher dollars with them that year. The bill initially saw support from the education committee, but the Senate Appropriations Committee did not hear it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 315, SB 350, and SB 406 would have placed more restrictions on charter school authorizers and required them to show the state their schools are academically sound before they open additional schools or enroll more students. None of these bills received hearings. It is a shame that more restrictions are not placed on chartes and private schools and they are continually failing on the tax payers dime at the expense of our PUBLIC schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SB 7 would have barred schools from starting before the last Monday in August. Such calendar bills have been proposed each year, and none have moved forward. These bills undermine local control of setting start and end dates and are difficult to support when they do not include a means to address the 180 day rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HB 1264 would have given grants to schools that applied to create “competency-based education” programs, which would let them alter instruction so that students move from lesson to lesson, or grade to grade, based on the skills they master, rather than time. The bill’s author, Rep. Tim Brown, decided not to hear the bill in House Ways and Means because of the cost involved. This is the second year the bill has failed.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-52820264878564850972018-01-12T11:06:00.006-05:002018-01-12T11:06:55.357-05:00Tracking EDUCATION Related Bills 2018<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoK9JGlcrSKeJzWe5aUdwr-VmCxxRPb3USrcjM1lfIGfh2HwDJR15akW09tHwgjM3ZlSdg9jrv_N-yoGWCktrMVNxaIyc1Lf3FDEcZM8Uikznspb2HtfrAxBeRwnj7wE863jcb92n6Hg/s1600/bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="164" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoK9JGlcrSKeJzWe5aUdwr-VmCxxRPb3USrcjM1lfIGfh2HwDJR15akW09tHwgjM3ZlSdg9jrv_N-yoGWCktrMVNxaIyc1Lf3FDEcZM8Uikznspb2HtfrAxBeRwnj7wE863jcb92n6Hg/s320/bill.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/p/bills-for-2015-session.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click "Bill" to view list.</span></a><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hoosier Voices will be tracking education bills again this legislative session. As bills move, we will be putting out ALERTS and CALLS TO ACTION for letters and phone calls to legislators to voice and express concerns as inappropriate and destructive measures progress through the session. Please stay informed and aware as we MUST be vigilant in our advocacy for our PUBLIC schools</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Look for "Bill" to find links to current bills moving through the legislature and their status.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-3728293296030593522016-12-05T12:32:00.001-05:002016-12-05T12:32:14.061-05:00An Open Letter to Members of the Indiana General Assembly and the State Board of Education<h3>
Honorable Members of the Indiana General Assembly and Members of the State Board of Education:</h3>
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<br />The superintendents of Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS) District I School Corporations want to make you aware of some serious concerns we have regarding the status and use of the current assessment system in Indiana. While we are firmly committed to accountability at every level, we believe the high stakes ISTEP+ assessment system that is used to measure student achievement, evaluate teacher performance and effectiveness, and grade our schools, does not accurately reflect the teaching and learning that takes place every day in our public schools.</h3>
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Whether the state continues to mandate ISTEP+ or a similar test by a different name, the use of a one-time test does not and cannot accurately reflect the achievement and growth of our students, the performance of our teachers and quality of our schools. Our teachers regularly monitor the learning taking place in their classrooms via locally developed and nationally recognized assessments that provide immediate results which are used to drive instruction. Receiving ISTEP+ test results six months – or more – after the test was given is almost useless. </h3>
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In each of the past two school years, significant changes were made to the current ISTEP+ test. The rush to make these changes, without providing educators ample time to “retool” curriculum and instruction in the classroom, resulted in lower test scores across the state in all tested subjects at all tested grade levels and an unnecessary decline in school and school corporation grades across Indiana.</h3>
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Inconsistencies within the test itself make it very difficult, if not impossible, to use those test results in a meaningful way. Attempting to compare test scores and passing rates (i.e. student achievement) from one year to the next, especially when the spring 2016 test changed significantly from the previous year, is problematic at best.<br /></h3>
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For the reasons stated above, we support HEA 1395 that called for the end of ISTEP+ at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. It is extremely disappointing that the committee charged with finding and recommending a replacement for the ISTEP+ fiasco chose not to make a recommendation that would resolve issues associated with our broken and irreparable assessment system. Reportedly, several meaningful options were not allowed to be presented and/or discussed by the committee during their deliberations. If true, such actions are sad and frustrating. Maintaining the status quo with ISTEP+ will only continue to project a tainted and inaccurate assessment of the achievements of our students, teachers and public schools.<br /></h3>
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If the objective of our state’s high stakes accountability system is to accurately report student achievement to the public, then the data from the currently flawed system must not be used. We respectfully request our elected officials and members of the State Board of Education to ignore the most recent results of the totally broken ISTEP+ assessment and not use them to place letter grades on our schools. The A-F grading system needs to be suspended again and schools need to be provided with a hold harmless provision regarding the results of the 2015- 2016 ISTEP+ assessment, similar to what was done last year.<br /><br />Signed: District I Superintendents<br /><br />Michelle Riise Argos Community Schools<br />Nathan Kleefisch MSD of Boone Township<br />James White Bremen Public Schools<br />Lucinda Douglass Caston School Corporation<br />Teresa Eineman Crown Point Community School Corporation<br />Chuck Kitchell Culver Community Schools Corporation<br />David Pruis Duneland School Corporation<br />Paige McNulty School City of East Chicago<br />Rod Gardin East Porter School Corporation<br />Dan Foster Eastern Pulaski Community School Corporation<br />Pete Morikis Griffith Public Schools<br />Walter Watkins School City of Hammond<br />Tom Taylor Hanover Community School Corporation<br />Brian Smith School Town of Highland<br />Peggy Buffington School City of Hobart<br />Aaron Case Kankakee Valley Schools<br />A.J. Gappa Knox Community School Corporation<br />Larry Veracco Lake Central School Corporation<br />Sharon Johnson-Shirley Lake Ridge Schools<br />Tom Cripliver Lake Station Community Schools<br />Mark Francesconi LaPorte Community School Corporation<br />Jeff Studebaker Merrillville Community School Corporation<br />Jeff Hendrix School Town of Munster<br />Curtiss Strietelmeier MSD of New Durham Township<br />Paul White New Prairie United School Corporation<br />Annette Zupin North Judson-San Pierre Schools<br />Destin Haas North Newton School Corporation<br />Donald Harman Oregon-Davis School Corporation<br />Daniel Tyree Plymouth Community School Corporation<br />Richard Weigel Portage Township Schools<br />Stacey Schmidt Porter Township School Corporation<br />Ned Speicher Rensselaer Central School Corporation<br />Steve Disney River Forest Community School Corporation<br />Jana Vance Rochester Community School Corporation<br />Linda Wiltfong South Central Community School Corporation<br />Kenneth Rudnick South Newton School Corporation<br />Debra Howe Tri-Creek School Corporation<br />Donna Burroughs Triton School Corporation<br />Tim Somers Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation<br />John Hunter Union Township School Corporation<br />Ric Frataccia Valparaiso Community Schools<br />Don Street West Central School Corporation<br />Cynthia Scroggins School City of Whiting</h3>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-91593565681661893402016-12-05T12:27:00.000-05:002016-12-05T12:32:56.390-05:00Indiana Superintendents Speak Up Against Broken ISTEP+ ... And We Couldn't Agree More<h2>
ICYMI...</h2>
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Over 40 Superintendents from School Systems located in the 1st Congressional District signed an "<a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2016/12/an-open-letter-to-members-of-indiana.html" target="_blank">Open Letter to Members of the Indiana General Assembly and the State Board of Education</a>" with an important message about the most recent ISTEP+ results...</h2>
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"We respectfully request our elected officials and members of the State Board of Education to ignore the most recent results of the totally broken ISTEP+ assessment and not use them to place letter grades on our schools. The A-F grading system needs to be suspended again and schools need to be provided with a hold harmless provision regarding the results of the 2015- 2016 ISTEP+ assessment, similar to what was done last year."</h2>
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Here is a <a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2016/12/an-open-letter-to-members-of-indiana.html" target="_blank">link to the full letter</a>. Or you can take a look at the images below.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4G-hpCSX8S6utmRJMXxaqRLv2jE_yEAoZx82lAwZZLwd5X_myV6YkHGGLOzmsUwZKMRjRl7X5-JaMs9BmvfwDI-YGPHoUh3QAcHjWnzOjR8-087uqhyphenhyphenOBERDoBWMVDYSFF4SjXo84rM/s1600/District+I+Letter+to+Indiana+General+Assembly+and+SBOE_Page_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4G-hpCSX8S6utmRJMXxaqRLv2jE_yEAoZx82lAwZZLwd5X_myV6YkHGGLOzmsUwZKMRjRl7X5-JaMs9BmvfwDI-YGPHoUh3QAcHjWnzOjR8-087uqhyphenhyphenOBERDoBWMVDYSFF4SjXo84rM/s640/District+I+Letter+to+Indiana+General+Assembly+and+SBOE_Page_2.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-42555752499437368262016-11-21T22:26:00.000-05:002016-11-21T22:26:42.971-05:00Tuesday Tattler - Post-Election 2016 - What's Dr. McCormick Up To?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxAM1H_jIov-ayzWIXCfZvM05GdyoZn0LLx9MWXNHxgafjqACUDphw9_ySeEj_Zc1dt8ekTZTzAyH1M2927OygC_mBNvYod8fzBDB0sPb8srAnqBZyl015chB0caFGrSChrb4xnIfy8o/s1600/tattle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxAM1H_jIov-ayzWIXCfZvM05GdyoZn0LLx9MWXNHxgafjqACUDphw9_ySeEj_Zc1dt8ekTZTzAyH1M2927OygC_mBNvYod8fzBDB0sPb8srAnqBZyl015chB0caFGrSChrb4xnIfy8o/s400/tattle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, as I began to recover from the disappointment of election day, I found myself cautiously optimistic with the comments and "campaign speak" of our newly elected <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE1019" target="_blank">Superintendent of Public Instruction</a>. I thought, "maybe the voters see some type of promise from her experience and her ideas". It didn't take long for me to realize I was kidding myself. I went back to her back-peddling statement about changing her mind that "it would be OK for the SPI to be appointed instead of elected". That comment continued to stick in my head. However, I was calmed by her statements about being non-political, transparent, and open to all stakeholders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WELL, WELL, WELL...Imagine my surprise when I noticed, while checking post election tweets, that this "non-political - transparent - open to all" Superintendent-elect had blocked the Hoosier Voices Twitter account from following or viewing tweets from the @DrMcCormickIN twitter feed. What is she concerned about? She won the election. Is she afraid we will hold her accountable for her campaign comments? Does she fear being reminded of her "Plan" for Indiana's schools? Dr. McCormick blocked the Hoosier Voices twitter account, however, my personal account and those of many other PUBLIC education advocates can still view, follow, re-tweet, and reply to posts from the @DrMcCormickIN account. There are still many ways for us to keep an eye on her actions and hold her accountable for all of her claims and our expectations.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dZp-J4SNRMft2IR09NTAAxyZwH50EEbkkdCGOWU1Soa5DaMCs5zLG_28GvEcZ97t-meSlJgwryA73gq8W6GNfM6KJY5O5__GvDciJaTh1uCR8kog5Q5fdGrAOca21q-y8PEnWn980mA/s1600/14976304_10210134687276168_1247084084_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dZp-J4SNRMft2IR09NTAAxyZwH50EEbkkdCGOWU1Soa5DaMCs5zLG_28GvEcZ97t-meSlJgwryA73gq8W6GNfM6KJY5O5__GvDciJaTh1uCR8kog5Q5fdGrAOca21q-y8PEnWn980mA/s320/14976304_10210134687276168_1247084084_o.png" width="318" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr. McCormick was elected, touting a <a href="http://bit.ly/HVJM2" target="_blank">"plan"</a> that appears to please voters in some way. Her similarities with Glenda Ritz in most areas were frighteningly confusing. How could a candidate touted by the <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEhacks" target="_blank">GOP establishment</a>, groomed by Tony Bennett, and paid for by Bennett's former donors be anything near to what Glenda Ritz has been as a torch bearer for Indiana's PUBLIC schools. Is Dr. McCormick just naive enough to think these donors and her GOP "pals" will allow her to do anything other than their bidding to continue destroying Public education here in our state or was she so good in her deceptive nature to persuade voters to believing she would be our new champion? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcLF39Sq7LhSdJmjEAebOcHeXeZkCIn9ar-2U4kTiqRDLz58eLHW9kFtsQjSq3Y2ZyIsmCjJwVxvYNnAfviUVKb3pbojLIsC7yImeFIO02hSgZEDMlNEToOudciaWHmhmwfllXEh6PW0/s1600/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcLF39Sq7LhSdJmjEAebOcHeXeZkCIn9ar-2U4kTiqRDLz58eLHW9kFtsQjSq3Y2ZyIsmCjJwVxvYNnAfviUVKb3pbojLIsC7yImeFIO02hSgZEDMlNEToOudciaWHmhmwfllXEh6PW0/s320/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which<a href="http://bit.ly/HVJMFB" target="_blank"> Dr. McCormick</a> will Hoosiers see once the legislature begins to pull her toward the wishes of the GOP's big "education policy" donors. With House Education Chair Bob Behning, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro-Tempore David Long, Senate Education Chair Dennis Kruse, and Even Governor-Elect Holcomb all receiving large donations from privatization and voucher supporters like Christel DeHaan, <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE291" target="_blank">Fred Klipsch, Hoosiers for Quality Education, and the Institute for Quality Education</a>, it appears it would be difficult for Dr. McCormick to go against these Tony Bennett donors and reverse the GOP course of continued robbery of our PUBLIC schools. Will she be "allowed" to work with ALL stakeholders and do what needs to be done to reverse course and build up our public schools, or will she prove to be another puppet like Tony Bennett and bow to the GOP leadership and their donors to drain our public schools further and allow further demeaning actions toward Indiana's public school educators.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRgIZwZ1MytA7KvH4dXYJHGl9SIcRb0SJ4FXyEl9hhW-Mlra6Te08tBS7O_qTpZJMhFBROEOfaHKYDzi3JjXugTQpZWGv5a7EoaocvVcmvmyfXWlnpalPRaDZUOsJZPZvH24VNvsprns/s1600/noclone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRgIZwZ1MytA7KvH4dXYJHGl9SIcRb0SJ4FXyEl9hhW-Mlra6Te08tBS7O_qTpZJMhFBROEOfaHKYDzi3JjXugTQpZWGv5a7EoaocvVcmvmyfXWlnpalPRaDZUOsJZPZvH24VNvsprns/s200/noclone.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing is for certain. ALL stakeholders need to stay informed, stay alert, and be ready to stand up and be heard at a moment's notice. We all must hold our elected representatives accountable for our children and the future of our PUBLIC schools. We at Hoosier Voices WILL NOT GIVE UP! We will continue to fight for high quality <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEfb1" target="_blank">PUBLIC education</a> for ALL Hoosiers! We will not give up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">#OrganizeAgitateEducate</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EAbiM96Txdvf47LsferSsMwSDog4mOgTN3q0lOPefwzg8sJloovYtiTvYScWw4D012fiQYaUISL5K_sm6DH2KfZGXAlpcJPuCbY8jsq5NvFFDrCTqAOwZfBSXF6Huv_nL7oPQRQKeEU/s1600/15036478_1369616859745573_7808797121818613020_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EAbiM96Txdvf47LsferSsMwSDog4mOgTN3q0lOPefwzg8sJloovYtiTvYScWw4D012fiQYaUISL5K_sm6DH2KfZGXAlpcJPuCbY8jsq5NvFFDrCTqAOwZfBSXF6Huv_nL7oPQRQKeEU/s320/15036478_1369616859745573_7808797121818613020_n.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Philip D. Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10255646399247833684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-43997541786605895272016-10-30T23:50:00.000-04:002016-10-31T00:04:46.076-04:00$390K - What Does It Look Like to Buy Julie Olthoff In The 11th Hour?<h2>
