Vic’s Statehouse Notes #277 – February 17, 2017

Dear Friends,

Five updates on public education in the Statehouse:

UPDATE #1: Join us in the Statehouse this Monday on Presidents’ Day (Feb. 20th) for “A Celebration of Public Education”! We need your voice and the voices of your family and friends on issues updated below!

Lunch (if pre-registered) at 12:30. Choirs at 1:30. Speakers at 2:00 in the North Atrium.

The League of Women Voters has joined the list of sponsoring organizations:

AFT Indiana

American Association of University Women

Concerned Clergy

Indiana Coalition for Public Education

Indiana Parent Teacher Association

Indiana Small & Rural Schools Association

Indiana State Teachers Association (lunch & display sponsor)

Indiana Urban Schools Association

League of Women Voters

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education

Speakers at 2:00 pm in the North Atrium are being coordinated by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, and Joel Hand will serve as MC.

Displays on the 3rd and 4th floor will highlight a sampling of great things happening in public schools.

Bring new and gently used classroom supplies for ISTA ReSupply and book donations to celebrate Read Across America.

I hope to see you as we celebrate public education!

UPDATE #2: Senator Kruse announced Wednesday before the hearing that SB 534 (Education Savings Accounts for Special Education) would not advance. It is dead for this session. Senator Kruse deserves your thanks for stopping this bill!

He went ahead with the hearing on the bill after announcing its fate. An expert from the Foundation for Excellence in Education in Florida, funded by Jeb Bush and the Gates Foundation, extolled the virtues of Education Savings Accounts, which as I have written would undermine the entire concept of public education. No doubt we will fight this fight again in the future.

UPDATE #3: The Senate bill to expand pre-kindergarten programs (SB 276) passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday with no link to a lifetime K-12 voucher such as that passed in House Bill 1004. SB 276 now goes to the Appropriations Committee. In its present form, it deserves the full support of public school advocates!

UPDATE #4: Both bills to make the State Superintendent of Public Instruction into a secretary of education appointed by the Governor are ready for a final vote on as early as Monday. If you oppose taking power from the voters to select our State Superintendent, this is your last weekend to appeal to your Senator or House member to oppose Senate Bill 179 and House Bill 1005. Both bills require no experience in Indiana and, unbelievably, no experience in education! Since they are identical, they could be signed into law very soon.

UPDATE #5: It appears that the Indiana House is sending a message to our K-12 students that they can’t give them adequate support this year because our roads are bad!

The House budget released Wednesday gives even less for tuition support than did the Governor’s meager budget released in January.

• The Governor asked for $70 million the first year (1.0% increase) and $210 in the second year (2.0% increase above the first year) or a total of $280 million new dollars.

• The new House budget invests $77 million in the first year (1.1% increase) and $196 million in the second year (1.7% increase above the first year) or a total of $273 million new dollars.

• In 2015, the final budget invested $157 million in the first year (2.3% increase) and $317 million in the second year (2.3% increase above the first year) or a total of $474 million new dollars. 

Is Indiana so poor this year that the support for public education must slip this much compared to 2015? The latest Consumer Price Index from the federal government showed the annual inflation rate in January 2017 to be 2.5%. Our school programs can’t even keep up with inflation next year when the increase is only 1.1%.

Legislators have not made increased funding for public schools a priority this year. The supermajority is trying to set an expectation that this is all that schools will get, but this is totally inadequate. They need to hear more from public school advocates!

In addition, the House budget would raise the amount for tax credits for private school scholarships from $9.5 million to $12.5 million each year. For the two-year budget, that means an increase of $6 million for private school tuition scholarships. This is the first point that public school advocates should press legislators on, so that at least $6 million could be shifted to shore up the clearly inadequate K-12 funding. If you talk with your legislator in the Statehouse when you come on Monday, this is an important point to make to stop the expansion of taxpayer money going to private schools!


Thanks for your advocacy for public education! I hope you can get to the “Celebration of Public Education” in the Statehouse on Monday!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!


ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. We need your membership to help support ICPE lobbying efforts. As of July 1st, the start of our new membership year, it is time for all ICPE members to renew their membership.

Our lobbyist Joel Hand is again representing ICPE in the new budget session which began on January 3, 2017. We need your memberships and your support to continue his work. We welcome additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!


Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998. In 2013 I was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education, and in 2014 I was honored to be named to the Teacher Education Hall of Fame by the Association for Teacher Education – Indiana.

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Vic’s Statehouse Notes #274 – February 10, 2017

Dear Friends,

Here is your chance to stand up for public education! Come to the Statehouse on Presidents’ Day to support public education!

On February 20th, you along with your friends, family and colleagues are invited to a “Celebration of Public Education”.

Lunch is available at 12:30 (register by Feb. 15). Student choirs begin at 1:30. Speakers begin at 2:00 in the North Atrium.

These are difficult times for public education, an institution that has undergirded our democracy for 180 years:

• On Tuesday US Senators voted to confirm a private school voucher advocate with no professional experience in public schools as US Secretary of Education.

• Governor Holcomb has recommended a meager 1% budget increase in general fund tuition support during a time when inflation is now running at 1.7%. Public school programs would have to be cut just to keep up with inflation. His recommended increase in the second year of the biennium is only 2% but his budget would keep a surplus of $2 billion.

• Bills filed in both the House and the Senate seek to end the concept of public education and common schools written into Indiana’s 1851 Constitution and give public money directly to parents without accountability or oversight, using the deceiving name “Education Savings Accounts.”

• House Bill 1004 would use the high-profile and popular pre-kindergarten expansion bill as a tool to expand private school vouchers, giving a lifetime K-12 voucher to students who have received a pre-K grant “at any time.”

Public education has been under attack for a long time. For an even longer time, public education has been a tremendous cornerstone to the progress in Indiana that we celebrated in last year’s bicentennial.

It’s time to celebrate and support public education!

Public officials in the Statehouse need to put a higher priority on PUBLIC education. Only constituents and voters can get them to do that. That’s where we need your presence in the Statehouse. I hope to see you there!

