Republicans continue to dismantle public school system
The assault on Indiana's public schools began with Mitch Daniels and his man Tony Bennett, but Gov. Pence is determined to continue the assault. Only trouble is, Bennett was defeated for Superintendent of Education by Glenda Ritz, who got more votes than Pence himself, and this was before Bennett's several scandals became breaking news.
Even so, Pence remains determined in his assault on public schools and, for partisan purposes, seeks to undermine Ritz's commitment to Indiana's public schools by using political appointees to personally attack independently-elected Ritz and thus undermine the Department of Education's effectiveness.
Pence has also set up a Center for Education and Career Innovation, a costly shadow agency that overlaps the responsibilities of the Department of Education and four other state agencies. The CECI costs taxpayers over $3 million and is chaired by a non-educator who serves as the governor's special assistant at a salary of $120,000, more than the governor's $112,000 salary or the Superintendent of Education's $88,000 salary. The CECI also employs a staff of 16, six of whom earn more than $100,000 each.
Pence has further pursued his anti-public school agenda through the GOP-dominated state legislature. Its current budget gives schools their lowest funding for the last generation in a year not in recession. Rep. Rhonda Rhoads voted for this budget.
Then, from the already underfunded money allocated for public schools, the GOP took money to pay for a greatly-expanded voucher program for additional students already in private schools, costing Indiana taxpayers and the public schools $15.8 million. Rhonda Rhoads voted for vouchers originally and then for their expansion.
The GOP also continues in its enthusiasm for charter schools, whose students take with them money from the public schools. These charters are for-profit, corporate-operated schools whose performances, on average, are no better than, if as good as, those of public schools. One of Bennett's scandals was that he raised the grade of a charter school whose owner was a contributor to his campaign.
The Republicans continue to work against teacher unions, which provide the only voice for those who actually teach our kids. The Republican legislature has worked to lower standards for teacher licensing, compromising the education, training and professionalism of those who teach our children.
Rhonda Rhoads has been a consistent and loyal supporter of the GOP's assault on the public schools even to the point of using tax dollars for corporate and private school funding.
Charles Allen
Corydon, Ind.
October 08, 2014
Mike Pence has one agenda.. Using Indiana as a stepping stone to the White House.. It's unfortunate that He's using our children and the educators to get there by cutting their funding and incomes.. Our educators have the most important job in the State and are being paid less than the Government officials.. Values are in the wrong place.. Each of the States need to stand up for themselves and demand that their children and the educators come first.. NOT the elected officials that use them as stepping stones to further own their careers.
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