TUESDAY TATTLER 5



If you teach elementary school, or remember to your younger days, then the following scenario is a familiar recess occurrence. 

Bobby – “I don’t like you and I am not going to play with you!”

Denny – “That’s not nice.  I am not going to play with you either!”

Bobby – “ Oh yeah?! Well, I will tell my friends not to play with you either!”

Denny – “Fine!  I will take my toys and go over there!”

Bri – “Teacher, teacher, Bobby and Denny are fighting again!”  They are not playing nice and Denny is taking his toys somewhere else to play!”

Sound familiar?  Well, it should!  This scenario is playing out in the Indiana Legislature and it is becoming rather childish.  House and senate education committee members, obviously still reeling from Novembers upset of Tony Bennett, can not seem to figure out how to please 1.3 million voters or their counterparts in different houses.  Representative Behning and Senator Kruse seem to be so bent on their dislike of educators and public education that they are now turning on one another. 

It appears that the battle has gotten to the point where Behning is deciding that senate bills will not get hearings in the house, and this apparent move seems to be causing Senators, like Carlin Yoder(R-Middlebury), to withdraw bills already passed out of committee.  Senator Yoder, author of  the bill to scrap the A-F grading of schools, pulled the bill on Monday for questionable reasons.  This bill was originally authored by Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso).  Senator Charbonneau was “demoted” to second sponsor so that Yoder could take the lead role, and now withdraw the bill in another apparent recess playground dispute of “I will just take my toys and leave”.

Does anyone else think it is time for these grown men to stop the petty political bickering and return to doing the jobs they were elected to do?  Yes, there have been some catastrophic bills moving through both houses this session, but there have also been some good.  It is time to put the bickering aside, stand up for our children, and stop making threats to one another’s legislation in order to further the destructive agenda aimed at Indiana’s Public Schools in favor of the profit driven private sector. 

Boys, the teacher has decided that you each need a time-out.  As we reach the halfway point of this legislative session, take time to understand the reasons 1.3 million voters chose a new direction and see to it that you serve that constituency with the same determination you spent the first half trying to destroy.  Glenda Ritz was elected as the voice of Indiana’s PUBLIC schools.  She is an even tempered, education expert who knows why she was elected.  I think back to my hour long conversation with her on election night.  She said to me, “ There never was any doubt in my mind that I was going to defeat Tony Bennett, we will see for sure in a few hours.”  Well, there is no doubt in this teacher’s mind that Superintendent Ritz has great things in store for Indiana’s public school children, once she is allowed to serve the 1.3 million voters in the capacity in which she was elected to do so. 

Representative Behning and Senator Kruse, take your half way point time-out and come back in the second half ready to do something to benefit and support our public schools.  The teacher is watching, and your next election could very well be your last.

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!