Partners and Details

Many groups are in the coalition partnering to support the “Celebration of Public Education” on Presidents’ Day. Others may be added. In alphabetical order, they are:

AFT Indiana

American Association of University Women

Concerned Clergy

Indiana Coalition for Public Education

Indiana Parent Teacher Association

Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association

Indiana State Teachers Association

Indiana Urban Schools Association

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education

Speakers at 2:00 pm in the North Atrium are being coordinated by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, and Joel Hand will serve as MC.

Displays highlighting a sampling of great things happening in public schools are invited. If you want to reserve a display table for your group or school, go to: ista-in.org/celebration

Lunch will be available on the 4th floor courtesy of the ISTA. A lunch count is requested by February 15th by emailing: dcrum@ista-in.org

Bring new and gently used classroom supplies for ISTA ReSupply and book donations to celebrate Read Across America.

I hope to see you as we celebrate public education!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!


ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. We need your membership to help support ICPE lobbying efforts. As of July 1st, the start of our new membership year, it is time for all ICPE members to renew their membership.

Our lobbyist Joel Hand is again representing ICPE in the new budget session which began on January 3, 2017. We need your memberships and your support to continue his work. We welcome additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!


Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998. In 2013 I was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education, and in 2014 I was honored to be named to the Teacher Education Hall of Fame by the Association for Teacher Education – Indiana.

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ISTA Action Alert: Board Votes to Deprofessionalize Teaching

Reposted from ISTA

May 28, 2014

• Despite being against common sense and the wrong thing to do, they voted for it.
• Despite studies showing that setting higher bars and training for teachers is best for students, they voted for it.
• Despite overwhelming opposition from public forums held throughout the state, they voted for it.

Voting in support of the career specialist permit aka the "adjunct permit" in REPA III is wrong on many levels. However, 6 members of the State Board of Education did so earlier this month.

We believe that our students deserve teachers who are trained in areas like child development, child psychology and how to run a classroom.

We believe that student teaching under an experienced mentor in a real classroom environment should be required for the sake of our children’s education.

We are not the only ones who believe this. Leaders from more than 10 professional and parent organizations concerned about educating Indiana's children joined with ISTA to oppose the career specialist permit in REPA III.

Please thank these members of the State Board of Education for their opposition to the career specialist permit:

• Superintendent Glenda Ritz
• Sarah O’Brien
• Troy Albert
• Cari Whicker
• Dr. Brad Oliver

More importantly, please email these members asking them to reconsider their vote in support of the career specialist permit.

• Tony Walker
• Andrea Neal
• B.J. Watts
• Dr. David Freitas
• Daniel Elsener
• Gordon Hendry

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Thank you, Hoosier Educators

To the educators and school personnel who make Indiana's public schools such wonderful places for our children to learn:


ISTA APPRECIATES YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU DO!

As this school year comes to an end, please know that your professional organization knows that every single day you and your colleagues do more than you have to for the children in your care.

Despite all of those tiresome comments about educators' jobs "being easy," remember there are people out there--parents, community members and your Association--that are thankful that Indiana has such talented and qualified people in our public schools.

Please know that as you begin to pack up for the summer, as short as it might be, ISTA will continue to fight for you and for the schools in which you work and teach. As ISTA president, I know how much time you spend away from your own families to work for our children--I know about the days you stay late, come in early and leave in exhaustion. I also know about all of those weekends spent grading papers and planning for the week ahead.

ISTA and I appreciate:

• the endless hours you spend in meetings, planning, discussing, preparing and learning;
• your expertise and the training that make you so qualified to do the difficult work that you do;
• your willingness to deal with all of the questions, concerns, emails and calls that come from parents and guardians;
• the personality, the joy and the love you bring to work each day;
• the example you set for all children;
• every bathroom break you don't get as you struggle to meet the demands of your day; and
• the time you take to make sure that our children know their value is much, much more than a test score--even when those scores can affect your own evaluation.

As a kindergarten teacher I spent a lot of time every summer getting ready for the next school year: reviewing standards, creating lessons, building lesson enhancements, studying data and more, all in the name of doing what was best for my students. I know you do as well. But remember to take time to let your Association help. Meet with us in June at ISTA's Summer Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. Days are set aside to help with leadership training, bargaining expertise and political activism. And take time to see how ISTA can be your source for professional support.

For more info on our summer conference, go to: https://ista-in.org/2014-ista-summer-leadership-conference.

Thank you, Hoosier educators. You are the capital that makes Indiana great. Your work does not go unnoticed and it is appreciated. Have a great summer.

Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,

Teresa Meredith

ISTA President on Teacher Appreciation Day

An Open Letter to Indiana's Public School Teachers For Teacher Appreciation Day

by Teresa Meredith, ISTA President.

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you. Despite all of the obstacles thrown in your professional path by corporate "school reformers" supported by many of our state's policymakers over the last few years, you continue to work magic in Indiana's public school classrooms in every community across our state.

Despite some legislators and other "education experts," who not surprisingly spend little or no time inside our public schools, lashing out at you after the release of the new teacher evaluation data, I know first-hand that you are passionate about our children and our profession. You are, indeed, highly effective.

One legislator, in particular, called that data "skewed."

I'd like to remind him and other naysayers that "effective" simply means "successful in producing a desired or intended result."

