As Glenda Ritz files suit against the Governor's State Board of Education, Hoosier Voices for Public Education is calling on all Hoosier Public Education supporters to take part in a virtual March on Marian. We need to email, call, and convey our displeasure with Daniel Elsener's role in the continued destruction of Indiana's public schools through his cronyism with Governor Mike Pence and the GOP lead Indiana General Assembly. Mr. Elsener has made many attempts to circumvent the true will of Hoosier voters through his attacks on Glenda Ritz, his tantrums at SBOE meetings since Ritz's election, and his newest efforts to work outside the auspices of the SBOE by crafting a letter asking the legislature to take over assignment of A-F grades instead of allowing this to continue to be controlled by the Indiana Department of Education. Mr. Elsener continues to show his true alliances to his GOP cronies in the Indiana General Assembly and Governor Pence. He proclaims to be an "Independent", yet supports GOP candidates and works closely with the GOP leadership to gain his desired status and preferential treatment for Marian University in order to promote privatization and takeover of public schools. We all know the GOP favors "privatization" and the "private" institutions. The General Assembly proved this yet again during the last session by expanding vouchers and once again giving public tax dollars to private institutions. Mr. Elsener looks to benefit from these monies as private schools push their students to continue on into the private university sector upon completion of their high school requirements. Mr. Elsener serves a huge conflict of interest being a "private" university president on the PUBLIC State Board of Education. He also has destructive ties to Tony Bennett, Mitch Daniels, and organizations like Teach For America and the Mind Trust. It is time to let Mr. Elsener, the Marian Board of Trustees, and Governor Pence know that we are no longer sitting back and watching their shady antics. We are calling them our for what they are. . . blatant attempts to cirumvent the will of Hoosier voters by grabbing power from the Elected Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction, Glenda Ritz!
Daniel J. Elsener
President
president@marian.edu
317.955.6103
2013 Board of Trustees
Jerry D. Semler, chair
Susan R. Jones-Huffine, first vice chai
rMichael A. Blickman, second vice chair
Charles A. Liles, treasurer
Patricia D. Curran, secretary
Thomas G. Hoback, immediate past chair
Nancy Ayres
William E. Bartelt
Frank M. Basile
Joseph E. Costanza
William Brent Eckhart
David S. Evans
Richard D. Feldman, M.D.
Wanda Y. Fortune
Janis B. Funk
Gary Hentschel
Catherine Hillenbrand Kennedy
Katharine M. Kruse
Daniel M. Lechleiter
James H. Madison
Edward S. Matthews
Craig M. McKee
James W. Merritt Jr.
James T. Morris
Michael B. Murphy
Samuel L. Odle
Ersal Ozdemir
Margaret Cole Russell
William N. Salin Sr.
Robert E. Sexton, D.D.S.
Joseph A. Slash
Dennis M. Sponsel
Lu Carole West
"Please sign and share this petition to change the Indiana law to make the positions on the Indiana State Board of Education ELECTED and NOT APPOINTED by the Governor. Currently, 10 of the 11 positions are appointed. This week, while the sole elected member, Sup. Glenda Ritz, was in China on an education trip, the 10 appointed members drafted a letter to shift oversight and administration of school grading to the legislature. This is just one example of the stonewalling and shady tactics by the appointed members of the board."
Why would these State Board of Education members draft a letter of this sort? The answer is simple, the GOP fears Glenda Ritz and her knowledge and they are willing to try anything, even circumventing the law, to usurp power from the ELECTED Superintendent and continue the Daniels/Bennett destruction of Indiana's PUBLIC schools. These appointed board members are treading on sketchy waters if they think that the Hoosier voters, who loudly proclaimed it was time for new educational leadership in Indiana, are not watching and waiting for our opportunity to pounce and regain control. These board members are taking action outside the law by making such moves without utilizing public open door laws and discussing their plans during public board meetings. They are obviously meeting outside the board meetings without the presence of the Chair of the SBOE, ELECTED Superintendent Glenda Ritz. These men and women appointed to the State Board of Education must be stopped. They need to either resign or be run out of office. These people do NOT represent the will of the Hoosier voters, and their continued power grabs alongside the General Assmebly are reprehensible.
It is time for all HOOSIER VOICES to be heard. We MUST demand a change in the current practice of power grabbing and the constant scoffing at the voters of Indiana. We ELECTED a Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction to lead us away from the destructive and divisive ways of Tony Bennett and Mitch Daniels. Our one big mistake in Electing Glenda Ritz, was that not enough of us voted to elect a different Governor. It is time to demand cooperative methods between the General Assmebly, the appointed SBOE members, and our Superintendent. It is time to demand that these people work with the will of the voters, or we show them how we will stand up and put them out.
I do not agree with recent writings that "we're better off finding common ground through reasoned dialogue with legislators than to go after them with pitchforks." This type of mentality is what has us in this position again. We voted, and then we just sit back and watch instead of becoming vocally involved. It is time that we stop watching the destructive actions and SPEAK OUT more loudly than that November day a year ago. We must go after these men and woman who have the midset that they know more than the voters. We must run them out of office and show them that the will of HOOSIER VOTERS will not be scoffed at and disregarded for the gains of their cronies and private campaign contributors. Pitch forks may wll be more necessary than king words and playing nice. We have watched what happens when the attempt to "play nice" is met with the arrogance of the likes of Dan Elsener and his GOP croines. Governor Pence sits on his high horse "preaching" his sermon of cronyism while Bob Behning, Dennis Kruse, Brian Bosma, and David Long sing their hymns of praise. It is time we show these men that we are done playing nice. It is time we remind them that last November we voted because we want our PUBLIC schools back and we want our ELECTED Superintendent to lead the way!