$390,000...That is all it took to <strike>earn</strike> buy Julie Olthoff's vote for the next 2 years. Just like any other situation where one purchases an object, the purchaser needs to know exactly what they are getting. This is what Bosma, Behning, and the well-monied House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) PAC lobbyists will get from Olthoff...</h2>
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More destruction of PUBLIC Education - Olthoff has consistently aligned her vote with the school privatization lobby and why would she change over the next two years with so much money coming her way to guarantee she will vote the party line instead of what is best for her constituents. Christel DeHaan (think Christel Charters), Hoosiers For Quality Education(think religious zealots bent on publicly funding private religious education), and a PAC that passes money through for the Koch Bros - that is who is buying Olthoff. Get the picture?</h2>
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She expanded charter school funding and opened the door for more charter schools to set up shop in Indiana on the taxpayers dime. She established policy that expanded the voucher system which siphons money right off the top of public education. She established policy that disregarded the will of the voters and marginalized the role of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz, by removing her constitutional authority to preside over the SBOE - and she did this without even putting the issue to public question.</h2>
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Well, the proof is in the pudding folks, and tonight we are serving pudding for dessert. </h2>
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Here is the campaign contribution report showing how Olthoff received $390,000 from the House Republican Campaign Committee in the 11th hour, literally just days before election day.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEaj2Skh2jAo42qqNUJbF2A63eU7LxGeV6w8fWFxa3YNMTUO2hpkIqYG1XTH15kyfBqNrnu76sDFnZjsm0I3C9yMnUXzHX2eC0KSgzkkT9fdBII3hWrR4b9IzxdU_-VJVLWqAwM7ZZ-4/s1600/Olthoff+340k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEaj2Skh2jAo42qqNUJbF2A63eU7LxGeV6w8fWFxa3YNMTUO2hpkIqYG1XTH15kyfBqNrnu76sDFnZjsm0I3C9yMnUXzHX2eC0KSgzkkT9fdBII3hWrR4b9IzxdU_-VJVLWqAwM7ZZ-4/s640/Olthoff+340k.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGz-MACwcqgTbnuJL0PpByQ21fmAwXTaiSyFGCSi2HuAWr1not9COn0wGBJ0r_Q7RKAzNLmvZP8vps4lgssNUtslp0Jh6v69-aGJ0sgdtkI5R4c6cyb7gHLUNzv5KrA5Da6SQgTka3EU/s1600/Olthoff+50k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGz-MACwcqgTbnuJL0PpByQ21fmAwXTaiSyFGCSi2HuAWr1not9COn0wGBJ0r_Q7RKAzNLmvZP8vps4lgssNUtslp0Jh6v69-aGJ0sgdtkI5R4c6cyb7gHLUNzv5KrA5Da6SQgTka3EU/s640/Olthoff+50k.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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Here is a link to the campaign finance report showing where the House Republican Campaign Committee received their $$$$. I would attach an image, but it is over 110 pages long, so yeah...</h2>
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<span style="color: lime;">http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/FilingAmendmentSelect.aspx?FilingID=59939</span></h2>
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<br />Take a look at these records and follow the $$$ back to the original source, and you too will see how the school privatization lobby has created a wicked web of deception by purchasing politicians for play during assembly, then filtering the money multiple times to cover their tracks.</h2>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-63295792229651128502016-10-30T21:28:00.002-04:002016-10-30T22:06:27.440-04:00$340K - What Does It Look Like to Buy Ed Soliday In The 11th Hour?<h2>
$340,000...That is all it took to <strike>earn</strike> buy Ed Soliday's vote for the next 2 years. Just like any other situation where one purchases an object, the purchaser needs to know exactly what they are getting. This is what Bosma, Behning, and the well-monied House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) PAC lobbyists will get from Soliday...</h2>
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More destruction of PUBLIC Education - Soliday has consistently aligned his vote with the school privatization lobby and why would he change over the next two years with so much money coming his way to guarantee he will vote the party line instead of what is best for his constituents. Christel DeHaan (think Christel Charters), Hoosiers For Quality Education(think religious zealots bent on publicly funding private religious education), and a PAC that passes money through for the Koch Bros - that is who is buying Soliday. Get the picture?</h2>
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He established policy that allows more charter authorizers, and more charter schools to set up shop in Indiana on the taxpayers dime. He established policy that created the voucher system which siphons money right off the top of public education. He established policy that disregarded the will of the voters and marginalized the role of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz, by removing her constitutional authority to preside over the SBOE - and he did this without even putting the issue to public question.</h2>
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Well, the proof is in the pudding folks, and tonight we are serving pudding for dessert. </h2>
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Here is the campaign contribution report showing how Soliday received $340,000 from the House Republican Campaign Committee in the 11th hour, literally just days before election day.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZwOT8I1SluqiU0vxVcPqORnX_uOFfFdUc_j68KR_g9OnOzEu2w32Sl66xFvkWbFnYtBrJc_GKRncw-UxgNNtaOeo2MAxupgBdA3CBzIZ3gfVCxkryaMKMrP6h5KZBil46dY4nOz47rY/s1600/soliday+340k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZwOT8I1SluqiU0vxVcPqORnX_uOFfFdUc_j68KR_g9OnOzEu2w32Sl66xFvkWbFnYtBrJc_GKRncw-UxgNNtaOeo2MAxupgBdA3CBzIZ3gfVCxkryaMKMrP6h5KZBil46dY4nOz47rY/s640/soliday+340k.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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Here is a link to the campaign finance report showing where the House Republican Campaign Committee received their $$$$. I would attach an image, but it is over 110 pages long, so yeah...</h2>
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<span style="color: lime;">http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/FilingAmendmentSelect.aspx?FilingID=59939</span></h2>
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Take a look at these records and follow the $$$ back to the original source, and you too will see how the school privatization lobby has created a wicked web of deception by purchasing politicians for play during assembly, then filtering the money multiple times to cover their tracks.</h2>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-23779328338783961652016-10-27T16:15:00.001-04:002016-10-27T16:15:05.055-04:00Indiana Legislators That Voted To Rob Public Schools<h2>
Here are images of the final roll call votes from the Indiana State House and the Indiana State Senate for <a href="http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2011&request=getBill&docno=1003" target="_blank">HB 1003 that passed in 2011</a> and <a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1005#document-1b915b6a" target="_blank">HB 1005 that passed in 2016</a>.</h2>
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HB 1003 (2011) established the voucher system that siphons funding from public schools and sends it to private - mostly religious - schools. HB 1005 (2016) siphoned even more money from public schools and expanded the voucher program to become the largest in the country.</h2>
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Should taxpayer dollars be going to support private religious institutions? I am certain that this is not what was meant in the 1st amendment where it mentions "separation of church and state". Before 2011, Indiana had never used public dollars to pay for private schools. </h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">FED UP YET?</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HB 1003 (2011) Representatives Roll Call</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HB 1003 (2011) Senate Roll Call</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HB 1005 (2016) Representatives Roll Call</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HB 1005 (2016) Senate Roll Call</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-34691034427121717902016-10-23T16:48:00.000-04:002016-10-27T18:27:41.966-04:00Time To March, Ritz Army!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVvfINCYamhHFChFuC9tlyPVM69tkTG8M9fo51iDxLHvvxMjd6_AAivj88Vy81QM-JgChoclIrrCFdOLllS7PgRYvoKGU-wmuNqaZqUc_peG5FD3Q86d9pERfrCgOKSmS_sCjS3jm7I4/s1600/ritzbanner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVvfINCYamhHFChFuC9tlyPVM69tkTG8M9fo51iDxLHvvxMjd6_AAivj88Vy81QM-JgChoclIrrCFdOLllS7PgRYvoKGU-wmuNqaZqUc_peG5FD3Q86d9pERfrCgOKSmS_sCjS3jm7I4/s640/ritzbanner2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Time To March, Ritz Army - Complacency Is Not An Option</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">According to the <a href="http://bit.ly/2f6g57r" target="_blank">WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier Survey</a>, Glenda Ritz has a seven point lead over her Republican challenger for Superintendent of Public Instruction. The poll has Ritz with a 45% to 38% lead. The poll does not indicate a "margin of error", so this lead may be a bit deceiving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This election is an important election statewide, for our children and our PUBLIC schools. Their are races up and down the ballot that we must all pay attention to locally and statewide, as well as nationally. We cannot let our guard down for one second and relax, thinking our PUBLIC school supportive candidates are safe from defeat. Hoosier Voices founder Philip D. Arnold sums it up pretty clearly in a statement about this recent poll. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mr. Arnold says, "Ritz Army, we cannot be complacent. Polls don't matter much. VOTES matter. November 8, we must March once again to show Pence and his ponies that we have just begun to fight to take back our PUBLIC schools. Spread the word about the positive strides <a href="http://glendaritz.com/" target="_blank">Glenda Ritz</a> has made in her four years in spite of the GOP partisan politics and attempts to strip our 1.3Million votes. Make you Voices heard once again and vote to re-elect Ritz, give her a Democratic Governor in <a href="http://www.greggforgovernor.com/" target="_blank">John Gregg</a>, a pro-public education legislature by electing those supportive of our PUBLIC schools, and vote out those who have passed legislation <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE217" target="_blank">destructive to public school</a> goals."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After the election of Glenda Ritz in 2012, it became more evident that there were certain players out to "destroy" our traditional public schools in favor of the privatization lobby across the state. These <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEhacks" target="_blank">"Partisan Hacks"</a> have made it a mission to spend their money electing POLITICIANS like Mike Pence, Tony Bennett, Eric Holcomb, and <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE1019" target="_blank">Jennifer McCormick</a> to further advance their goals of shutting down our public schools in favor of the corporate run charter/private school industry to pad their wallets. You need look no further than their campaign finance reports to see the heavy hitting players in this political game of chess to take tax dollars earmarked for our public schools to fund their corporate buddies in the charter/private school world. Look for example at Fred Klipsch's <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEh4qe" target="_blank">Hoosiers for Quality Education</a> and the money they are putting into funding the campaigns of J</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ennifer McCormick, Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, Senate Presendent Pro Tempore David Long, and others who are determined to do their bidding to wipe out public education as we know it in favor of the charter/private school elite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We must actively participate to help candidates like John Gregg and Glenda Ritz win the "top of the state ballot" races, while electing local candidates in Senate and House races to take the politicians out of the game and out of our public schools. We need to support candidates like Speaker Bosma's challenger, <a href="http://www.indianasown.com/" target="_blank">Dana Black</a>, and Senator Long's challenger, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JuliDominguezforStateSenate/" target="_blank">Juli Dominguez</a>, and a wave of other public education supportive candidates to take away the GOP stronghold on this state and return common sense education policy back to our teachers and public education friendly legislators. Click the link below to see other PUBLIC school supportive candidates across the state who need our support.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEvote" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ3bEXVU88U1is4tXmtE8cnfh6-UWjB9z6DA0p0gQB_v_VI1ILyeRa8OAw9VPHvz-YFyv5QS4pxZnKY-PZ-EnoQL1zdP0HxvxWlEv6oZ4Z0i6BJ6fS6DV7ay2JSkqf9p3EEKQqhqVDEo/s400/vote2016c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVPEvote" target="_blank">Indiana's PUBLIC Education Friendly Candidates</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is imperative that we make our voices heard once again. 1.3 Million voters put Glenda Ritz in office in 2012 to stop the flawed Mitch Daniels/Tony Bennet reform practices. Those same voters, forgot that Mike Pence (like the current GOP Gubernatorial candidate) was just another reform puppet to the corporate privatization regime. We must remember this November that, in order to stop the push of flawed and failed reforms and sloppy destructive legislation, we must give Superintendent Ritz a Governor in John Gregg and legislators who will work WITH her and FOR our public school children and teachers. This election is so important to the progress of our schools, the mental well being of our over tested children, and the retention of our excellent public school teachers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Put these 1.3 Million votes to use as a strong voice to the partisan politicians who want to hoist themselves up on the backs of our children and tell them "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". Glenda Ritz came into the race in 2012 as a teacher, an educational leader with the knowledge and desire to help our children. Her challenger claims the same; however, looking at her campaign contributors and her wavering stance on the Superintendent's position she appears like more of a politician ready to pounce to advance herself above being a local school superintendent into a career ready political hack like the rest of her pack. It's time once again for the Ritz Army to march. March into your polling place, make your voice heard and make your vote count. It's time, Ritz Army, to stand up for what you want to do and GO DO IT!