So, let me share with you some information provided by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education about results in our public schools:

• ATTENDANCE RATE - Hoosier public schools have successfully raised daily attendance in 17 of the past 23 years. The latest 2011-12 rate of 96.1% repeats the highest level ever reached in 2008-09.
• GRADUATION RATE - A new cohort method shows 88.4% graduated in four years or less in the Class of 2012, up from 85.7, 84.1%, 81.5%, 77.8%, 76.4%, and 76.1% in the last six graduating classes. The dropout rate was 6.1% for the Class of 2011, improving from 6.4%, 8.7%, 10.3%, 11.9% and 11.2% in five previous years of the new system which tracks every student.
• ACT COMPOSITE SCORES - Indiana's composite score on the ACT remained at 22.3 in 2011-12, the highest mark in state history. Indiana ACT scores have exceeded national averages in all 23 years of the study.
• NATIONAL ASSESSMENT (NAEP) SCORES - On National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) basic scores, Indiana outperformed the nation on all 41 NAEP assessments since 1990. On the NAEP proficient standard, Indiana outperformed the nation on 31 of 41 tests.
• ISTEP ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS SCORES - In 67 valid year-to-year comparisons over 14 years and 8 grades, 33 (49%) went up, 18 (27%) went down, and 16 (24%) were stable. More went up than down by a clear margin.
• ISTEP MATH SCORES - In 67 valid year-to-year comparisons, 42 (63%) went up, 14 (21%) remained stable, and 11 (16%) went down, showing a clear trend of improvement.
• PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES GOING TO COLLEGE - The percent of graduates aspiring to college went up 20 of the 21 years to reach 77.0% in 2009-10, the highest level in state history. IDOE no longer has this percent on its website.
• STUDENTS EARNING ACADEMIC HONORS OR CORE 40 DIPLOMAS - For all 23 years of the study, more students every year earned either the 47-credit Academic Honors Diploma or the Core 40 diploma, reaching a record total of 81.9% in the Class of 2012.

This data clearly shows "desired and intended results" thanks to your hard work and dedication. So I celebrate with you these successes that are often untold, and congratulate you on once again for a job well done.

This week, our state and nation celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. I know that many of you often don't feel appreciated after surviving several years of "education reform-based teacher bashing."

I want to take this opportunity to speak for the busy voices who often forget to take time to thank you for your work - parents, community members and policymakers who do know the true value of public educators and public education in our local communities.

To all of you fellow educators who value opportunities for our children to be creative, to develop critical thinking skills, to demonstrate their knowledge beyond worksheets and standardized tests, we say thanks. We appreciate you and your work.

And we pledge to begin today with a renewed commitment to working on for a better public school system for you and your students - a system respects you and the children whose lives you affect every single day.

In solidarity,

Teresa Meredith
Kindergarten Teacher, Shelbyville Central Schools
President, Indiana State Teachers Association

DOE Performance Evaluation Results

April 7, 2014

ISTA released the following advisory to statewide news media today regarding the Indiana Department of Education's release of results for the 2012-13 teacher evaluation findings.

Evaluation Results Show Most Teachers Effective

or Highly Effective

INDIANAPOLIS-The Indiana Department of Education today released the results for the 2012-13 new teacher evaluation models that link teacher performance to compensation based on test scores. The positive data paints an optimistic picture for public school teaching in Indiana. More than 87 percent of teachers statewide received an evaluation rating of highly-effective or effective while less than 1 percent of teachers received an ineffective designation.

There has been no lack of controversy and contention surrounding the issue. Following legislation enacted by the 2011 General Assembly school districts were faced with a major challenge to adapt evaluations. School administrators were required to evaluate every teacher annually--creating a major shift in time spent evaluating versus leading educational programming.

The 2012-13 school year was the first year that the new evaluation model was implemented providing data results in four categories: highly-effective, effective, improvement necessary and ineffective. The results include data for all certified school employees--including administrators--in addition to teachers.

"Hopefully these results show what we have known to be true for some time," said ISTA President Teresa Meredith. "For the most part our teachers are doing a superior job in Indiana schools. Now educators can stop holding their breath and take a look at the results themselves."

The results send a strong message to educators and policymakers throughout Indiana. Hoosier teachers are performing at high levels and are demonstrating excellence in the classroom.

ISTA calls on policymakers to refocus their collective attention on providing resources to teachers, classrooms and student programs designed to help children learn. "With an upcoming and budget-writing legislative session ahead, it is time for legislators to turn from reforms centered on bureaucracy to improvements in learning opportunities for students," Meredith said.

The data from the Indiana DOE can be found HERE.

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The Value of Association Membership - On Display at the State House--2014

March 17, 2014

Your VOICE was heard at the legislature. Thank you for your willingness to be actively engaged in the legislative process. YOU made a huge impact on the outcome of the 2014 legislative session.

The gavel fell last Thursday night on the 2014 Session of the Indiana General Assembly and once again the value of ISTA membership was seen. What follows today is a brief synopsis of a select few bills that were enacted and (as important) a list of some bills and provisions that did not pass. With each of these, ISTA influence (which, by the way, means YOUR LOBBYING) was both meaningful and palpable.

A complete list of education-related bills will be posted on the website this week, but for today, take a look at the following:

PENSION

HEA 1075: Teachers Retirement Fund (TRF) and Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERF) Annuity Savings Account (ASA) Program Changes: This bill was brought forward in response to action taken by the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) last June to privatize its annuity work beginning October 1, 2014 (thereby reducing by upwards of 25% ASA member benefits for those choosing to annuitize "in-house" after September 30, 2014).

ISTA members lobbied legislators for months to "undo" INPRS' intentions. Because of that, the awareness level by rank and file legislators on this issue was extraordinarily high. The provisions in this bill changed numerous times throughout the session. Under the enacted version of this bill:

• The annuity discount rate will remain at the current 7.5% through September 30, 2014.
• Beginning October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015, the rate will be 5.75% (which was the highest proposed rate we had seen since early in the session when the House passed the bill out).
• Beginning October 1, 2015 through December 31, 2016, the rate will be the greater of the interest rate for similar annuities being purchased in the private market as determined by INPRS or 4.5%. If interest rates increase over time, the rate will increase.
• Beginning January 1, 2017, INPRS will be permitted to outsource this work--which gives us all time to work this issue into the deeper future.

ISTA and its members never stopped advocated for a better formula and were always considered to be a lead stakeholder group working this bill.

