ISTA Take Five for Glenda and Public Education

TAKE ACTION: Contact Governor Pence to encourage him to stop diminishing the authority of Superintendent Ritz and the Department of Education.

Governor Mike Pence’s Office: 1 (317) 232-4567

Consider the Following: ISTA members saw the result of the governor-appointed members of the State Board of Education continuing to undermine the authority of Indiana’s duly-elected State Superintendent Glenda Ritz.

“A year ago, voters elected Ritz to lead our state’s educational programs,” said Teresa Meredith, ISTA President. “Soon after bills were drafted undermining her authority. When those efforts failed, Gov. Mike Pence, ignoring 1.3 million voters and through an executive order the legality of which ISTA continues to question, created at taxpayers’ expense a duplicate Department of Education – the Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI).”

Through these actions, Pence perpetuates the ugly climate and escalates the gridlock displayed at the November 13th State Board of Education Meeting.

In a letter to the Indianapolis Star this afternoon, Gov. Pence criticized the present of politics in education policy making. “It’s time to put conflict behind us and work together for the benefit of our kids and their futures,” Pence wrote.

Actions speak louder than words, Governor, and the very existence of CECI diminishes the authority of Supt. Ritz and the Department of Education. The creation of and efforts to expand CECI can only be viewed as both political and inflammatory.

Talking Points

• Governor, Indiana’s children need you to govern and be a bridge builder between your appointed-board members and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• Glenda is the duly elected Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction—Indiana’s Chief State School Officer.

• Taxpayers lose with CECI creation as it attempts to duplicate duties performed by the Department of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Make your voice heard today!