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1KCj7HcF0U4Q1dMzF5Ae3cytm0kBWp_Hi3Q8esorBV6vFh2dN-mh-MnvCbDSAVJRs8_aYbNr3hmAVpBEh3XTViU7aMtBXEbAOPdmCVkhh6tgUzVimOwDdYOxg8SMZxQTAm0KFit7ncE/s1600/12715715_553809554787048_8295949764373172816_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1KCj7HcF0U4Q1dMzF5Ae3cytm0kBWp_Hi3Q8esorBV6vFh2dN-mh-MnvCbDSAVJRs8_aYbNr3hmAVpBEh3XTViU7aMtBXEbAOPdmCVkhh6tgUzVimOwDdYOxg8SMZxQTAm0KFit7ncE/s400/12715715_553809554787048_8295949764373172816_n.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">While Indiana partisan hacks play politics, Glenda has developed a plan. Logic and Leadership are Hoosier values that Glenda brings to Indiana and to the Superintendent's office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you Superintendent Ritz for all you do to ELIMINATE ISTEP!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst9LaCROI38H9wMc2HIfYFkE8scRn_5PC_UnzJrciYzi_jSOVQRnTtOoxUksvYP2JuuVZEGtXMfezFCpIdFXKFKAI2VbfiTu0_O_SEQqFsRLkAdrboiXS6VUHij_EetvycU59q8DM-3w/s1600/14695438_1349300768443849_8463192742023955020_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst9LaCROI38H9wMc2HIfYFkE8scRn_5PC_UnzJrciYzi_jSOVQRnTtOoxUksvYP2JuuVZEGtXMfezFCpIdFXKFKAI2VbfiTu0_O_SEQqFsRLkAdrboiXS6VUHij_EetvycU59q8DM-3w/s400/14695438_1349300768443849_8463192742023955020_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In Glenda's first 4 years as SPI, she has bridged the aisle between Republicans and Democrats to do what is right for Hoosier students. Let us not forget - she is JUST GETTING STARTED!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You know what they say about women that get things done?! Glenda has faced partisan political opposition head on and still gets things done for Hoosier students. We know there is a better way to measure school accountability than this bogus A-F grading system that is tied to the broken ISTEP test, and at the same time we see how Glenda has done her job in spite of these challenges handed to her.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLcm2n5oqJdx-KELADKgfiFFUHZm-gjJYCTIEUfQnIO6K-FjvwKd6__SmM1g06VTwPAcuk7P6CmNwM-O-1uKieyD-OoXZ6wsr8zTRJ6018lGkRstQgld5Vg2lL8eGA_nmEdUOWppp9Gg/s1600/14368781_1351952438178682_5809143094362050260_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLcm2n5oqJdx-KELADKgfiFFUHZm-gjJYCTIEUfQnIO6K-FjvwKd6__SmM1g06VTwPAcuk7P6CmNwM-O-1uKieyD-OoXZ6wsr8zTRJ6018lGkRstQgld5Vg2lL8eGA_nmEdUOWppp9Gg/s400/14368781_1351952438178682_5809143094362050260_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For 4 years, Glenda has been making it happen with Career & Technical Education in Indiana and she has created positive change for ALL students by ensuring an education system of high quality that provides equity for academic achievement. "The more students can connect their everyday learning to meaningful, real world applications, the more likely they are to value higher levels of learning and persist toward their goals.” - SPI Glenda Ritz. We couldn't agree with you more Glenda and we see the value in all you have done to change CTE for the better in Indiana. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The time is NOW to share the results of Glenda's leadership with others and re-elect her for another 4 years as Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://glendaritz.com/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE TO VISIT RITZ4ED</a></span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-65898037521690933392016-10-19T02:28:00.001-04:002016-10-22T16:45:30.838-04:00WELL, WELL, WEDNESDAY - Who is Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Really?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the past several months Hoosier Voices correspondents have researched across the state to find out just who Dr. Jennifer McCormick really is. We have found interesting comparisons between Tony Bennett and Dr. McCormick. We shared a series of "He Said-She Said" memes produced by a group called <a href="http://bit.ly/HAJMfb" target="_blank">Hoosiers Against Jennifer McCormick</a> showcasing some of the similarities between the two. The Latest of these memes just came out after McCormick stated her belief that the Superintendent of Public Instruction should be an appointed, not an elected position.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVJM6" target="_blank">Click here to see the entire series of memes.</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guest blogger, Ben Yoder, wrote a post for us and included a letter he had penned a letter to Dr. McCormick. We published his post back in June. In his letter Mr. Yoder found he had many questions about her policies, her interaction with kids, and the buddies she was "rubbing elbows" with. He concluded with one complimentary observation. He told her, " I like those boots you wear with most of your outfits. Classy, yet sassy. Bravo"</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVJMFB" target="_blank">Click here to read the post Jennifer McCormick - Faux In Boots</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Near the end of September, Jennifer McCormick finally released her education plan, which left some of us confused. Is she just naive enough to think that after hundreds of thousands of dollars of school reform PAC contributions, her campaign donors will just change their ideological agenda, or is she just that downright deceptive to think she can lie to our faces and have us believe it?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KADf3fM_zgLmk4RIqqzA0oR5LPTwImxhuZYt2sQIJKDM66M8_hb077mgYVtoRm_GSEw-CBVUU039Zjx9BUTpchoYpyC490XWlsQMVPNNAw2VZSEHxhtGFasnBVAeQljgb-sdzrRGPMw/s1600/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KADf3fM_zgLmk4RIqqzA0oR5LPTwImxhuZYt2sQIJKDM66M8_hb077mgYVtoRm_GSEw-CBVUU039Zjx9BUTpchoYpyC490XWlsQMVPNNAw2VZSEHxhtGFasnBVAeQljgb-sdzrRGPMw/s320/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After attempting to decipher the goals and intentions of her plan We posted a blog outlining some questions about the plan and discussed the struggles we had with the manner and location of its original "public" presentation - the headquarters of Hoosiers for Quality Education. This drew concerns for many reasons. We grew more concerned with her acceptance of campaign contributions from the "privatization", "school choice", and voucher expansion crowd who strongly supported Tony Bennett through his tenure 2008-2012 and his losing campaign in 2012. These same contributors have poured large sums of money into campaigns of candidates across the state who are known to have legislative power and pull, who support the very goals of "privatization", "school choice", and voucher expansion. This lead us to once again draw comparisons between the former Superintendent, Tony Bennett, and his protege, Jennifer McCormick.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVJM2" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYlgsJlZwHx0Ryxt9r6jwTL1w_oSVz52a8j84CmTOd-s2yrMhpoC7Yy5yCV13OQMYqG7gbnTY0RjMMsfju0WfcHVJYMs_oJC8ofYi9DnONEGj7zu78dAvc0yPqDSdmt8aoy4EigmMy7Y/s400/plan2.0.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/HVJM2" target="_blank">Click to read "The McCormick Plan? - or is it Bennett Plan 2.0</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sources of her campaign contributions brought us back to one of our posts from February 2015 where we asked, <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE215" target="_blank">WHO ARE THESE "Hoosiers for Quality Education"?</a> From there we combed through campaign finance reports and found more interesting correlations. We discovered that candidates from June 2015 to October 2016 who were receiving the majority of H4QE donations were definitely way below the money they were pouring into the McCormick campaign. McCormick has received $60,000 from the Hoosiers for Quality Education Pack alone (<a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE291" target="_blank">$20,000 more since our most recent post went live yesterday</a>). Their next highest recipients were Speaker of the House, Brian Bosma and Pete Miller who each received $17,500</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/cfrINjm" target="_blank">Click here to view 3rd quarter finance report</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking through campaign finance reports from other former Bennett donors we were able to find that, in the past several months, McCormick won another large amount from Christel DeHaan, founder of the network of Christel House charter schools. DeHaan, whose Christel House Academy was the school whose grade changing fiasco brought Tony Bennett down from his post in Florida, has given the McCormick campaign $125,000 others contributors with Tony Bennett ties include...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fred Klipsch - CEO/Chairman/Founder Hoosiers for Quality Education $10,000</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Betsy Wiley - Head of the Indiana Institute for Quality Education - $1,250</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kevin Brinegar - President of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce - $750</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Robert Enlow - CEO of EdChoice - $1,000</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tosha Salyers - Former Bennett Staffer now at H4QE - $50.00</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. Jennifer McCormick wants to "distance herself" from comparisons to Tony Bennett by saying, "I am not Tony Bennett, I stand on my own proven leadership". It's pretty interesting that Betsy Wiley said, "It's important for Jennifer to make it clear...that she is her own person."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9dRabm0x1My8eve0dzqSu4ViWQdjlIzinc4_i9U4fSKG_D6p6yg5MruECYEfjx0omVF_hHyyOA9G0BOuGjlk_5H9vqsxCBriLEi4yCY8FhQ0AVh_9aHn0BTBdzZ6Vsx2EPIwbo8Xjo0/s1600/noclone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9dRabm0x1My8eve0dzqSu4ViWQdjlIzinc4_i9U4fSKG_D6p6yg5MruECYEfjx0omVF_hHyyOA9G0BOuGjlk_5H9vqsxCBriLEi4yCY8FhQ0AVh_9aHn0BTBdzZ6Vsx2EPIwbo8Xjo0/s320/noclone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, while McCormick tries to portray herself as "her own person" and convince PUBLIC school supporters that she is not a "clone" of Tony Bennett, doing the math and watching her supporters one must question what they all expect to get from her if she defeats Glenda Ritz. Jennifer McCormick can rub elbows with Brian Bosma, wear her "sassy" boots, and call Glenda Ritz a "politician", but she cannot distance herself far enough away from the Tony Bennett reformers to comfort us here at Hoosier Voices. She came out swinging in the Superintendent's debate, but her punches fell short to those of us who truly believe in our traditional PUBLIC schools, their teachers, the students they serve, and our ELECTED Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction. We need a leader like Glenda Ritz who will stand up to the legislators, fight for our children, and move obstacles to accomplish PUBLIC education goals for Hoosier children. The position IS STILL ELECTED. 1.3Million voters put Glenda Ritz in office and have watched as a <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE217" target="_blank">Governor and GOP controlled legislature </a>attempted to stifle her at every move. We have been watching and waiting for four years to re-elect Glenda Ritz and give her a Governor and Legislature that will work WITH her to stop the destructive reform policies and money draining vouchers that have plagued our schools too long. Sorry, Jennifer, but you are much closer to being a Tony Bennett clone than being anywhere near the fighter for public school children that SUPERINTENDENT Ritz has been and WILL CONTINUE to be.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-42284439208285260032016-10-18T00:37:00.000-04:002016-10-18T00:37:35.425-04:00TUESDAY TATTLER : WHO ARE THESE "Hoosiers for Quality Education"? PART 2 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2zaQcE6D0WbePsNAcJ1oi6o_TSc2dhczudMOEzNrhInbqyvppyC7122Q-xnEsyWVdOOkd8En2Q27JHK_LaDUvssK9fwV2hn7Eb8hRTqKXWds71oJKdoEErDq1tzDdfgeaG_JrUsfqME/s1600/hqeNO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2zaQcE6D0WbePsNAcJ1oi6o_TSc2dhczudMOEzNrhInbqyvppyC7122Q-xnEsyWVdOOkd8En2Q27JHK_LaDUvssK9fwV2hn7Eb8hRTqKXWds71oJKdoEErDq1tzDdfgeaG_JrUsfqME/s1600/hqeNO.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who are "Hoosiers for Quality Education"? Hoosier Voices originally asked this question in <a href="http://bit.ly/HVPE215" target="_blank">February 2015</a> when we noticed them using "Hoosier Voices" as a section on their website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They are NOT Hoosier Voices for PUBLIC Education and they most definitely are NOT true supporters of Indiana's children of traditional public education. We all know too much about their Senior Advisor and Consultant, Tony Bennett. One can only wonder what he is advising them to do. However, we can assume that he is very much in support of all the legislative maneuvers to continue the destruction he left behind and the attacks on Superintendent Ritz. Tony Bennett spent years attacking Indiana's teachers and putting undue pressures on Hoosier students. He set out to destroy our PUBLIC schools in favor of privatization and the padding of the wallets of the rich cronies of the GOP. For example, the CEO/Chairman and Founder of Hoosiers for Quality Education (and the Institute for Quality Education), Fred Klipsch. Let's look at the campaign contributions of Mr. Klipsch and his PAC to see the control H4QE has over the writing and passage of legislative detrimental to Indiana's PUBLIC schools and their hopes to elect a Bennet puppett, Dr. Jennifer McCormick, to replace Glenda Ritz as Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Below you will find the current campaign finance reports for contributions from the Hoosiers For Quality Education PAC. Here you will see some very familiar names (names of legislators who have lead attacks against PUBLIC education and Glenda Ritz). Take a close look, compare this report of contributions to the lists of <a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2016/10/indiana-legislators-who-voted-to-remove.html" target="_blank">Roll Call votes</a> on damaging legislation and make the correlation we have made. H4QE supports charters, vouchers, privatization, and their wealthy stakeholders. They do not support Hoosier Voices or the very PUBLIC school children we all seek to protect and serve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Contributions from Hoosiers for Quality Education to Indiana Candidates from June, 2015 to October 15, 2016</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/H4QE2016" target="_blank">Click here to go to the actual campaign finance report</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you do the breakdown of their contributions you can get an idea of their motives. You can also get a good glimpse of which candidates they are certain will do their bidding if elected. They hit heavy on contributions to Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, Education committee chairs Behning and Kruse, Chair of House Ways and Means Committee Tim Brown, along with others favorable to their privatization agenda. As you can see they have also poured heftily into the McCormick campaign to unseat Glenda Ritz. Dr. McCormick tries very hard to convince educators, PUBLIC education advocates, and PUBLIC school families that she is not a clone of Tony Bennett and his ideals. However, when you look at her supporters you can see pretty clearly who is lining her campaign coffers to get her to follow their plans. Take a look at the totals for the "BIG WINNERS" of the H4QE Campaign contribution race and see just where they plan to get their mission accomplished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">McCormick for State Superintendent - $40,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brian Bosma - $17,500</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pete Miller - $17,500</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">David Long - $15,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Senate Majority Campaign Committee - $15,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">House Republican Campaign Committee - $12,500</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indiana Republican State Committee - $10,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eric Holcomb (for Governor) - $10,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blake Doriot - $6,500</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tim Brown - $2,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bob Behning - $2,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dennis Kruse - $1,500</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Interesting amounts and recipients, don't you think?