CALL TO ACTION - NO to HB1003

Tomorrow, April 8, 2013, your Indiana State Senate will take a vote on HB 1003 - Voucher Expansion. 

YOU MUST ACT NOW!

It is time to show our legislators the power of 1.3 million voices.  We spoke up in November and sent Tony Bennett to Florida when WE elected Glenda Ritz.  We need to speak up again and tell our senators to once again VOTE NO on HB 1003. 

Now is not the time to rob more money from our public schools in the form of vouchers for private school students.  We can not afford to continually take money from our PUBLIC schools to finance private parochial and charter school corporations.  We MUST stand up and be heard, loud and clear, once again.

Contact your Senators TODAY and let them know that you will accept nothing but a NO vote on this funding fiasco they call voucher expansion.  HB 1003 is a nightmare to our public schools. 


 

Click the Action button above to see what this bill does to PUBLIC schools.




22 Indiana Senators (out of 50) voted NO two years ago on the voucher bill. 
We need 26 to vote NO on the current voucher expansion bill!

 

That's how many State Senators WE need to vote NO on current voucher expansion bill.

26 Call them one-by-one and tell them to vote NO on HB 1003.

 

Just because the State Supreme court ruled they were okay, what's the rush? Why ram this bill through that will strip public money from local schools in a time when there is already NO new money?

If this bill passes, YOUR local school will be begging YOU for money in referendums, laying off more teachers, pushing 100's of fundraisers, cutting art/music and clubs, and reducing sports.

 

WAIT!!!!! They already do that - so multiply this by 100 times!!!!!

Vouchers aren't going anywhere. So, let's see if they work and how they can be funded without taking money from our already tight budgeted PUBLIC schools.

Email your State Senator, and call them. Then have 3 people you know do the same! TODAY

 

Click the image below to find contact information for your state senator.

 

 

 

Below is a list of Senators who need a little extra "push" and a reminder of what 1.3 million voices sound like when speaking in unison about our mission.  Let them know that we EXPECT them to act fiscally responsible toward our PUBLIC schools.  They must vote NO on HB 1003 to stop funnelling public tax dollars from PUBLIC schools to for profit private and charter schools and their corporate sponsors.

Banks, Jim - s017 - s17@iga.in.gov - R

Bray, Rodric - s037 - s37@iga.in.gov - R

Buck, Jim - s021 - s21@iga.in.gov - R

Charbonneau, Ed - s005 - s5@iga.in.gov - R

Kenley, Luke - s020 - s20@iga.in.gov - R

Kruse, Dennis - s014 - s14@iga.in.gov - R

Landske, Sue - s006 - s6@iga.in.gov - R

Schneider, Scott - s030 - s30@iga.in.gov - R

Walker, Greg - s041 - s41@iga.in.gov - R

Waltz, Brent - s036 - s36@iga.in.gov - R

Snarky Letter and Call To Action: Remove ALEC Agenda Supporters From State Education Committees

My rather snarky email I sent to the House and Senate:

The state's "Education" Committee is is going to vote on HB 1358. It's a "parent trigger bill" (another Republican ALEC bill) that would allow public schools to be taken over by a charter if 51% of the parents of that school voted to do so (and if a parent has more than one child in the school, they get more than one vote). OPPOSE THIS! Respect the established, and duly elected, governing bodies of public schools.

The House "Education" Committee is also voting on HB 1339, which further erodes teacher rights, including allowing a teacher to be suspended without being presented with any justification for that suspension and without the teacher being allowed to defend himself or herself against such suspension.

HB 1339 also allows charter schools to develop their own "performance framework" to report data to the DOE, instead of having to report that same testing data that all other public schools have to report. We're already comparing charter schools to public schools, when charter schools do not have to follow the same regulations as those aforementioned public schools. So why the proposed change? Simple! Charter schools ARE NOT performing as the Republicans, who have sold their souls to them, have claimed. THAT IS A FACT! So, change the rules, right Republicans? OPPOSE THIS!

