Act Now: Stand up for our schools, our students and our profession
04/24/2015

 

We have asked for your help many times this legislative session and so many of you have answered the call to support our public schools, our students and our profession.

 

However, time is running out.

 

This is the last weekend before the 2015 General Assembly comes to a close. There are still some important issues unresolved. Please contact your state representative and senator and urge them to:

• Honor your local association as a partner to innovation and transformation
• Recognize the bargainability of all salary and wage issues without selected exceptions
• Oppose the restrictions being placed on Indiana’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz

Innovation Network Schools (HB 1009; formerly Freedom to Teach) and Transformation Zone Schools (HB 1638)

• Tell them that successful transformations and innovations occur in schools when there is collaboration and collectivity in purpose.
• Tell them that other states, and even districts within Indiana have worked with their unions in a positive way to foster such transformation and innovation.
• Tell them that you know that there is no legal reason to even pass new laws on changing school governance if these proposals are really about local control and not about cutting into the local teachers union. Indiana law already supports local innovation—we know that because it is happening all over the state without new legislation. The only difference is that when it happens now, it happens consistent with existing teacher bargaining rights.

Master’s Supplemental Pay & Performance Bonus Pay (SB 566)

• Tell them to honor the 2011 law that limited the collective voice of teachers to salary and wage issues and to oppose carving out new salary and wage items from bargaining.
• Tell them that when master’s pay and bonus pay are unilaterally doled out by the administration, it directly impacts the funds that remain to bargain for everyone.

Glenda Ritz Restrictions (SB 1)

• Tell them that you oppose SB 1 as it appears as though the will of voters is being tampered with for political gain.
• Tell them that you especially oppose a new set of restrictions just announced to further restrict Superintendent Ritz’ authority and the power of the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) in favor of the governor-appointed State Board of Education (SBOE). These additional restrictions would give the SBOE the authority to be the state education agency for purposes of interfacing with the federal government and requiring the IDOE to turn over data (including presumably individual student data) to the SBOE. This simply appears as though we are setting up duplicative agencies again. Instead of bringing the two entities closer, it appears as though they could be operating independently of one another. These concepts were not vetted through the committee process.