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqQjyPVjom5sS7DVs46J1sfq_mCB8VDjsRk_H0eGaKcnzJ5BU0t9t5VOlb_AxiNM4lNE08gTRwNb6rLdGF8m41AhXnZ33WMyd0W_-YbogOYINclLmag6aziMVpDIa7IXsTkBzuQoRzbM/s1600/H4QE_Logo2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqQjyPVjom5sS7DVs46J1sfq_mCB8VDjsRk_H0eGaKcnzJ5BU0t9t5VOlb_AxiNM4lNE08gTRwNb6rLdGF8m41AhXnZ33WMyd0W_-YbogOYINclLmag6aziMVpDIa7IXsTkBzuQoRzbM/s200/H4QE_Logo2.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we pointed out in our original post through a quote from (Public School supporter, now Democratic Candidate for State Senate District 13) Justin Kuhnle,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"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. "</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In closing the original post we promised to call out those who claim one thing and then act contradictory to their statements and goals. This post is a continuance of our mission to point out the discrepancies of this particular group and who they truly are. 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WE ARE HOOSIER VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. THERE IS NO OTHER!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-62657538311387043272016-10-13T18:18:00.001-04:002016-10-13T18:19:00.513-04:00The Partisan Hacks Bent on Destroying Public Schools<br />
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<h2>They will blatantly ignore your vote and the fundamentals of the Indiana Constitution, too!</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0TY0eR7TBgbKQzCi2uoAjocCkByWBIGYtL8biy-JsN91UexQ5XV2zT7-ubNjaQwhzlW50OxAFySGUwW5bsF1x_7RBejcCsmcjkiWsqu-Beu50zWb4bajV8xaabOWBl0DHjCdGXyUVaE/s1600/Vote+counts+not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0TY0eR7TBgbKQzCi2uoAjocCkByWBIGYtL8biy-JsN91UexQ5XV2zT7-ubNjaQwhzlW50OxAFySGUwW5bsF1x_7RBejcCsmcjkiWsqu-Beu50zWb4bajV8xaabOWBl0DHjCdGXyUVaE/s320/Vote+counts+not.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><h3>In 2015, Mike Pence and other partisan hack legislators attempted to throw a coup de force against Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Glenda Ritz by passing Senate Bill 1 (<a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/1" target="_blank">click here for the link to the bill</a>).</h3></div><div><br />
</div><div><h2>Did your representative vote to strip Glenda Ritz of her power as SPI? <a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2016/10/indiana-legislators-who-voted-to-remove.html" target="_blank">Click here to find out!</a></h2><br />
<h3>For the first time since the adoption of the Constitution of the State of Indiana in 1851, and the immediately following election of the first SPI, the Governor and his ideologically driven group of cronies removed the SPI as the chair of the State Board of Education (SBOE) effective on inauguration day 2017. Sound blatantly partisan yet?</h3><h3></h3><h3></h3><h2>Let's do some Math here...</h2></div><div><br />
</div><h2>2015 - 1851 = 164</h2><h2>164 YEARS</h2><div><br />
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</div><h3>You read that right! For 164 years (<a href="http://www.in.gov/sboe/files/2014_SBOE_History_and_Duties.pdf" target="_blank">click here for a history of the SPI and SBOE</a>), voters in the State of Indiana elected the SPI and then that duly elected SPI served as the chair of the SBOE. </h3><div><br />
</div><div><h3>Now, some of you may already know where I am going with this line of reasoning, and I ask you to keep reading because this issue is particularly important during this election and everyone needs to pull together and get this message out to fellow Hoosiers. Please, forgive my candor here as well, but...</h3></div><div><br />
</div><h2>What the heck changed all of the sudden? </h2><div><br />
</div><h3>#1 - Gerrymandering (watch the video - push play)</h3><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BiwngYSrv3A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BiwngYSrv3A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div><br />
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</div><h3>#2 - And these wealthy religious zealots started buying Indiana politicians</h3><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0VCLE0LHO9xRfF_DSMdl6INPZ4OLgqor_n4sdQetreEWBOy_1tpt3ZOsJIQdqFTm-uxqaRt5MQoRYvO4oq_YHyYCid2NAw8muvi2uLJGitkhFA7jfLFLTJ6zM_hTSRm1uCiMr0lHfsE/s1600/KlipschFredWEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0VCLE0LHO9xRfF_DSMdl6INPZ4OLgqor_n4sdQetreEWBOy_1tpt3ZOsJIQdqFTm-uxqaRt5MQoRYvO4oq_YHyYCid2NAw8muvi2uLJGitkhFA7jfLFLTJ6zM_hTSRm1uCiMr0lHfsE/s320/KlipschFredWEB.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred Klipsch</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKKPMUdGWBB0_nQpPvISdbhomoFF39Ukw3M-7_fsl69pHWQF7s1q8MKQyNgV8jIGBsFa6PBFltbA0lqm94lrHIoC6iGRRw4qBZ6RLzqCldmJzW6kRny2Jtx-63KT5xYsi5SqAv85x1jY/s1600/Koch_brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKKPMUdGWBB0_nQpPvISdbhomoFF39Ukw3M-7_fsl69pHWQF7s1q8MKQyNgV8jIGBsFa6PBFltbA0lqm94lrHIoC6iGRRw4qBZ6RLzqCldmJzW6kRny2Jtx-63KT5xYsi5SqAv85x1jY/s320/Koch_brothers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koch Bros<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><h3> </h3><h3>#3 - And these PACS started buying off Indiana politicians</h3><div><br />
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</div><h3><span style="color: black;">#4 - This Self Aggrandizing 'Winner' Became Governor</span></h3><div><span style="color: purple;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lCVoolcRdWctJr0tkhsBicwa-s0IlCfj9L5hgd23PxFhxwK0vi9ZimVi4R0qMXsem0xfaETHlJdQUQG-CMCAREClqwv9JRr5Q9lF4vdN8D2Xb3TCtPedqZeUCrn8yMuR40lGfI5Lazg/s1600/Trump-Pence-GOP-online-gambling-stance-reversed-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lCVoolcRdWctJr0tkhsBicwa-s0IlCfj9L5hgd23PxFhxwK0vi9ZimVi4R0qMXsem0xfaETHlJdQUQG-CMCAREClqwv9JRr5Q9lF4vdN8D2Xb3TCtPedqZeUCrn8yMuR40lGfI5Lazg/s320/Trump-Pence-GOP-online-gambling-stance-reversed-.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Pence</td></tr>
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</div><h2><span style="color: purple;">Are you FED UP yet? </span></h2></div><div><h4>Are you fed up with partisan ideologues playing petty politics...</h4><h4><ul><li>with your vote?</li>
<li>with public education?</li>
<li>with our Hoosier kids future?</li>
</ul></h4><h3><span style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></h3><h3><span style="color: purple;">Well, I am! And it is high time we stood up to these partisan hacks that think they can buy elections in our state, use our kids as a commodity, and destroy the uniquely American democratic foundation that our public schools provide.</span></h3></div><div><h3></h3><h3>Vote with candidates that can't be bought and sold by well-monied ideological interests!</h3></div><div><h3></h3><h3>Become aware and vote for candidates that support public education!</h3></div><div><span style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><h2><span style="color: purple;">#RememberInNovember</span></h2>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-38810627911738952822016-10-13T18:03:00.002-04:002016-10-13T18:03:44.009-04:00Indiana Legislators Who Voted to Remove the Power of the Superintendent of Public Instruction<h2>
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Here are images of the final roll call votes from the Indiana State House and the Indiana State Senate for SB 1 in 2015.</h2>
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This bill removed the power of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to chair the State Board of Education (SBOE). Since the adoption of the Indiana Constitution in 1851, the duly elected SPI has presided over the SBOE. </h2>
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<span style="color: purple;">FED UP YET?</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjGrP_MyfY-60-xE23nGwKi8oBL9p8CqBYyoXkqNw4theUvfVVqkTwSv72V7IbPosaJEaj9k_Ug2n9rMCBPZaPrVkBeO41lqnII2nLBITq9NkKfQ93-3Qx1gopJHRbeVNYj0iKlt2538/s1600/SB+1+2015+House+Roll+Call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjGrP_MyfY-60-xE23nGwKi8oBL9p8CqBYyoXkqNw4theUvfVVqkTwSv72V7IbPosaJEaj9k_Ug2n9rMCBPZaPrVkBeO41lqnII2nLBITq9NkKfQ93-3Qx1gopJHRbeVNYj0iKlt2538/s640/SB+1+2015+House+Roll+Call.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiE-Mj3gZG_7fkrTjaIwnXalAVpgj2QwowuXghBZ9sEC5Mpc0YPcpMBoe8idlZpB3VGQ9WsxSXL7jWl0Qvq2FilDPxkewMEp71nLsn6B-U6OAT0jf2cOF0R1QpqJ8l7RNq0Utyu-5V0U/s1600/SB+1+2015+Senate+Roll+Call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiE-Mj3gZG_7fkrTjaIwnXalAVpgj2QwowuXghBZ9sEC5Mpc0YPcpMBoe8idlZpB3VGQ9WsxSXL7jWl0Qvq2FilDPxkewMEp71nLsn6B-U6OAT0jf2cOF0R1QpqJ8l7RNq0Utyu-5V0U/s640/SB+1+2015+Senate+Roll+Call.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-16328953334270621802016-09-27T22:39:00.001-04:002016-10-19T00:23:05.735-04:00The McCormick Plan? - or is it Bennett Plan 2.0?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y-KcowWznwDlFb0DIZXMw0Wb5yO7DqwL87tA3qyMNR5zyzXOOtbAsJzpqzM44JeMDiNVC1Zh83sGox-Uh7POWiDIWYQdGShvxfUuPG6N4Pe4uVzPGLH1DgzslQI3F-ydRjEz2oYjuBo/s1600/noclone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y-KcowWznwDlFb0DIZXMw0Wb5yO7DqwL87tA3qyMNR5zyzXOOtbAsJzpqzM44JeMDiNVC1Zh83sGox-Uh7POWiDIWYQdGShvxfUuPG6N4Pe4uVzPGLH1DgzslQI3F-ydRjEz2oYjuBo/s400/noclone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jennifer McCormick finally rolled out her “<a href="http://www.jennifermccormick.org/lesson-plan.html" target="_blank">Lesson Plan for Indiana</a>”
on September 21. That plan gives little
insight into actual practice, yet draws more comparisons to her GOP mentor,
Tony Bennett’s failed and flawed policies and practices. McCormick said she did back many of the
initiatives put in place by Indiana’s Republican-led legislature over the past
eight years, such as tougher requirements for teacher evaluations and her
“Lesson Plan” seems to be following a political agenda that closely aligns with
the former Republican Superintendent, who championed controversial reforms such
as the adoption of the Common Core academic standards and state-takeover of
chronically failing schools. McCormick
has also previously stated her support for school choice, charters and
vouchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. McCormick announced her “Lesson Plan for Indiana” at the
headquarters of Hoosiers for Quality Education.
Remember, we did a post about H4QE in February of 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2015/02/tuesday-tattler-who-are-these-hoosiers.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Who Are These Hoosiers For Quality Education" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiB8_9xlabV6P-PhTJtyL3gf7PhgqN4CVYrAA1lZ7Ih6teqmrMg5kj5CiLlKK45isuaFhYXs0iL_IPrSwCSHrjN_kvjQWRL3DVK8Lbp5CVW2NcouyK5wvHKRzpOUH9ekxZVfpQp40GCXo/s320/hqeNO.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2015/02/tuesday-tattler-who-are-these-hoosiers.html">http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2015/02/tuesday-tattler-who-are-these-hoosiers.html</a></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Big Education players for H4QE are veterans of the Daniels
and Bennett administrations with strong ties to the education reform movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tony Bennett, Senior Advisor and Consultant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As recently as July 2014, H4QE told potential donors that
Bennett was its senior policy advisor. At a February 2 Senate committee
hearing, H4QE’s lobbyist testified that Bennett works as its consultant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fred Klipsch, Chairman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Klipsch, who after a long career in business and Republican
Party politics, started his involvement in education reform with the
Educational Choice Charitable Trust by granting scholarships for private
schools. This evolved into forming School Choice Indiana, which according to
Klipsch, “literally drafted the education reform laws in 2011”. Klipsch served
on Gov. Pence’s transition team upon being elected governor and continues to
serve as his campaign treasurer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tosha Salyers, Director of Communications<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salyers was the director of outreach in the Bennett
administration and worked for the corporate education reform group
StudentsFirst, before joining H4QE as their spokesperson. StudentsFirst pulled
operations out of Indiana in the summer of 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jennifer McCormick appears to be rolling around in corporate
education reform money, the same money that funded Tony Bennett’s
campaigns. A peek at McCormick’s most
recent campaign finance report reveals that 90 percent of her campaign
contributions have come from donors of former Superintendent Tony Bennett. As of August, McCormick’s campaign raised
$121,478, of which $109,400 came directly from donors to Bennett’s campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC’s total to McCormick,
so far, is at $30,000.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fred Klipsch, donated $10,000 to McCormick at the end of
May. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">McCormick has also received $75,000 recently from the Tony
Bennett grade changing scandal charter
school’s Christel DeHaan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">David Harris, from the Mind Trust, gave McCormick $250<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Deborah Daniels, Mitch’s sister, also gave $250<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Former Indiana State
Board of Education member Daniel Elsener has given $1,000 so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Charter honcho John Bryan has donated $2,500 so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are only a few prominent reformer contributions. More from other corporate school reform folks
have come in throughout the campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8BcB2rUvXOtwDxQhfeR7ZDuZklI2nIliqjcWK_VboR-2Ot16qjCR8SbQI17PVU4jpdkRNphg5IlBDbL0CWqIkdcvtb0GGTRnFJbIFrDDKz0d8MpH8R4blqo1z9HOm5yW1Gx81KzTlxA/s1600/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8BcB2rUvXOtwDxQhfeR7ZDuZklI2nIliqjcWK_VboR-2Ot16qjCR8SbQI17PVU4jpdkRNphg5IlBDbL0CWqIkdcvtb0GGTRnFJbIFrDDKz0d8MpH8R4blqo1z9HOm5yW1Gx81KzTlxA/s400/14441135_1313535292020397_1252745796054669397_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We preach no bullying to the students and I will practice
that,” McCormick said in her January campaign announcement. “I will not run a
negative campaign.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, appearing negative enough to Superintendent Glenda
Ritz’s supporters, McCormick announced her run at the Indiana Statehouse
surrounded by representatives of interest groups that supported Ritz’s
predecessor, Tony Bennett, or who have been critical of Ritz: Stand For Children,
the Institute for Quality Education and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also on hand, in the crowd were several former staff members
from Bennett’s education department team.
