Hoosier Mom's Public Education Grade Book
Spring Session 2013
It is that time in the legislative session when the Hoosier Mom must submit the final grade card for our legislators. The grades are based on their support for public education as measured through their votes.
The Hoosier Mom chose 5 bills as "tests" of our legislator's support for public education this session. Just like in school, legislators will earn points by passing the test and using their vote in support of public education. Just like in public school, legislators that chose to not take the test do not earn points: there is no make-up test.
The 5 tests were:
SB 189 - Performance Qualified Schools
HB 1003 - Voucher Program Expansion
HB 1338 - Charter School Expansion
HB 1357 - Deprofessionalization of Superintendent Licensure
HB 1427 - Common Core & other Tony Bennett matters
There are many legislators who are failing to support public education. The Hoosier Mom suggests a voter takeover of these legislator's positions in the upcoming election year. Accountability is the priority here: they must be held accountable to the voters.
The only option we have is to elect legislators that will documentably support public education via their vote.
The gradebook is as follows for the House, then the Senate:
Let's take a look at last minute power struggles in the Indiana State Legislature. As usual, Representative Bob Behning is at the core of most of the bills focussed on the destruction of Indiana's PUBLIC schools and set to dole out more funding to his favored private school contributors. Along with the expansion of vouchers, Representative Behning seems intent on continuing the reform wagon pulled by former Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. Take a look at the bills listed below, where they stand in each house of the state legislature, and who is supporting or opposing each.
According to StateImpact . . .
Senate Bill 1: A conference committee looking at the school safety bill is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday. As you may be aware, the controversial amendment requiring armed personnel in every Indiana school has been sent to summer study committee, but lawmakers still need to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Senate Bill 207: Last week the House agreed to a partial rollback of a 2011 law that bars undocumented students from paying in-state tuition. The bill goes back to the Senate for concurrence.
House Bill 1003: The bill’s author, Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, says he won’t fight Senate changes to the bill that significantly narrow voucher expansion. Instead, he’s proposed a modest increase in the tuition cap — $400 over the next two years.
House Bill 1327: House lawmakers were expected to vote Monday on a proposal to relax superintendent licensure requirements. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann cast the tie-breaking vote when the bill left the Senate earlier this month. Now the House needs to approve those changes before the bill can go to Gov. Mike Pence.
House Bill 1427: We’re waiting to see if a proposal that would halt implementation of new academic standards will pass the House or head to conference committee. Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, added anti-Common Core language to the bill after a separate Senate timeout proposal stalled in the House Education Committee. Behning, who chairs that panel, is a staunch supporter of the new standards and says he’d like to see HB 1427 head to conference committee, but Schneider feels he has the votes he needs in the House to succeed.
When we look ahead to the end of this session, April 29 at latest, we must also begin looking ahead to future elections and determine who we need to take a close look at voting out.