REPUBLICANS, let me remind you once again to figure out your defense for your involvement with the corporate front group, ALEC, where you get many of these ridiculous bills We will be educating YOUR CONSTITUENCY at YOUR RESPECTIVE LEGISLATIVE MEETINGS about your love affair with this organization.

Finally, it's time that we remove this group of conservatives from the education committee.

Robert Behning (R - Indianapolis) - ALEC MEMBER! ---------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! Instead, this idiot owns a flower shop, which is great if you're looking to assemble a flower arrangement for grandma. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy. This tool kit has authored two bills which are aimed at removing power from the newly-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. Why? He's mad, a sore loser, and an ideologue.

Luke Kenley (R - Noblesville) - ALEC MEMBER! ---------------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! He's a judge, which may be great if you're looking to convict traffic offenders. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy.

Dennis Kruse (R- Fort Wayne) ------------------ Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! He's a real-estate agent and auctioneer, which might be great if you're looking to auction off a farm tractor. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy. SPECIAL NOTE: Dennis Kruse is the Senator who has consistently made Indiana a laughing stock of the United States (and arguably the world) as he continues to bring forth moronic "creationism bills". When confronted and challenged to take a high school biology exam, he openly admitted that he would fail it.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) - ALEC MEMBER! ------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! This genius is a poli-sci major who is a managing director for a construction company, which may be great if you're building a tool shed. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy.

Sen. James Buck (R - Tipton) - ALEC MEMBER! --------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! This mental giant is a real estate broker, which is great if you're selling a farm plot. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy.

Rep. David Frizzell (R - Indianapolis) - ALEC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN! ----------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! This tool kit is a Director of External Affairs for Magnolia Health Systems, which may be great if you're into greasing palms and kissing behinds. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy. He's the "Grand Poobah" for the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Sen. Carlin Yoder (R - Elkart) - ALEC MEMBER! ----------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience!** NONE! This twit owns a dance academy, which is fine if you're into wearing tutus and swingin' your partner round 'n round. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy. **Note: I realize little Carlin claims to have been a school administrator at the Clinton Christian School. However, only real schools count here, not fundamentalist cesspools of disinformation.

Sen. Jean Leising (R - Oldenburg) - ALEC MEMBER! ------------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! She is a farm owner and retired nurse, which is great if you're taking the pulse of a few sheep (valuable skill in the Republican party). However, it does not qualify her to dictate education policy.

Rep. Cindy J. Noe (R - Indianapolis) - ALEC MEMBER! ---------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! Ms. Noe is "is an active member of her community", which is an incredible thing to put on a resume'. However it does not qualify her to dictate education policy.

Rep. Timothy Brown (R - Crawfordsville) -------------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! He is a ophthalmologist, which is great if you're trying to see to find your way out of your rectum. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy.

Rep. Kathleen Heuer (R - Columbia City) ------------------------ Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! She is a real estate agent, which is great if you're selling property in Costa Rica. However, it does not qualify her to dictate education policy.

Sen. Scott Schneider (R - Indianapolis) ------------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! He delivers ice cubes or a living, which is ridiculous. However, it does not qualify him to do ANYTHING let alone dictate education policy. He is a "Charter School Warrior of the Year for 2012". What is a "Charter School Warrior"? Is this a guy who works to destroy public education through supporting the ALEC agenda?

Rep. Edward Clere (R- New Albany) -------------------- Not one SECOND of teaching or school administration experience! NONE! He's another real estate broker. Must be an easy "certificate" to get. It's probably harder to be a cub scout leader. However, it does not qualify him to dictate education policy.

LISTEN: All kidding aside, these folks have no business on the education committee. They don't know the first thing of what life is like in the classroom. Most of them are business folks and have pledged allegiance to ALEC. Schools are not businesses. We are not stamping out parts like a factory. WAKE UP!