McCormick may not have mentioned Bennett, but McCormick and Bennett share more than just
donors who support corporate education “reform", however. The two have
been linked since Bennett was state superintendent. Then Superintendent,
Bennett cited McCormick's work in Yorktown in his final “state of education”
address, given just months before he was defeated by Ritz in the 2012 election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Yorktown Schools, led by Superintendent Jennifer McCormick
and a host of ambitious principals and teachers, have revamped their entire
K-12 model based on providing every student a head start on college with a rich
selection of Advanced Placement courses,” Bennett said in that speech. “In
grade 3, Yorktown students begin an advanced curriculum designed to prepare
them for college-level coursework as early as middle school. Yorktown has become
one of Indiana’s AP leaders, and their model for college preparation has become
an example for forward thinking districts around the state.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It appears as though voters will ultimately be deciding
whether to return to the Tony Bennett era of failed and flawed reforms or give
Glenda Ritz another term, with a new Governor, this November.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-898455882691695982016-09-21T12:06:00.000-04:002016-09-21T12:32:31.776-04:00Sure Ed, You Are Still "Working On It"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMs-CSJqtSJAEKm-gtXVP7x80Ip7h-wgBkDBGvvsLZXYFUkNpRNydmDaq-kBP9cljwLRjOY80YoZ4MauYgfoUNyKMN_avkUCsBSkDhvDhsiJ-5wvP8w2u8GbvNlEtfo0SlOAm0yBd-NQo/s1600/Soliday+working+on+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMs-CSJqtSJAEKm-gtXVP7x80Ip7h-wgBkDBGvvsLZXYFUkNpRNydmDaq-kBP9cljwLRjOY80YoZ4MauYgfoUNyKMN_avkUCsBSkDhvDhsiJ-5wvP8w2u8GbvNlEtfo0SlOAm0yBd-NQo/s320/Soliday+working+on+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thank you Representative Ed Soliday, for picking up the phone and clarifying your position on the SSCA charter app specifically and for clarifying your position on charter schools in general.<br />
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Hoosier Voices discovered today that Valparaiso community advocates were able to make contact with Rep. Ed Soliday. These advocates stated that they had tried to talk with Soliday by phone and email since they first heard of the SSCA charter school hearing, but had not received a response from the Representative until they called his office in Indy today and spoke with his office assistant Luke.<br />
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From our sources in Valpo:<br />
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<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px;">
"ED SOLIDAY RESPONDS (sort of) </div>
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Two weeks after the SSCA charter school matter became public and two weeks after members of our group reached out to Rep. Soliday's office for support, we finally heard from Soliday's through his legislative assisant Luke Wilson. Actually, Luke finally picked up the phone to take our call.</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
After much stammering we were informed that Rep. Soliday is "still working on a statement" and will respond to "individual constituents through direct mail" <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">i.e. campaign literature.</span></div>
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So in short, while constituents from both parties organized, stood up and spoke out against the SSCA charter, our state represntative DID NOTHING.</div>
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Thanks Rep. Ed Soliday for being such a "good friend" of public education and Valpo Schools."</div>
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Hoosier Voices has not received a statement from Sen. Ed Charbonneau at the time this published.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-37390559301369688002016-09-18T23:08:00.000-04:002016-09-18T23:08:12.674-04:0050 Days To Come Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0haNamaRP9NjNf_yFp_lMo4xTgzSc3QDHa2xQrHhRLVw9BOWzLlhi1fCqxY3l7gHrImRHTaFFPxItXi0rWmo5gQs7DFxw-CNFR0eOdr6kbSG97hUHz5KL2WFrvnctqYyO5qQx5Cf8QSw/s1600/14383384_10208579519340320_113657836_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0haNamaRP9NjNf_yFp_lMo4xTgzSc3QDHa2xQrHhRLVw9BOWzLlhi1fCqxY3l7gHrImRHTaFFPxItXi0rWmo5gQs7DFxw-CNFR0eOdr6kbSG97hUHz5KL2WFrvnctqYyO5qQx5Cf8QSw/s320/14383384_10208579519340320_113657836_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am writing this blog post for one purpose, to wake up all who support a common end goal to COME TOGETHER for the good of the cause and make it happen. We have seen, through our #StandUpForPublicEducation campaign, that a common goal can be reached when in fighting and petty differences are put aside to reach the desired outcome. I observed many community leaders, over the past weeks, taking a stand to defeat a proposed charter in Porter County. There are forces across Indiana, similar to those in the Porter County area, who share common goals but have differing opinions on the means to reach the desired outcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 2012 I started Hoosier Voices as a platform to promote PUBLIC education and those who support our PUBLIC schools and elected officials and candidates who feel the same. Often times from the beginning of Hoosier Voices to now, I have seen forces with the same goal become distracted from reaching the goal because of petty arguments and differences in means to reach the same goal. Once forces were joined, the grassroots campaigns became nearly unstoppable. I saw this again this past week with the defeat and ultimate SSCA charter application withdrawal. This is the direction we need to find across the state of Indiana.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have 50 days to find our common ground once again, set our true outcome goals, set aside the petty differences and in fighting, and Stand Up For Public Education once and for all. It is time all the collective forces across the state come together, as was done in 2012 for Glenda Ritz, to defeat all who stand in line to further destroy our PUBLIC schools through their reform minded legislation, charter school applications, false statements about our Department of Education, lack of support of educators, financial robbery for private benefit, and ill devised methods to discriminate against our neediest children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please, find the common ground necessary to stop the squabbling. Stand up WITH one another and SUPPORT the ultimate goal of PUBLIC EDUCATION across the state. Don't air your "dirty laundry" publicly to give others fuel to undermine the purpose we all seed to achieve in the end. 50 days is not much time to promote, support, and campaign to reach PUBLIC EDUCATION victories across the state. Let us vow, today, to stand together to reach our common goals and show that we all #StandUpForPublicEducation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1357629250"></span><span id="goog_1357629251"></span><br /></span></div>
Philip D. Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10255646399247833684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-48518406247957899832016-09-16T08:50:00.001-04:002016-09-17T10:12:49.771-04:00#RememberInNovember: The Fab 5 State Legislators Bent On Destroying Public Schools, One 'A' District At A Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bosma, Charbonneau, Kruse, Soliday, and Behning:<br />
<h3>
The Fab 5 that made the Indiana charter school mess by authorizing Grace College</h3>
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Written By: Hoosier Voices For Public Education Blogger</h4>
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In 2002, the State of Indiana adopted the policy that established the charter school system. It wasn't until former Governor Mitch Daniels' second term of office that charter school legislation burgeoned, in great part due to the financial and political support of wealthy individuals like the Koch brothers, Klipsch, and the Waltons in addition the American Legislative Exchange Council PAC (aka: ALEC).</div>
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The initial intended purpose of the 2002 legislation was to address educational need in districts that were struggling with overall academic performance and graduation rates. Slow to grow over the course of those initial 6 years, the Daniels administration and Tony Bennett took it upon themselves to champion the so-called 'school reform' ideology which amped into high gear during the 2010 and 2011 legislative sessions with Indiana becoming known to have one of the most expansive school reform agendas administered into public policy in our country.<br />
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In the 'real' reality of today's educational climate, we have strayed significantly from the original intent and purpose of that 2002 charter authorizing legislation, as evidenced most recently through the South Shore Classical Academy (SSCA) charter school application for authorization through Grace College. SSCA purports to provide differentiated instruction not currently available in the local public schools by providing the Michigan based Hillsdale College model of "Classical Education". Not only does the evangelical private Christian school Grace College stand to financial gain from this charter, so does Hillsdale College which was established by Freewill Baptists and in its Mission touts Hillsdale students as being "Grateful to God for Inestimable Blessings".<br />
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This leads me to question "how did we ever get here"? How did we get to the point where a charter school would need to situate itself strategically amongst 3 'A' ranked public schools with diverse school populations, excellent graduation rates, active and engaged parents and community, who have the will and disposition to 'self-fund' through the passage of school funding referenda? How did we get to the point where charter schools are actually glorified private religious schools being funded on the public's dime?<br />
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Even if I can't answer the 'how', there is one thing that I know I can answer and that is <b><i>who</i></b> brought this chaos to bear? It doesn't take much more than a quick google search to find the answer to that question. And interestingly enough, duplication is easy to find between the legislation that authorized charter school expansion and the list of Community Partners provided by SSCA in their application.<br />
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Here is a list of State Legislators listed in SSCA's application on the 'Evidence of Community Support' page, which you can <a href="http://hoosiervoices.blogspot.com/2016/09/state-legislators-that-support-ssca.html" target="_blank">view in full by clicking here.</a><br />
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<ul>
<li>Senator Ed Charboneau, Valparaiso</li>
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<li>Representative Ed Soliday, Valparaiso</li>
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<li>Senator Dennis Kruse</li>
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<li>Senator Rick Niemeyer</li>
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<li>Representative Bill Fine</li>
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<li>Representative Tony Cook</li>
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<li>Representative Jim Lucas</li>
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<li>Representative Brian Bosma</li>
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<li>Representative Bob Behning</li>
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<li>Representative Peggy Mayfield</li>
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<ul></ul>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I am not certain if it is common practice for State Legislators to openly serve as 'Community Partners' with charter schools in organization and planning and development of the charter, but I do know there isn't anything more wrong with the process than politicians laying names to support charter applications. If this is going to become common practice with our State Legislators, then there truly is only one way to fix this problem and it requires going to the polls on election day and voting 'representatives' like this out of office. After all, with so-called 'Community Partners' like these, who needs enemies?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">To fully understand who got us here, we also have to look at the 2011 'school reform' legislation, that allowed ideological religious institutions like Grace College to myopically approve charter applications while cloistered in secrecy with their Board of Trustees and Senior Administration deciding whether to collect the check or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is a l<a href="http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2011&request=getBill&docno=1002" target="_blank">ink to the full HB 1002</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is a <a href="http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Hrollcal/0679.PDF.pdf" target="_blank">link to the roll call vote</a> approving the measure in the House.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is a <a href="http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/Srollcal/0339.PDF.pdf" target="_blank">link to the roll call vote</a> approving the measure in the Senate.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">If you look closely, you will see that both Ed Charbonneau and Ed Soliday voted to APPROVE Grace College as a charter authorizer. These self-proclaimed 'supporters of education' literally laid the ground work for the SSCA charter to come in to Valpo today - their own community. </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">You will also see that Dennis Kruse, the SSCA advisory board member, introduced this legislation in the Senate and voted for it while Brian Bosma introduced this legislation in the House and voted for it. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">One of our personal favorite legislators here at Hoosier Voices, Bob Behning also voted to give Grace authorizer status.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">So there you have it: Charbonneau, Soliday, Kruse, Bosma, and Behning are the Fab 5 that created this mess in Porter County and across our Great State. </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Have you emailed the Fab 5? Have you let them know that while you aren't certain if they knew that this is where the 2011 charter expansion legislation would bear fruit, you do know that they created the mess and they need to fix it! Tell them that you expect them to PUBLICLY come out in opposition to this Charter School. Tell them that you expect them to put pressure on the Grace Board of Trustees to turn this charter application down. Furthermore, tell them that you expect them to go back to Indianapolis and fix this policy mess they have created. That is, IF they get reelected.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-31270101485721137132016-09-15T22:33:00.002-04:002016-09-18T17:59:30.273-04:00Porter County Community Leaders OPPOSED To The SSCA Charter School<br />
One of the most impolitic parts of the SSCA application is the so-called "Evidence of Support from Community Partners" <a href="http://www.grace.edu/academics/school-professional-online-education/charter-schools" target="_blank">page</a>, which you can find on the Grace College website under the section designated for SSCA in the 'attachments' <a href="http://www.grace.edu/academics/school-professional-online-education/charter-schools" target="_blank">located here</a>. It reads as though the charter organizers combed through a list of prospective politicos that ALEC may want to buy and added those names to their application as community partners. In another post, we will feature these politicians along with highlights from their voting record: the link to that article will be posted here.<br />
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Through this process what we have found is that there are many local leaders, elected officials, and candidates for office that stand OPPOSED to this charter school. So, we decided to put together this "Evidence of Opposition from Community Partners" page to feature community leaders who are also advocates and supporters of public education. If you do not see your name on this list and would like to include your statement, please email Hoosier Voices at <a href="mailto:hoosiervoices@gmail.com">hoosiervoices@gmail.com</a>. Please join us in sending a resounding 'thank you' to these community leaders for their bold leadership and strong voice in support of public education.<br />
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We will continue to update this page as we collect more statement's of opposition to the SSCA charter.<br />
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Duneland School Corporation Superintendent, Dr. David Pruis</h4>
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Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent, Dr Ric Frataccia</h4>
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To read Dr. Frataccia's statement of opposition available on the district website, <a href="http://www.valpo.k12.in.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_400302/File/Dr.%20Frataccia%20Opposition%20to%20Charter%20School.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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The School Board passed a resolution of opposition on September 14, 2016 and Board Vice President Cheryl Oprisko attended the public hearing to read the resolution.</div>
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All 5 members of the Valparaiso School Board have expressed opposition to the SSCA charter school. At the September 15, 2016 Board meeting, the board unanimously agreed to draft a resolution of opposition.<br />
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Porter County Councilor, Sylvia Graham</h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Porter County is blessed with 4 star schools that prepare our children for their futures. Three referendums have been passed by the people wanting to keep the</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ir school districts financed to maintain their quality standards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Charter schools were to be used in areas where public schools were failing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, no one has shown a need for this in Porter County. I believe those proposing this Charter school wants this charter to happen strictly because they want it. There is no proof that it is needed."</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Valparaiso City Councilor, Diana Reed</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To read Diana Reed's statement of </span>opposition<span style="font-family: inherit;"> on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dianalreed/posts/10206847857137398?pnref=story" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></div>
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Valparaiso City Councilor, Robert Cotton</h4>
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To read Robert Cotton's statement of opposition on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/robert.bob.cotton/posts/1087442621304395" target="_blank">click here</a>. </div>
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Valparaiso City Councilor, Deb Porter</h4>
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To read Deb Porter's statement of opposition on Facebook, click here.</div>
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4th District State Representative Candidate, Pamela Fish</h4>
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To read Pamela Fish's statement of opposition on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pmishlerfish/posts/1276283489072743?pnref=story.unseen-section" target="_blank">click here</a>.</div>
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5th District State Senator Candidate, Jim Harper</h4>
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To read Jim Harper's statement of opposition and watch the accompanying video on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/harperforindiana/" target="_blank">click here.</a><br />
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Portage City Councilor, Collin Czilli</h4>
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To read Collin Czilli's statement of opposition on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/czilli4portage/posts/1153989298008811" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-87867360921081278562016-09-15T21:23:00.001-04:002016-09-16T08:43:28.947-04:00List of State legislators that support SSCA charterSouth Shore Classical Academy 'Evidence of Community Partners' page from their application<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-46291458429669719572016-09-15T15:05:00.001-04:002016-09-15T15:05:17.522-04:00Open Letter To Grace College In Opposition To The SSCA<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Written By: Anna Hearn, Valparaiso IN</i></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Anna is a mother of two and an attorney who has lived in Valparaiso since 1978</b></span></span><br />
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To whom it may concern,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As a lifelong citizen of Northwest Indiana and a resident of Valparaiso
since 1978, I am strongly opposed to the South Shore Classical Academy’s
application supported by Grace College for several reasons. I am also<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>strongly<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;">
</span>opposed<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>efforts<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>Soliday<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>Ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>Charbonneau<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>support<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;">
</span>Charter<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>schools,<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>which over ½ of them are failing in this
State and thus, are not giving our children the amazing education and future<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>deserve.<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>One<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>Google<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>Indiana<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>Charter<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>School<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>grades<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>or<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>go<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>onto<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>Indiana<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">
</span>Department<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>of Education’s
website and see for themselves that these schools are failing. Mr. Soliday and
Mr. Charbonneau<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>were<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>even<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>Wednesday’s<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>night<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>meeting<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>South<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Shore<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>Classical<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Academy<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>hear<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>the hundreds<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>constituents<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>opposing<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>Charter<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;">
</span>school<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;">
</span>election<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>less<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>than<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>two<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>months away. Mr. Charbonneau has a truck
with his picture on the side of it that was driven in the Popcorn Fest Parade
just last weekend and thus, he had a mode of transportation to attend the
meeting. However, it was<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>noted<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Grace<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>College<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>spoken<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>both<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>these<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>men<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>behind<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>scenes.<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Because<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Mr. Soliday and Mr.