HEA 1074: 13th Check (PERF/TRF): Provides a 13th check to PERF and TRF member retirees; delivered September 2014. Of course, ISTA prefers a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) as TRF/PERF members have not had a COLA since 2009. However, the 13th check will provide some assistance. The benefit structure for both PERF/TRF is as follows:
If a member has creditable service of at least:

• 5 years but less than 10 years -- $150 (only in the case of the member receiving disability retirement benefits)
• 10 years but less than 20 years -- $275
• 20 years but less than 30 years -- $375
• 30 years -- $450

VOUCHERS

HEA 1004: Early Education Pilot Program: All voucher language was removed from the preschool bill, resulting in a 5-county pilot program for families at not more than 127% of poverty. Originally, the bill included a voucher feeder component that would have provided every preschool voucher student (and their siblings) at 185% of poverty automatic eligibility for a K-12 voucher. The fiscal impact would have been $7.5 - $30 million annually.

ISTA worked to remove the voucher component of the bill-and the effort was successful. NOTE: It is likely that voucher proponents will be back next year looking to garner that "direct connection" from preschool to K-12.

The state will use $10 million in funds in the first year that had reverted under the state's Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and FSSA will administer pilot program that begins this fall. An additional up to $5 million can come from private donations/federal funds.

A preschool and early learning student commission will convene this summer as well. ISTA supports this version of HB 1004. A longitudinal study will also assess the impact on student achievement.

CHARTER SCHOOLS/REFORMS

HEA 1321: IPS: This bill originated as a far-reaching bill that could have permitted IPS to contract out to charter schools and/or reconstitute existing schools throughout the district-with few restrictions. ISTA and IEA (Indianapolis Education Association) negotiated with the IPS Superintendent, the Mayor of Indianapolis, and multiple legislators, to narrow the scope of the bill.
Negotiations resulted in the following:

1. An imposition of a 10% cap on the number of schools that could be reconstituted in year 1.
2. A/B schools will be statutorily protected from reconstitution or from sharing space with any other charter school even if these A/B schools have unused space in their buildings.
3. Schools in IPS that could be reconstituted were limited to schools that have been labeled D/F for the last 3 consecutive years, plus the 3 existing "innovation-like" schools already in existence (should they want to convert under the new law).
4. Language to provide supports for teachers who may want to take leadership roles in creating these innovation schools/programs. (A separate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between IPS and IEA adds further language on these supports).
5. Language to require that the agreement include performance metrics to be achieved by the management company (the prior versions were silent on this).
6. Language to require the agreement to include terms for revocation (the prior versions were silent on this).
7. Language in the MOU will require that the IPS administration and IEA will have a continuing dialogue on the implementation of HB 1321.

SEA 205: Charter School Accountability: The bill increases charter school accountability in the following ways:

1. The State Board of Education must take action against any charter authorizer who renews a charter or fails to close a charter that does not meet minimum standards.
2. A process is established for a situation where more than one charter wants to purchase a vacant building. The charter with the higher letter grade receives the building.
3. Turnaround schools in their 5th year of failure can go back to the district, become a charter or undergo other intervention. NOTE: ISTA supported the school going back to the district.
4. A sponsor must provide a report to the State Board, DOE and the public.
5. An authorizer is prohibited from requiring a charter to contract with the authorizer of that charter.
6. A charter agreement is limited to 7 years.

SCHOOL SAFETY

SEA 229: Firearms in School Parking Lots: One of the more high-profile bills this session, SEA 229 allows a person who legally possesses a firearm to possess the firearm in a locked truck, glove compartment of a locked car, or otherwise stored out of plain sight in the person's locked car without the threat of committing a felony. The bill prohibits the following from being able to possess a firearm on school property:

1. Any high school student (unless the high school student is a member of a shooting sports team and the principal has approved the person keeping the concealed firearm in the high school student's car on the days of competition or practice).
2. A former student of the school if the student is no longer enrolled in the school due to disciplinary action taken within the last 24 months.

This enacted version is an improvement over prior versions (narrowed). However, ISTA continues to oppose permitting firearms on school property by non-school resource officers. One of the key points of opposition has been that the law prohibits giving the local school board authority over developing school safety policies dealing with firearms on school property.

SCHOOL FINANCE & FUNDING

SEA 1: Elimination of business personal property tax with no replacement (SB1/HB 1001): Throughout the session, ISTA has been a partner in a coalition called "Replace Don't Erase" that is made up of various stakeholder groups (local government/schools/libraries) that rely, in part, on business personal property tax revenue. The enacted bill passed by a vote of 63-37 in the House and 36-12 in the Senate.

The final version was much more narrowed from the original versions in the House and Senate. However, the terms are as follows:

1. There will be a reduction in the corporate gross income tax over 6 years, landing on 4.9%.
2. There will be a reduction in the financial institutions tax rate over 6 years, landing on 4.9%.
3. There will also be "super-abatement" options (exempting the tax for up to 20 years) for certain new initiatives.
4. Each of the SB 1 and HB 1001 original approaches (small business personal property tax exemption and local option elimination of the business property tax for new equipment, respectively) were maintained as parallel local options (ie. the state is not mandating these exemptions occur):

• Local option small business personal property tax exemption: If the local COIT board (schools do not have a seat on the COIT board) approves, small businesses may exempt personal property with an acquisition cost of less than $20,000. This would eliminate 50% of those who filed under the tax previously. The fiscal impact is being projected at $7.6 million if every county opted in. Of this, about $2 million would be lost to schools.
• Local option for the elimination of property tax on new business personal property: If the local COIT board approves, "new" business equipment would be exempted from the business property tax. Eventually as all equipment is replaced, the property tax on equipment will disappear and revenue to local governments and schools will fall.

While it is undeniable that the scope of the Governor's original sweeping proposal has been scaled back dramatically, it is disturbing that changes potentially impacting the levels of Indiana's state revenues would be made prior to the long, budget-writing session and without identifying replacement revenues.