Charbonneau’s lack of support of the public schools in Porter County, I
strongly urge the citizens of Porter County to vote wisely at the poles this
November so that this Charter school and public school<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>funding<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>fiasco<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>fixed.<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;">
</span>Instead,<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>both<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>Mr.<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Soliday<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Mr.<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Charbonneau<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>have<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>consistently<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>voted in support of these failing charter
schools, which takes money away from the A-rated Public schools to give<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Charters<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;">
</span>schools.<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Both<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>these<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>men<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>should<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>save<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>postage<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>telephone<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>calls<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>how<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>they
support<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Public<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Education,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>because<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>clearly<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>case.<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>Our<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>children<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Porter<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>County<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>State deserves<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>better.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">The reasons that I am against South Shore Classical Academy are listed
below. To begin with, the schools that Grace College are supporting are
failing. Smith Academy for Excellence (specializing in a Classic curriculum)
located in Fort Wayne, Indiana has received an F since 2012 by the Indiana
Department of Education. Over 91% of its students failed the ISTEP test. The
second school, Dugger Union Community School’s ISTEP scores showed that 70% of
its students failed the test. Since Dugger was just opened by Grace in 2015, it
is too early to give them a grade by the DOE; however, by their failure rate on
the ISTEP test, it is on its way as well to get a failing grade. If one goes to
the Indiana Department of Education Website, they can see for themselves.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Porter County Schools are “A” rated by the Department of Education.
Porter County Schools provide an amazing<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>education<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>includes<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>classical<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>method,<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">
</span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>many<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>other<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>methods<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>will<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>prepare our kids to be accepted to the
best colleges and obtain the best jobs upon graduation. The problem with the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>“classical”<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>method,<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>limits<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">
</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>students<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>past<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>does<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>prepare<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">
</span>them<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>future,
as indicated by the above failing grades. At the meeting, the “board” stated
that they just use books and not computers. Let’s be real, this is 2016 and we
need to prepare our children for the future, which includes<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>use<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>technology.<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>We,<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>citizens<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Porter<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>County<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">
</span>cannot<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>stand<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>our<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>hard<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>earned<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>tax<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>dollars
to<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>taken<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>away<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>“A”<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>rated<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;">
</span>schools<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>given<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>failing<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>schools<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;">
</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>line<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>pockets<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>board<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>created
by only several people that has lacked complete transparency. <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">How </span>can a child truly learn in a trailer,
especially one with special needs? How is this ADA<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>compliant?</div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Next, I also have issues with who is behind this attempt to create this
“classical” public charter school. Two of the board members are from Fairhaven
and the authorizer is Grace College. Fairhaven and Grace </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">College</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">are</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">evangelical</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Christian</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">schools</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">colleges.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">One</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">board’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">members,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Diana</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Gonzalez,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">who stated</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">public</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">meeting</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">she</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">“best</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">interest</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">her</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">children,”</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">was</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">deemed</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">by</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Indiana
Court</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Appeals</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">not</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">be</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">best</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">interest</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">her</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">own</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">when</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">she</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">lost</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">custody</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">her</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">kids</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">after</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">she</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">had
the children’s dad excommunicated from the Fairhaven and its school. (</span><i style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Diana Gonzalez v. Edward Gonzalez, </i><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">No.
64A04-0712-CV-133, Ind. Ct. App. 2008). Per the facts of this case, after a
member is ex- communicated from Fairhaven, they are shunned by the congregation
and members are not allowed to acknowledge or speak to that person. Therefore,
Mr. Gonzalez could not even speak to his children’s teachers or be involved in
their education. The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling
and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">found</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">this</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">was</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">not</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">“best</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">interest”</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">kids</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">awarded</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">custody</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">father</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">who</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">then
placed the children in another school. Grace College’s core beliefs includes
teaching about Jesus Christ. Grace College and Fairhaven’s beliefs go against
the State Statute regarding charter schools which state that a “charter school”
means a non-sectarian and non-religious school. It is unrealistic that these
two evangelical entities are truly going to abide by these principals. It
appears that they are attempting to obtain</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">more</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">school</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">funding</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">what</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">they</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">could</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">obtain</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">from</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">private</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">school.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">This</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">direct</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">violation</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of the United States Constitution and the separation between Church and
State as they are attempting to circumvent</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">law.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1.7pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">If</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">these</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">entities</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">want</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">set</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">up</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">this</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">school,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">then</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">it</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">should</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">be</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">set</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">up</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">as</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">private</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">school and go through that avenue just
like St. Paul’s and every other religious private school has</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="WordSection2">
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 5.75pt; margin-right: 5.4pt; margin-top: 2.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 5.75pt; margin-right: 5.4pt; margin-top: 2.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
Further,<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>find<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Grace’s<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>failure<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>contact<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>school<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>administrations,<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>such<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Portage<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>Duneland
School Corporation (the school corporation that the charter school is located
in) is appalling as it is required<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>Statute.<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;">
</span>It<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>even<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>more<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>appalling<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;">
</span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>when<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>one<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>Portage<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>school<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;">
</span>board<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>members<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>wanted to speak, Grace attempted limit
her to speaking to only 2 minutes. Thank you to the audience members who gave
up their time so that she could speak more, as it is obvious Grace College (who
is supposed to be<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>governed<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Christian<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>principals)<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>did<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>want<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>speak<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>truth,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>truly<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>going<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>on.<span style="letter-spacing: 1.85pt;"> </span>They also stated in correspondence that
they had spoken to representative from Chicago Street Theatre. A spokesman for
Chicago Street Theatre stated that was false as well. Grace and the board members
also indicated that they had been in contact with Valparaiso Mayor Costas,
which again was not the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>case.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
Grace<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>also<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>led<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>everyone<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>believe<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>lease<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>land<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Greek<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Orthodox<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Church<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>put<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>modular trailers on it so that the children could learn. Per the
Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, none of this ever occurred and was false.
Grace’s non-orthodox way of doing things leaves one to suspect their true
motives. Do they truly believe that the citizens of Porter County are that
ignorant not to come together and figure these things out? Right now, South
Shore has no place and/or land to put a school. Modular trailers are not
appropriate for learning or for children. It is completely unbelievable that
our State Senator and State Representative would be for this Charter when the
above has and is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>occurring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.65pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
Most<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>importantly,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>education<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>received<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>from<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>Duneland<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>School<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">
</span>Corporation<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>education<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>my daughters receive from the Valparaiso
Community School Corporation are second to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;">
</span>none.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
My parents immigrated to the United States from the former Czechoslovakia
to escape communism in 1968.<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>They<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>met<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Gary,<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">
</span>Indiana<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>Holy<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>Trinity<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>Church<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>bingo.<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>A<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>couple<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>years<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>later,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>got<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>married<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>the
Little<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>White<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>Chapel<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>Las<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>Vegas<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>then,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>came<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>along.<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">
</span>As<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>any<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>immigrant,<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>wanted<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">
</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>best<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>their
children,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>so<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>moved<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Valparaiso,<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Indiana<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>across<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Pines<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Ski<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Lodge.<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Having<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">
</span>Slovak<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>parents<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>had its challenges, as my mother did not
graduate from high school and my parent’s language barrier. My parents are
extraordinary people, but they could only help me much when it came to
academics. </div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
I<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>began speaking English
late and was behind when I entered kindergarten at Liberty Elementary School. I
was struggling. The Duneland School Corporation never gave up on me and
provided me with an amazing education. I played “classical” music with the then
young Mr. Tom Schnabel on the State Ranked Orchestra. As part of the orchestra,
we learned the classics and were in musicals and Madrigal dinner, which is a
tradition to this day. I was on nationally ranked swim team lead by Kevin
Kinel, who was just two<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>years<span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;"> </span>ago<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>ranked<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;">
</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>Number<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>1<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>coach<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>USA<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>Swimming<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>helped<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;">
</span>produced<span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>Olympian, Blake Pieroni that just brought
home a gold from Rio. I will admit that I was not that good, but my experiences<span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>swim<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt;"> </span>were<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>amazing<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>Coach<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>Kinel<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>cared<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>swimmer<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;">
</span>won<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>race, but<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;">
</span>if<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>swimmer<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;">
</span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>also<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>successful<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt;"> </span>life.<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>That<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>true<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>teacher<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>coach.<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;">
</span>As<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>parent,<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt;"> </span>am<span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;"> </span>proud
that both of my daughters are now on the same very swim team with the very same
coaches, because these coaches do not believe in<span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt;"> </span>quitting.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">I was also on the nationally ranked Trojan Guard. Chesterton High School
also has a radio station WDSO that I was a DJ on. I was able to take two
languages and took history and government classes with the amazing Ralph Ayres,
may he rest in peace. He was a true Statesman and for the Public schools. All
of these teachers and much more, not only cared about the classes they taught,
they cared deeply about their students and thought of us as their kids. They
would look at our schedules to make sure we were taking college bound classes
and so that we could go to college if we wished. The teachers would take their
time out of their busy schedules to give us extra help if we needed to get our
grades up. I give them credit for helping me to get into Indiana University and
then, law school. I have been an attorney since 1999. These teachers did not
just see me as a Slovak kid, they saw me as a child that was going to be
something, like they do with every child that is in their school system.</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">My amazing daughters are now truly blessed to be students at Hayes
Leonard Elementary School, which is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">part</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Valparaiso</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Community</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Schools</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">system.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">The</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Administration</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">teachers</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">care</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">about</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">their students just like the Duneland
School Corporation. Both daughters are A students. Because Hayes Leonard</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Elementary</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">closing,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">my</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">oldest</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">daughter,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">who</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">5</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 106%; position: relative; text-indent: -0.5pt; top: -4pt;">th<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">grade</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">will</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">be</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">last</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Student</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Council President at Hayes. When one of my daughters was being bullied
by a child, they immediately stepped in and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">put</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">an</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">end</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">it</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">immediately.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">My</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">oldest</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">was</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">spell</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">bowl,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">which</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Valparaiso</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Schools</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">are</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">top</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">state ranked. Central Elementary is the
State Champ in Spell Bowl and Thomas Jefferson Middle School is the Science
Olympian champ. If the teachers see that my daughters’ grades are slipping just
slightly, they make sure they pull them aside to get their grades back up. They
too, are preparing my daughters for college even in elementary school. Just
this year, they are introducing Spanish in some of the elementary schools.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Next year, my oldest daughter will be going to Ben Franklin where she
wants to play the cello and participate</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">drama.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Ben</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Franklin</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">has</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">theatre</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">program</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">does</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">plays</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">community.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">They</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">also</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">do the classics. The girls will be able to
take many languages, take philosophy and learn classic literature, which is
incorporated in their curriculum now. If they wish to participate in sports,
like be on the gymnastics team that has continuously won State championships or
be on the swim team, they can. It is their</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">choice</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">because</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">each</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">student</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">an</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">individual</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">VSC</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">provides</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">every</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">avenue</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">student</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">excel to whatever that
student wants to be as an adult. While in high school, if for some reason they
do not want to go to college, they can participate in the technical program or
other occupational programs that will</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">provide</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">certificate</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">upon</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">graduation</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">so</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">they</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">will</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">not</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">have</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">live</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">off</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">minimum</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">wage</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">job,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">which </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">helps the Porter
County economy. Valparaiso also has top rated sport teams and emphasizes in the
arts. This</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">what</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">colleges</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">look</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">well-rounded</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">student.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">This</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">is</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">what</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">an</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">A-rated</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">school</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">does,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">not</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">an</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">F-rated school like the ones Grace
College</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">supports.</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.4pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 5.75pt; margin-right: 5.5pt; margin-top: 2.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
In 2015, the Valparaiso Community came together to overwhelming pass a
$150 million dollar construction<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>referendum<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>additional<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>operational<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>referendum<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>so<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>we<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>could<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>completely<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>renovate every<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>elementary<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>school<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>high<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>school.<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Administrators,<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>teachers,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>parents<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>community<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>members launched a massive campaign
coming together proving to everyone that “We are Valpo.” Construction has<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>already<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;">
</span>begun<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>all<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>schools.<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Teachers<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;">
</span>have<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>received<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>raises.<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;">
</span>The<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>STEM<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>program<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;">
</span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>now<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>available for<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>elementary<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>school<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>students<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>so<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>learn<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">
</span>engineering.<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>Foreign<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>languages<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>music<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>been
expanded,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>well<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>technical<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>school.<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;">
</span>Every<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>child<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>different<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>thus,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>responsibility<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>any<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>school is to make as many learning
experiences possible so that a child can be anything they want to be. That is
what<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>VSC<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>done<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>doing.<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">
</span>Even<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>though<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>VSC<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>one<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>top<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>schools<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">
</span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>State,<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>we<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>still<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">
</span>think<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">“we </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>do<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>better”<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">
</span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>we<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>are.<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Each<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>child<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>now<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>computer<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">
</span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>use<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>school,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;">
</span>something<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>which<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>South Shore Classical Academy<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>opposes.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">We, as Porter County citizens need to come together now to show everyone,
South Shore Classical Academy, Grace College and Mr. Soliday and Mr.