HEA 1062: School Debt Restructuring: This is a good bill, which holds the promise of providing a degree of relief to some 90+ school districts that have been impacted by 10% or more with regard to circuit breaker/protected taxes restrictions. Under the bill, these districts would be exempt from protected taxes for 2014, 2015, and 2016. Also, the proposed bill will allow school districts to carry a 50% operating balance in their Debt Service Funds or any debt originally incurred before July 1, 2014 (in other words, for existing debt). Refinancing of debt after July 1, 2014 would continue to have a 50% operating balance threshold, too. Debt incurred beginning July 1, 2014, could have an operating balance in the Debt Service Fund of 15%.

Educator and Student Standards

HEA 1388: Teacher Preparation Programs: This bill was about holding schools of education accountable for its graduates once they become licensed. ISTA secured language in this bill that makes any teacher evaluation data that is transferred and that is personally identifiable either by teacher name or identification number is confidential under law and not subject to a public records request.

SB 91: Education Standards: This bill was the Common Core bill and, in a practical sense, reflects a bit of a compromise between Common Core proponents and those who opposed Common Core. The bill "voids" Common Core State Standards effective July 1, 2014. However, Superintendent Glenda Ritz and the State Board of Education are currently on track to adopt College and Career Ready Standards before the July 1, 2014 deadline.

The bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget to cost out the implementation of a new state assessment and requires the state to seek a waiver from the Federal Government for the adoption of the College and Career Ready Standards. The bill ensures safeguards for student data privacy.

NOTE: ISTA worked on an amendment to delay high-stakes consequences for teacher evaluations in the likelihood that student test scores will be different for up to 3 years during the transition to the new standards and assessment. The amendment did not pass but ISTA is working to develop a coalition on this issue that will likely include the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

SOMETIMES THE BEST BILLS ARE THOSE THAT DON'T PASS

As you might imagine, much of what occurs in the General Assembly centers on working to defeat measures that:

1. don't make much practical sense in the public school world;
2. could be hurtful to the school employees, students, or public schools; or
3. are intended to devalue the work of the Association.

Here is a quick list of some of the ideas that, with ISTA & ISTA member lobbying, did not make it to enactment:

HB 1233: School Employees Enhanced Criminal Background Checks: Would have required that school employees be subject to an "enhanced" criminal background check every 5 years at the employee's expense. Later, a narrowed-down version would have required anybody who had never had a background check (life license teachers), plus all new hires to pay for an enhanced background check within 5 years. No version passed.

SB 178: Release of Employee Information: Would have criminalized routine communication that occurs between a labor organization and an employer concerning certain employee information. Was heard in Senate Pensions & Labor Committee but was not voted out.

SB 190: Bargaining Law Changes: Would have allowed non-members to sit on exclusive representative discussion teams and vote on the proposed collective bargaining agreement. After having scheduled the bill for a Senate hearing, the author agreed to pull it from the schedule. Similar language later appeared as a House Education Committee amendment to SB 284-but the House Sponsor of SB 284 (Sen. Rhonda Rhoads) agreed to not bring the bill down on 3rd reading. Since the language never passed a chamber, the language was not eligible for Conference Committee revival.

SB 322: Voucher Schools and ISTEP: Would have expanded the school voucher program by allowing voucher schools to bypass accountability by not being required to administer ISTEP. The bill also would have prohibited the DOE from requiring voucher schools to report any information "that is not necessary" and to reduce "undue reporting burdens." Ultimately, the bill failed to meet 3rd reading deadlines in the Senate.

SB 284: Diversion of General Fund Monies from School General Funds: As part of a bigger bill, language was inserted in SB 284 to allow school districts to remove from school general funds interest income, rental income, or other school district activity income. Estimates indicated that the diversion of funds could total over $70 million statewide-which is more than 1% on the school funding formula. .

ISTA and ISTA members worked very hard to keep SB 284 from reaching a floor vote in the House-and were successful when the sponsor of the bill (Sen. Rhonda Rhoads) agreed to not call the bill down on 3rd reading.

SB 416: Prohibit Automatic Dues Deduction: This bill, plus 2 separate 2nd reading amendments (one involving all labor and one involving school employees only) were offered in 2014. Each time, with intense lobbying, ISTA was able to defeat these efforts. As long as ISTA continues to engage in dues deduction through the local district administration rather than through its own EASY PAY system, the General Assembly will be able to continue to leverage this issue against ISTA, thereby diverting attention away from fighting for and against issues that are more impactful to K-12 public education.

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ISTA wins lawsuit on teacher wages

January 17, 2014

An ISTA lawsuit on behalf of the Nettle Creek Classroom Teachers Association has resulted in the overturning of a decision by the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board (IEERB) on teacher wages.

Marion County Superior Court Judge Thomas Carroll ruled that “school corporations and teacher associations can bargain additional wages for hours worked over the number of hours contained in a regular teacher's contract.”

The lawsuit may result in Associations being able to bargain with school corporations for hours required to be worked outside a teacher’s regular teacher’s contract.

In his decision, the Judge specifically held that a bargaining proposal made by the Nettle Creek TA was bargainable under Indiana law. The proposal stated that teachers would work an additional 15 hours per semester for $0/hour and then be paid $34/hour for any additional required hours.

Judge Carroll also cited a previous ISTA court victory regarding the “regular teacher’s contract” proposed by Tony Bennett in 2011 that would have allowed schools to make teachers work unlimited hours.
Judge Carroll supported his decision with a ruling in that case where the Judge had held that “the regular teacher’s contract drafted by Bennett is unconscionable in that it gives school corporations the authority to unilaterally modify the number of days and hours that a teacher must work, but it does not require the school corporation to pay for the additional labor or any other additional consideration.”

Nettle Creek was the first school to go to Fact Finding under the new laws that went into effect in 2011. ISTA filed a lawsuit in April of 2012 challenging the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board’s decision in Nettle Creek.

This victory is a definite setback for the IEERB which continues to include in its Fact Finding decisions that teachers can be required to work unlimited hours without additional pay so long as the work relates to a teacher’s teaching duties.

ISTA will continue to fight these unjust decisions and protect teachers’ rights against being made to work an unlimited number of hours per day with no additional compensation.

Keep up to date on education ISTA Blog: www.ista-in.org

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ISTA Action Alert!