Charbonneau that “We are Porter County,” as none of the above can be obtained
in a trailer at the classical charter school that Grace College proposes. Our
tax dollars</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">are</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">going</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">house</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">students</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">modular</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">trailer,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">seriously?</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">We</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">have</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">fight</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">against</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">our</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">tax</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">dollars going to Grace College that has
already proven that the schools that Grace supports are failing. Porter County
schools should not have its funding taken away because of this Charter when it
has proven not to be transparent and are failures in the first place. Our
schools should be rewarded for their accomplishments and not punished by
funding being taken away by a self-serving group that just frankly wants to
line its pockets with Porter County tax payer money and are</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.75pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">failures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 5.45pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">I ask that everyone in Porter County and come together to take a stance
against Grace College and the South Shore Academy and the State representatives
and Senators that support this Charter School. Election-day is less than 2
months away. Let’s keep the money in our schools. I also respectfully ask that
Grace</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">College</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">revoke</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">its</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">application</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">based</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">on</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">these</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">reasons</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">for</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">all</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">reasons</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">given</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.6pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">at</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Public</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.55pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">Hearing. This is not the County where
this school should be located. I do agree with Superintendent Ric Frataccia
that if Grace does continue with this Charter, the citizens of Porter County
will make it their mission to run it to the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; text-indent: -0.5pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5pt;">ground.</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 5.75pt; margin-right: 5.4pt; margin-top: 8.1pt; text-indent: -.5pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0.6pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 5.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0.2pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Anna Hearn</span><!--EndFragment-->
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-10451849547273086752016-09-13T07:23:00.006-04:002016-09-13T07:37:56.850-04:00Oppose The SSCA Charter School In Valpo, Chesterton, Portage<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Written By: Christopher Pupillo, Valparaiso IN</i></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeG-oNILs4K6ZkCkJq_9IEirJo_n_pbVZnP8JFMxjLmKkbaNznRHUg06eSnC9T9dH8Z2wTEVKoae8obKb5uFpB3RDEs0QOctGfZEg5l-Gk9U7J2IXtgNx3OPej4Yfn8UG45PUQ0tM4wQ/s1600/SOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeG-oNILs4K6ZkCkJq_9IEirJo_n_pbVZnP8JFMxjLmKkbaNznRHUg06eSnC9T9dH8Z2wTEVKoae8obKb5uFpB3RDEs0QOctGfZEg5l-Gk9U7J2IXtgNx3OPej4Yfn8UG45PUQ0tM4wQ/s400/SOS.jpg" title="Save Our Schools - Say "Not" to the SSCA Charter School" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public Hearing on September 14, 2016 at 5pm <br />
at the Library Service Center, Westchester Library<br />
100 W Indiana Ave, Chesterton, IN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Area public schools have been under assault by a barrage of funding cuts and legislative disdain, manifested in staffing and program cuts which have contributed to a growing statewide teacher shortage. For public schools in Valparaiso, Chesterton, and Portage a new threat has emerged, this time in the form of an unwanted and un-needed charter school.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">The South Shore Classical Academy (SSCA) aims to bring a “classical education” to area students. For those unfamiliar with so-called classical schools, think high-priced private prep school. This charter is the brainchild of Valparaiso University professors, who from atop their “ivory tower” perches seem to think our high-performing schools are beneath their academic pedigrees, and presumably that of their children. Unlike the stories told by legislators that charter schools were meant to provide a “way out” for minority students stuck in failing inner-city school, this charter is being developed to create that private prep school experience, but on the taxpayers dime.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">The result of this exercise in personal educational indulgence would come at the expense of area public schools to the tune of more than $4,000,000 annually, if SSCA enrollment projections are met.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simply put, that equates to teachers cuts and program elimination.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">These cuts would be especially painful for the tax payers of Valparaiso who approved an unprecedented two referendums (tax hikes), one of which is meant to restore previous teacher cuts brought about by legislative cuts to funding Valpo schools. That general fund referendum would also allow for expanded academic programming intended to preserve Valparaiso’s reputation as a world-class public school system, a reputation which contributes mightily to the quality of life and economic vitality of our city.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding insult to injury, the authorizing body for this charter school, Grace Theological Seminary, will make their decision in private, completely away from public scrutiny. That’s right, the decision to syphon away from your public schools millions in tax payer dollars will be made by a private entity with zero transparency. Of course, Grace will receive a healthy 3% of that $4,000,000 in taxpayer money each year for their efforts.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s still time to act, but we need your help.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, contact Rep. Ed Soliday (800-382-9841) and Sen. Ed Charbonneau (800-382-9467) and ask them to weigh in opposed to this charter school theft of public school financial support, and to fix the mess they created by allowing private charters authorizers to operate in the shadows.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Closer to home, tax payers should contact their local elected officials, especially Mayors Costas and Snyder, both of whom have met with representatives of the SSCA, according to their application. Tell them they need to stand up for tax payers and our schools, and stand opposed to this charter.</span><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, residents of Valparaiso, Chesterton and Portage need to show up to the only public hearing on this charter, to be held this Wednesday, 5 p.m. at the Westchester Library in Chesterton. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wear “Red For Public Ed” and let your voices be heard. Stand up for our schools, our teachers, our students, and for tax payers.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-48086698383672330162016-08-30T20:56:00.000-04:002016-08-30T21:36:19.600-04:00September Storm - Happy Birthday Glenda Ritz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1wAObvE6g5CAbiueKl9y8ep4hO2SVQ1P3Uc9TzRCEahF6y0UKZKoD-_1yGLmA5fLcouK8zK9Rjs8tKaRKVFxAztJYd0sdwyYum0DeJsgFZzrPMNIzdUA72ARB2u2aokUyRMRFdfjHq0/s1600/14203527_10209346036800399_21087920_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1wAObvE6g5CAbiueKl9y8ep4hO2SVQ1P3Uc9TzRCEahF6y0UKZKoD-_1yGLmA5fLcouK8zK9Rjs8tKaRKVFxAztJYd0sdwyYum0DeJsgFZzrPMNIzdUA72ARB2u2aokUyRMRFdfjHq0/s400/14203527_10209346036800399_21087920_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thursday, September 1 is Glenda Ritz's Birthday. Hoosier
Voices is hosting a twitter storm to celebrate this day by sharing Glenda's
accomplishments. Join us by tweeting all day using #istandwithritz #ritz4edand
showing your support for her re-election bid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In order for this storm to be effective it should follow
some simple guidelines and run continuously from 7:00am through 8:00pm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Posts should be supportive of Glenda and highlight her
accomplishments<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Posters should post on both Twitter and Facebook<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Posts should be shared by one's self as well as
"re-tweeted" and "shared"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Posts by teachers should NOT be made during school time
or on school technology; however, posts can be scheduled for twitter using
TweetDeck This is a simple site and multiple posts can be written and scheduled
hours (even days) in advance. This will
allow those who work during the hours of the STORM to post LEGALLY by having
their posts scheduled in advance so they will post during selected time
frames. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Image result for tweetdeck" border="0" height="200" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/" target="_blank">TweetDeck</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Posts should contain #istandwithritz and #ritz4ed along
with any other desired hashtags (#NoTonyClone #NoTonyCrony #HappyBdayGlenda
#istillstandwithritz)</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>SUGGESTED TWEETS/POSTS</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It would be fun if everyone would start with this post at
7:00am <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Happy Birthday Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction Glenda
Ritz #HappyBDayGlenda #istandwithritz #ritz4ed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#istandwithritz because we need fair funding for PUBLIC
schools<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#istandwithritz because she respects teachers and their
profession<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glenda has always put students before politics, that's why
#istandwithritz<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glenda knows that students are more than test scores #istandwithritz #studentsRmorethanscores #ritz4ed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Superintendent Ritz knows that teaching is more important
than testing #istandwithritz<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We need someone who will stand up for PUBLIC education,
which is why #istandwithritz<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More time for teaching, less time for testing
#istandwithritz</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PUBLIC schools need an advocate in state office #istandwithritz #NoTonyClone #ritz4ed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>ACCOMPLISHMENTS</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Point to these accomplishments in posts or summarize into tweets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Replaced
a political agenda with an education agenda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Replaced
a “school takeover” agenda with a “school outreach” division<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Improved
103 schools in a single year, by increasing direct support to schools and
educators through her innovative Division of Outreach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Led the
effort to end the ISTEP and is working across the aisle to replace it with a
test that is less time-consuming, less costly, and more informative<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Travels
2-3 days every week to local schools to listen to their needs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Hosted
Indiana’s first statewide teacher recruitment conference to encourage high
school students to pursue teaching as a career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Created
a list of Promising Practices found in Indiana schools to improve the
visibility of how educators change lives every day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Achieved
a 95% graduation rate for CTE students, by providing more high-quality Career
and Technical Education opportunities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Trained
more than 1,700 new school safety specialists and created the IDOE Response
Team to better serve schools during a large-scale crisis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Meets
with education stakeholders every week, including state agencies, non-profit
groups, legislators, chambers of commerce, mayors, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Created
the Student Advisory Council to get input from students on education policy </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Imagining 2020: In the next four years, Superintendent Ritz
will </b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Make
high quality Pre-K available in every school corporation in the state for every
parent who wants it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Continue
to provide more time for learning and less time for testing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Work
towards achieving a 91% graduation rate for all students, the highest in the
nation, training them to enter living wage careers or post-secondary education<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Propose
fair and adequate funding for all public schools <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Treat
our teachers like professionals, including them in the process to end the
teacher shortage and increasing opportunities for professional development<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To learn more about what Glenda Ritz has accomplished,
visit: the <a href="http://glendaritz.com/results/" target="_blank">Ritz4Education</a> website</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We need four more years of Glenda Ritz’s leadership<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years giving teachers more time to teach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years reducing costly, high-stakes testing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years expanding a bottom-up outreach program to schools<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years building a statewide literacy initiative<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years increasing wraparound services for our most vulnerable students<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years advocating for the recruitment and retention of quality educators<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- another four
years advocating for more money to go to public education</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s1mHh188pLiXgQPkwHa7YpA8QpvFNclsjLR5xcDVGcoua9vFPjNgY8encNJkVWKLgfWvIsLxulMuwWQLRy2qgHtwynMe8H9dkzPhfeH3EFswBI8MP0VmMyuXzxEe4Fh149onjmBNCI4/s1600/bdritz3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s1mHh188pLiXgQPkwHa7YpA8QpvFNclsjLR5xcDVGcoua9vFPjNgY8encNJkVWKLgfWvIsLxulMuwWQLRy2qgHtwynMe8H9dkzPhfeH3EFswBI8MP0VmMyuXzxEe4Fh149onjmBNCI4/s320/bdritz3.png" width="314" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The Story of Why Glenda Ritz Ran for Office</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2012, a third-grade student walked into the library and I
asked her if she would like to check out a book. She replied, “Mrs. Ritz, I
don’t need to check out a book, because I just passed my iRead3 test.” I
thought to myself, “What are we doing to these kids? They think the only purpose
of reading is to pass a test.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s when I decided to run for Indiana Superintendent of
Public Instruction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had never run for office before; I am an educator, not a
politician. But federal and state politics had entered our schools pushing high
stakes testing, demeaning the teaching profession, privatizing public schools
through state takeover, and worsening the fight for funding and resources. I
could no longer stand by and let out-of-state special interest groups and their
political agenda continue to harm our students, educators, schools, and
communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-84153976629153008172016-06-16T21:48:00.000-04:002016-06-16T21:52:08.939-04:00Public School Dress Code - Beyond the Rumors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7tw6aN-Sl-h5t3XBs62l7PRRRdkUbL52lQEjY1E4qOWFpsKT-AJaMcm9Y0yU5RrBVO7ACXFgVrosGaoPfnEObWTxDqZX1R5T1gx_b0c_15RrdtrdTZU07DtMyzQTpV7W3nZ8uwO2iho/s1600/dresscode.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7tw6aN-Sl-h5t3XBs62l7PRRRdkUbL52lQEjY1E4qOWFpsKT-AJaMcm9Y0yU5RrBVO7ACXFgVrosGaoPfnEObWTxDqZX1R5T1gx_b0c_15RrdtrdTZU07DtMyzQTpV7W3nZ8uwO2iho/s1600/dresscode.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An article was printed this for <a href="http://www.politicade.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Politicade</a>, labled as a "left leaning media alternative", this week that called out a rural Indiana high school for supposed "discriminatory" disciplinary actions regarding school dress code violations. The article, titled "Teacher Sent Home After Conducting Social Experiment On The Last Day Of School", accuses educators and administrators of singling out female dress code violations more seriously than their male counterparts. The article states, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The goal of the social experiment was to prove the dress code is sexist and disproportionately exercised against girls."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hoosier Voices conducted a brief investigation into the accusations made by the article's author and students who were quoted within. It appears there are a few pieces of information that were left out of the article, either intentionally or without thorough investigation into the events leading up to the "experiment" and the supposed "violations" of the day. The <a href="http://www.ichs.indiancreekschools.com/" target="_blank">Indian Creek High Schoo</a>l dress code can be found through the schools website under the "Resources" tab. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hoosier Voices decided to research this situation after contact from teachers, concerned parents, and alumni from the school. Our Hoosier Voices founder is a graduate of Indian Creek and currently teaches in the corporation. It became obvious, during the course of investigating the situation, that some misrepresentation may have gone into the writing of the original article and that there may have been ulterior motives for the basis of the "experiment"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Throughout our investigation it became obvious that the teacher "conducting the experiment" may have tendered a resignation prior to the final day to take a position in a new charter school in Monroe County. It appears, though many felt he had grand teaching ideas and lessons and was well liked by students, he had a propensity for "bashing" Public schools and consistently took on a role of "rebel". The "experiment" on the final day appears to have been "conducted" more as a swipe at administrators and less about the social injustices reported.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The article states,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">On a typical school day at Indian Creek High School, administrative staff and teachers monitor the halls between classes to flag girls who show too much skin. The Principal and Assistant Principal sit in the hallways between classes to enforce strict adherence to the dress code.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is not true according to teachers interviewed for this article. One teacher stated that,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Teachers are in the hall before school, during passing periods, and after school as a safety measure."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Others indicate that Administrators patrol the hallways for the same safety measures. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One point the author tried to hammer is that this has been an "on going issue" at the school because girls are disciplined more than boys for dress code violations. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No one interviewed by Hoosier Voices indicated an intentional "plot" by administrators or teachers to single out girls over boys for their attire. They have stated that dress code violations were handled by simple mention to violators, male and female, to take care of the violation so no "punishment" would be handed out. Some teachers may have gone an extra step to email other teachers of an apparent violation in case the student didn't take care of it after being asked. It appears that, in extreme cases, students have in the past been asked to "cover up", seek a "change of apparel", or "remove a hat" to comply with the schools school board approved and published dress code.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After initiating this investigation of the supposed "discrimination" of teachers and administrators handling female violations differently than male violations it was noted that female violations tend to be more "severe" because they involve the wearing of more revealing clothing as opposed to simply being able to remove a hat. It also came to light that the teacher conducting the "experiment" was also in violation of the dress code on the final day wearing a tank top to school. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hoosier Voices learned from another teacher source that the reason </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the teacher was asked to leave was two-fold. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Apparently after putting on a shirt to cover the tank top, he went on to remove the cover-up and proceeded to wear his tank.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. There was also a question of his actions, telling students to break dress code, might have lead to a bullying situation. Apparently there was a picture taken and posted on social media of a girl's bare midriff (a blatant dress code violation) making fun of her for not wearing all of her clothes. The girl from the picture told people she wore the "revealing shirt" because she was told (by the teacher) to "break dress code".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indian Creek administrators have not been immediately available for comment or verification, but it appears the teacher may have been sent home for "insubordination and creating a bullying situation".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This "experiment" was supposedly conducted to prove a blatant attempt by school administrators to discipline female students more often for violations than males. However, to our investigators, it appears to have fallen short pf proving anything other than being an attempt to rattle parents and community members to express concern over discrimination that does not exist. It also appears that the teacher involved wanted to make a statement as a departing employee of Public education as he moves to a charter school. His last "hurrah" may have been a parting shot at the rural school south of Indianapolis, its administrators, his colleagues, and even the students he leaves behind. While he will not have to deal with any effects from his last lesson at Indian Creek, students will have to decide if the experiment really proved anything or if it was just a frustrated adult setting out to call attention to his soon to be "former employer".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*NOTE - Names were not mentioned in this article out of respect for those teachers and students who chose to participate in the rebuttal of an article that tried to shed a negative light on their school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-15935966179250194042016-06-08T17:41:00.000-04:002016-06-08T17:42:52.503-04:00Jennifer McCormick - Faux in Boots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4OIQCBzULG6mbQrWD1PQO_hm_1XT-oBabaYtzeUc930bC-Cv4NW7pJcNElICLCgxhA2IGs1NQkxgTkBRpUevzruTwj5fOAo1SctwKJwulI2gt6nmI6kldK4lCHldG24I9omRMZ0n1mk/s1600/13397076_10208646410350175_212245268_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4OIQCBzULG6mbQrWD1PQO_hm_1XT-oBabaYtzeUc930bC-Cv4NW7pJcNElICLCgxhA2IGs1NQkxgTkBRpUevzruTwj5fOAo1SctwKJwulI2gt6nmI6kldK4lCHldG24I9omRMZ0n1mk/s400/13397076_10208646410350175_212245268_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Where are the kids?</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a teacher in Indiana, I’m very interested in who is
elected to run the Department of Education. That person is, in essence, my
boss. I have been impressed with Glenda
Ritz and her ability to fight for our students and our teachers through some
pretty ridiculous circumstances. Despite
these circumstances she has produced visible results throughout the state and
she is to be commended. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the interest of fairness (and a bit of curiosity), I
decided to take a look at what Dr. Jennifer McCormack had to say. I checked out her website and looked at her
Facebook and Twitter feeds. After doing
that, I decided to write her a letter about what I found. I posted it to her Facebook wall and I sent
it to her campaign’s email address. Here
it is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dear Dr. McCormack,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted to make myself more familiar with your platforms and your
intentions if elected to become State Superintendent. I am a music teacher in Central Indiana, so
I’m very interested in getting to know a potential “boss.” I looked at your Facebook page, your Twitter
feed and you website.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s the thing…In almost every picture I see you in and almost every post
you make, you aren’t in the classroom. You aren’t even in a school. You are not talking to teachers. You are schlepping around the state of
Indiana attending Lincoln Day dinners and begging GOP delegates to vote for
you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I looked at your website so that I could find out more about why you think
you would be a good superintendent. I didn't find anything other than
incoherent whining and grammatical errors. Also, bad website formatting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a lady who wants to take the politics out of education, you sure are
spending a lot of time hanging out with adults who have nothing to do with
teaching. That's curious to me. Maybe slightly hypocritical, too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also noticed that the people you surround yourself with used to hang out
with Tony Bennett. A word of advice: that's a bad idea in this state. You
should know that too, since the school system you currently work for was
screwed by Bennett's policies just as badly as most of the rest of us were. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will give you one compliment: I like those boots you wear with most of
your outfits. Classy, yet sassy. Bravo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ben Yoder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3a3e44; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t know if she’ll read the letter or not and I really don’t expect her
to return any correspondence to me.
She’s probably too busy sucking up every dime that’s not nailed down and
rubbing elbows with the GOP trying to mount an attack on Glenda Ritz. I get that.
After seeing what Dr. McCormick is selling though, I’m not buying. But I do like her boots.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSAevtjBS_V7w_y7RrbCMb3CDshS0tTZ0cM1ImyXBaKFfbuhREe8jQy9H7rJxmzzRJqd0cdv8gPS5NRMWIcpEZchmIVTtiWT3Yj6uqcNgzkZNFFwVDggkXSoBUbqA8qmMYWIQcYxIhR4/s1600/13410812_10208646409990166_1263838475_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSAevtjBS_V7w_y7RrbCMb3CDshS0tTZ0cM1ImyXBaKFfbuhREe8jQy9H7rJxmzzRJqd0cdv8gPS5NRMWIcpEZchmIVTtiWT3Yj6uqcNgzkZNFFwVDggkXSoBUbqA8qmMYWIQcYxIhR4/s400/13410812_10208646409990166_1263838475_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"But I do like her boots."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3a3e44; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About our contributing blogger:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3a3e44;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ben Yoder is a middle school music teacher in Central Indiana. He is a proud Indiana State Teachers Association member and is committed to furthering the cause of public education for students all across the state of Indiana and beyond.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606352346472384109.post-41764443172767206482016-06-06T16:14:00.001-04:002016-06-06T16:14:39.077-04:00Mike Pence And The Big Fumble<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mike Pence had a chance, as Governor, to make a big difference in some young lives. Unfortunately, after Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction Glenda Ritz's Department Of Education spent over 600 hours working on federal Pre-K grant application, Pence decided (probably after realizing it wouldn't benefit his tea party buddies) not to submit the application. This fumble cost Indiana children an $80M shot at Pre-K education.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mike Pence has fumbled the ball many times during his term as Indiana Governor when it comes to PUBLIC education. He has allowed his GOP cronies to write and pass legislation drastically reducing powers of the ELECTED Superintendent, Glenda Ritz. He continues to support vouchers to take money from PUBLIC Schools, He touts charter schools even though they score far below traditional PUBLIC schools statewide, and he has released a campaign add featuring his educator wife that contains many false statements and myths. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">ISTA came out with a strong statement showing the Truth versus Myth of Mike Pence's Education record. Here is the link to their article, <a href="http://buff.ly/288BShN" target="_blank">"Truth versus Myth" - Mike Pence's education record</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of the strongest comments regarding Mike Pence's record and his very misleading campaign ad was from an Indiana Educator named Ben Yoder. Ben share the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuHSTj7oEvg" target="_blank">Pence Campaign ad</a> along with his statement regarding the false and misleading information contained within. Here is what Mr. Yoder had to say. . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"The fact that Mike Pence would even dare to talk about what he has "done" for education in the state of Indiana is insulting to teachers, administrators and ESP<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show">ECIALLY the students in this state. Let me pull this ad apart (which is easy to do), piece-by-piece:</span></span></div>
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1. Mike Pence was a part of starting the first Pre-K program in the state...that's true. But what he fails to mention is that he turned down a federal government grant for $80 million in additional funds to expand Pre-K all across the state. TURNED IT DOWN. The research into the advantages that kids receive from Pre-K education is pretty much indisputable. Mike Pence doesn't care about research. Mike Pence doesn't care about facts. Mike Pence simply doesn't want to be a GOP governor who takes money from the federal government for ANY REASON because he is an ideologue and a very poor executive branch leader.<br />
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2. Mike Pence has recommended an increase in public education funding. Yes. But, when you look at where that money is ACTUALLY going, you will see that the majority of that money goes towards expanding our already too-large school voucher program and charter schools. I'm not going to get into the politics of vouchers (I am against them) and charters (I am not against them when they function well) but his statement is extremely misleading.<br />
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3. "Our test scores are up." MIKE PENCE HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. This is a testament to our educators and our students.<br />
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4. "Our graduation rates are up." MIKE PENCE HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. This is another testament to our educators and our students.<br />
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5. "Our students are really beginning to excel." Beginning to excel? Indiana student success really doesn't have anything to do with Mike Pence (or Karen Pence, for that matter).<br />
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6. "When you invest in education, you see results." We are seeing results, but they aren't in response to anything Mike Pence has done. Our educators all across this state are continuing to do their jobs despite the many, MANY obstacles that Mike Pence has placed in our way. Despite the fact that he called teachers idiots and then told us "not to take it personally" when the ISTEP results came out last year. Despite the fact that he cut a publicly elected official off at the knees who was charged with running our educational system in this state and put into office by a grassroots campaign comprised largely of teachers. Despite the fact that he has worked tirelessly to funnel money away from traditional public schools and into vouchers and charters that aren't working for our kids. Despite the fact that he has made the teaching profession in this state so undesirable that bright young minds are choosing NOT to be teachers simply because they don't want to put up with the bull$hit that comes along with it. The list goes on and on. <br />
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7. "Mike wants to keep doing what he can to make education the number one priority in Indiana." ......... Governor Pence, I don't want you to "take this personally" but the best thing you can do for education in the state of Indiana is to leave office.<br />
Oh, and by the way...SHAME on Karen Pence too for appearing in this ad. As a former teacher, I'd think she'd know better.<br />
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Rant over."<br />
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After Mr. Yoder's "rant" made the rounds on Facebook. and ISTA posted their argument, and countless others questioned Pence's education agenda once again, Mike Pence announced this past week that he is NOW interested in seeking federal grant money for Pre-K funding. NOW? When there are NO grants available for application? Surely, as Glenda Ritz points out in her <a href="http://glendaritz.com/glenda_releases/600-staff-hours-wasted-on-indianas-pre-k-application/" target="_blank">recent statement</a>, "Mike Pence must think that Hoosiers have the memory of a goldfish".<br />
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Hoosiers have a duty this election cycle. It is our duty to VOTE in November and see to it that the GOP destruction of our PUBLIC education system does not continue. There are many strong candidates out there this cycle who will challenge the GOP establishment to turn things around and put our PUBLIC schools back in a positive light. Watch Hoosier Voices in the coming weeks as we begin to list our endorsements for State Representatives, State Senate, Governor, Superintendent, and more to reverse the destruction and return our schools to our children, parents, and educators.<br />
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</span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00899685871642663099noreply@blogger.com2