Testimony Needed for impending teacher licensure rule changes -- aka REPA III

The following is from ISTA.

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Educator testimony is needed immediately for the upcoming teacher licensure rule changes known as REPA III.

Background
Former Superintendent Tony Bennett forced REPA II through the State Board of Education in his last days in office (January 2013). The new rules were hurried through the approval process before then Superintendent-elect Glenda Ritz could take office.

REPA II was a major step in de-professionalizing teaching by “ed reformers”.

REPA III
REPA III is basically the final version of REPA II that was adopted by the State Board of Education in January 2013. Some technical revisions have been made at the request of the Attorney General and Legislative Services Agency. But, the starting version of REPA III is to a significant degree the end version of REPA II.

So….REPA III is essentially REPA II.

The full REPA III proposal can be read here: http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/20131218-IR-511130399PRA.xml.pdf

Offering your testimony
When preparing your testimony, consider at least these points:

• REPA II was forced on teachers and serves to de-professionalize teaching—teacher input in some fundamental areas has not been incorporated in REPA III:

• ARTICLE 16: ADJUNCT TEACHER PERMIT (511 IAC 16-4-6): REPA III enables a person with a BA who passes a content exam to become fully-licensed on a five-year cycle to teach in Hoosier classrooms. In essence, it enables a person to become a teacher without demonstrating an understanding of teaching. Understanding methods, manners of student learning, and strategies for special needs should be minimal qualifications. REPA III provides an avenue into the classroom based solely on a BA and content knowledge testing. Passing a content examination certainly does not guarantee quality of instructional ability nor demonstrate the art and science of teaching. Pedagogical ability is left out of the equation.

• Special education students could end up having teachers who lack the appropriate training.
• REPA 2 sets the bar too low to enter the profession.
• There has been a complete lack of evidence to merit these major changes.

• ARTICLE 13: ACCREDITATION OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS (511 IAC 13-1-1): REPA III refers to an accredited teacher preparation program as being “an organization recognized by the state board of education to prepare educators to meet requirements for licensure.” This doesn’t offer any real or meaningful definition and is far too open-ended. An accredited teacher preparation program is not “an organization” but is a university-based, rigorous course of study—as is the case with any other profession.

• Article 15: SCHOOL SETTINGS AND LICENSE CONTENT AREAS (511 IAC 15): Please review your individual licensure school setting and content area and make appropriate comments thereon.

Submitting your testimony
Educators have two options for submitting feedback and testimony.

In person
Educators have the opportunity to testify in person at three hearings being held around the state. While it would have been nice if those hearings concerning teachers and teaching could have been convened in the evenings when teachers might be able to attend, it is our understanding that the hearing dates and times were set by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency. At any rate, members can attend in person and personally present testimony likely limited to five minutes. The hearings will be held at the following locations and times:

January 13, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.
St. Joseph County Public Library, Main Branch, Colfax Auditorium
304 South Main Street
South Bend

January 14, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.
Indiana Government Center South
402 West Washington Street, Conference Center Room A
Indianapolis

January 16, 2014 at 9:30 a.m.
Evansville Public Library, McCullough Branch Meeting Room
5115 Washington Avenue
Evansville

Written
Written testimony should be submitted to the State Board of Education here: http://www.in.gov/sboe/REPAIIIcomment.htm

If submitting written testimony, we ask that you please copy and paste your testimony into an email to each State Board of Education member. This will ensure that they receive your full and complete testimony rather than risk having it be summarized by CECI staff (the Governor’s Education Agency).The State Board members are:

Supt. Glenda Ritz - gritz@doe.in.gov
Tony Walker - tony@walkerlawgroup.biz
Dr. David Freitas - drdavidfreitas@comcast.net
Cari Whicker - cwhicker@hccsc.k12.in.us
Sarah O’Brien - sobrien4cd@yahoo.com
Andrea Neal - aneal@inpolicy.org
Dr. Brad Oliver - brad4education@gmail.com
Daniel Elsener - delsener@marian.edu
B.J. Watts - bj.watts@evsc.k12.in.us
Troy Albert - talbert@wclark.k12.in.us
Gordon Hendry - education@gordonhendry.com

If you are a public school educator or support professional, please email the board members from home and on your own personal time.

Course Change on Annuity Accounts

October 21, 2013

Dear ISTA Members,

We want you to know that today's meeting of the Pension Management and Oversight Commission (PMOC) went well. Much of what happened today is the direct response to your thoughtful communications with members of the Commission.

Today, PMOC members sent a unanimous message about the direction it supports - not to privatize this annuity work but, instead, to find a better balance between what INPRS believes it needs and the needs of its members.

Today's motion from the Commission's final report reads:

1. The Commission considered the four proposals considered by the INPRS Board regarding the issuance of annuities to retirees for their ASAs.
2. The Commission recommends that INPRS pursue an option that would keep the annuitization of ASAs in-house and to not proceed with a 3rd party contract. Instead INPRS should periodically establish an interest rate that will not create an unfunded liability in their managed funds.
3. The Commission recommends the General Assembly not set a statutory interest rate at this time.
4. The Commission recommends that the date to undertake these activities occur not earlier than October 1, 2014.

Basically, the recommendation calls for NO PRIVATIZATION and that INPRS continue to annuitize in-house in a way that will not create an imbalance between what INPRS promises and what it can earn in investments.

This is a "non-binding" recommendation, but carries weight inasmuch as PMOC oversees the work of INPRS. INPRS will meet this Friday and it is hoped that INPRS will take new action to reflect PMOC's recommendations.

The reason for the Oct. 1, 2014 implementation date is to ensure that school employees interested in retiring next summer can do so under the current retirement system.

ISTA will continue to work to make positive impacts on behalf of members. Please stay tuned. We will keep you informed.

Please take time to thank Sen. Karen Tallian for her leadership on this issue and for offering her motion. Also, take time to thank the other legislative members of PMOC for voting for it.

Chairperson: Sen. Phil Boots (R-Crawfordsville): s23@in.gov
Sen. Gregory Walker (R-Columbus); s41@in.gov
Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage); s4@in.gov
Sen. Lindel Hume (D-Princeton); s48@in.gov
Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton); h28@in.gov
Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland); h58@in.gov
Rep. Chuck Moseley (D-Portage); h10@in.gov
Rep. David Niezgodski (D-South Bend); h7@in.gov

ISTA knows this is a high-interest topic and will continue to hold its retirement workshops around the state as originally scheduled.

A Fall Message to Members

ISTA's Teresa Meredith message to members...

Questions for Teresa: 1-800-382-4037

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Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) update

The following are talking points compiled by chief ISTA lobbyist Gail Zeheralis regarding the changes to TRF/PERF. Please encourage share and take action!

1. It appears as though INPRS understands the issues surrounding current year teachers and their ability to retire and still come under the existing annuitization policy. Steve Russo, executive director of INPRS, in an email to me indicated that “The intent of the INPRS board was to make the changes effective on a date that would allow teachers to finish out the school year before having to retire. As you and others have pointed out, the rules specific to TRF would require a teacher to have a last day in pay status on or before May 31st, 2014. Now aware of this, I will recommend to the INPRS board a delay by 1 month that would in essence permit teachers’ to finish out the school year. The next INPRS board meeting is in September. I will see what flexibility we have in communicating the intent before the board considers the change in September.”

As you will note, Steve’s response is very much a teacher (TRF)-focused response. Other school employees (who might be under PERF) may not be jeopardized by a June retirement date, but I will investigate further.

2. The Pension Management Oversight Commission is meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, August 27) and Steve Russo is on the agenda to provide his annual report of the Pension Systems. I presume that the policy changes approved by INPRS dealing with the long-term rate and the outsourcing of the annuitization will come up because legislators who sit on the commission have likely heard about it. ISTA will testify if public testimony is scheduled. More likely, there will be a subsequent meeting on these changes specifically. Please stay tuned.

3. Nobody has really made the case that the annuitization change, in particular, is warranted. Even if there is rationale, there are many ways in which INPRS and/or the Legislature could address it—and INPRS took one of the most aggressive approaches—negatively impacting the most soonest.

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Below is a link to an article from August 28. It gives you some figures to go along with the changes in TRF/PERF. Be on the lookout for a flyer regarding an informational session with ISTA’s chief lobbyist on 9/17. She will provide details on the changes, information she received from her meeting with the governing board, and will also entertain questions from the audience. It will be in Ft. Wayne...members and spouses will be welcome – as well as those in PERF such as police and fire as it affects them as well. More coming your way very soon!!!

State board cuts public pensions

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Please use the link below to the Keep the Promise website to see an update on the changes to TRF/PERF. This will impact retirements for this year as well as in upcoming years.

Pension Management Oversight Committee Discusses Changes to TRF/PERF

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Changes in Your Retirement

August 29, 2013

ISTA Members,

Between ISTA's initial notification and recent local news coverage, we trust you have become aware of two changes the Indiana Public Employee Retirement System (INPRS) recently adopted and made effective July 1, 2014:

1. A change in the long-term interest rate assumption (from 7.5% to 6.75%); and
2. A change in how a member's Annuity Savings Account (ASA) funds will be annuitized (which will impact the overall monthly retirement benefit if a member had planned to have INPRS annuitize ASA funds and then combine them with his or her pension).

ISTA is working to rescind or amend the change described in (2) concerning the annuitization of PERF and TRF member ASA funds. As you can imagine, explaining the issue and the possible fixes can become detailed. In an effort to simplify the issues, please review the attached document which takes the format of using INPRS' FAQ responses with added ISTA commentary.

Please know that ISTA will continue to keep you informed about this important issue.

INPRS FAQ's.pdf

ISTA Settlement

August 13, 2013

You might have heard or read in the media today that a settlement has been reached with the Indiana Securities Commissioner and the Indiana school districts who participated in the I.S.T.A. Insurance Trust (Trust). When finalized, this settlement, the Naylor Case, resolves the last of the litigation over the failure of the Trust, which provided health and other insurance products to a small number of Indiana school districts.

Despite what you might read or see in the media, NO ISTA or NEA monies were used to fund this settlement . Since 2009 there has been an array of litigation over the failure of the Trust, including litigation brought by ISTA and NEA on behalf of the Trust, to recover from those individuals and entities whose conduct caused that failure. That litigation generated settlements from those individuals and entities. Only funds from those settlements were used to settle the Naylor case.

Please share this information with your members, and in particular share the fact that ISTA and NEA member dues money is not being used to pay this settlement.

ISTA is pleased that all of the pending litigation is being resolved on terms that are fair to Indiana's public school teachers who participated in the Trust.

Thanks for your continued support.

Update on Major Education Stories

July 30, 2013

Your ISTA wants to keep you updated on two major stories related to Indiana public education:

BENNETT CHANGED SCHOOL GRADES

Emails obtained by the Associated Press were released showing directly and clearly that former Indiana schools chief Dr. Tony Bennett and his staff worked last year to change the letter grade of an Indianapolis charter school supported by a prominent donor to Bennett's political campaign and to others in his political party.

ISTA has made it clear that there is absolutely no excuse for the actions taken by Bennett and his staff. The emails in question show that the Christel House Academy charter school's letter grade was knowingly manipulated and retrofitted by the very people who have created and championed Indiana's new accountability systems for schools and educators - unfortunately, many of those officials continue to serve in important policy-making positions in state government.

"The revelation of these emails has created zero confidence among public school educators. This manipulation of data is wrong and needs to be addressed by state leaders to ensure that a system is put in place that is fair to all and above reproach," said ISTA President Teresa Meredith.

Bennett and his staff have created yet another situation for Superintendent Ritz and her staff to "clean up" - efforts that will take a great deal of taxpayer resources as well as time taken away from helping children.

ISTA will continue to monitor this story, assist Superintendent Ritz in any way we can and outreach to legislators from both parties to create and implement policies that will ensure that these kinds of abuses will not occur again.

LINK TO STORY: http://www.indystar.com/viewart/20130729/NEWS05/307290048/Report-Grade-changed-Republican-donor-Christel-DeHaan-s-charter-school

ISTEP+ REPORT

In response to the widespread problems associated with CTB McGraw Hill's administration of the spring ISTEP+, Glenda Ritz, Superintendent of Public Instruction, hired Dr. Richard Hill of the National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment to review the results. He released that report yesterday.

The report showed that because of the efforts of teachers, administrators, students and parents, as well as the swift and decisive actions taken by Ritz, the average negative statewide impact on scores was not measurable. However, this does not mitigate the effect the interruptions had on students, parents and teachers throughout Indiana.

At this time, the exact impact of interruptions at the individual, classroom and teacher level cannot be ascertained.

"I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of Indiana students, parents, teachers, administrators and the employees of the Department of Education," said Superintendent Ritz. Because of their dedication and hard work, the impact of these interruptions was limited. However, let me be clear, the problems with the ISTEP+ contractor were absolutely unacceptable," Ritz said. "I have given local schools the flexibility they need to minimize the effect these tests have on various matters, such as teacher evaluation and compensation. I have also instructed CTB McGraw-Hill to conduct enhanced stress and load testing to ensure that their servers are fully prepared for next year's test and ensure that this never happens again."

ISTA applauds the actions taken by Ritz and her staff to deal with this situation as quickly and effectively as possible.

Educators continue to be concerned. Despite the fact that the report concluded there was no impact on scores, the impact on students, educators and families has been far reaching. Test interruptions caused stress for students who had to stop and start throughout the test before completion or restart the entire test.
ISTA will also monitor Indiana's high-stakes testing because these interruptions diminish confidence in our state's expensive system and raise concerns as we look ahead.

LINK TO STORY: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307290014
LINK TO FULL REPORT: http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/news/hill-report.pdf

ISTA 2013 Legislative Recap -- School Performance Awards

ISTA is Working for You!

Legislative Recap

Click here for a full recap of the 2013 Legislative Session compiled by the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Includes information on vouchers, charter schools, school funding and finance, school safety, superintendent licensing and more.


School Performance Awards

From ISTA Keep the Promise: Highly Effective/Effective Teacher Bonus Grants

Deemed “School Performance Awards,” the budget bill appropriates $30 million in the 2nd year of the biennium to be distributed based upon graduation rates or 5% improvement in graduation rates, student passage rates on ISTEP and End of Course assessments or 5% growth in these assessment results.

Click HERE for a district-by-district printout of the awards.

Report to the RA

Gail Zeheralis provided this report at the 2013 ISTA Representative Assembly

From: Zeheralis, Gail
Subject: The General Assembly adjourned sine die.

Tonight ended the 2013 general assembly. Members adjourned sine die at about 1:15 am.

The full measure of the “tale of the tape” will need to be written in the coming days, but your lobbying team needs to convey to you a couple of significant accomplishments today having to do with what did not pass—knowing full well that more information will follow on the many bills that did pass. You will need to know about the new laws just enacted concerning school funding, teacher performance awards, voucher expansion, charter schools, virtual schools, performance-qualified high school flexibility, common core, the A-F school grading system, REPA II statutes, 13th checks for retirees, and school safety. But, for tonight….

Sometimes the best laws are the ones that don’t pass.

Last Minute Budget Bill PERF/TRF Annuity Restrictions:

Thanks in large measure to your answering the call this morning to contact your legislators on a new issue that had popped up in the budget in the 11th hour relating to PERF/TRF pension benefits, we received word at about 6:30 pm that the language to limit PERF/TRF retirees’ annuity options was coming out of the budget bill. I cannot emphasize enough what a “team” effort this was.

It literally took the better part of the day—getting the word out first thing to our UDs and members, educating unsuspecting legislators (dozens of them), explaining the issue (which lends itself to some complexity) over and over again, urging their support and then their assistance to speak up in their respective caucuses, amassing some quick data to intelligently combat this new issue on the merits, continuing communications with you-- our members-- throughout the day to ensure that you were persistent, and engaging with outside partners (county workers (AIC), retired state employees (RIPEA), labor, superintendents) so that we were not alone.

Many legislators helped along the way—chief among them, Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville). Senator Becker grabbed onto this issue last night when ISTA shared it with her and worked closely with us throughout the day. She was tenacious and systematic. She was instrumental in galvanizing both Senators and House members and in acquiring some data that was helpful. Those who know Sen. Becker understand fully what I mean when I say there just was no “quit” in her.

Rep. Tom Dermody (R-LaPorte) was the first in the House to help marshal supporters and he was quickly followed by Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo). I hesitate to make a list because as the day wore on and more and more legislators became aware of the issue (remember the budget bill is 300+ pages and this was one issue), there was a snowball effect that cannot be denied and ISTA is grateful for all of the assistance. One Representative who is in the financial planning business, Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-Fort Wayne) was uniquely helpful, too.

And it must be noted that both Democrat caucuses (House and Senate) were full-bore in support of our efforts throughout the day.

It helped that we had some good facts on our side and that this was a brand new issue, not vetted. But I must tell you that once a budget bill version is developed, it is EXTREMELY difficult to modify it on the last day. I can tell you that the lobbying effort on this was textbook and each and every one of you should be proud of the impact you had.

Here is a link to a news article written by a reporter from the Evansville Courier Press who interviewed ISTA on the background:

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/apr/26/indiana-legislators-labor-night-they-put-final-tou/

Dues/PAC deduction Prohibition Provision:

A threat to the organization unveiled itself not 2 weeks after the November 2012 election when it became public that the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce was going to push for a statewide ban on school employee Association dues and/or PAC deductions voluntarily requested by the school employee of his/her employer. Faced with supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, ISTA quickly organized its forces while the NEA assisted in providing a legislative crisis grant to help fund additional personnel, back home outreach events, and statehouse legislative events.

HB 1334 became the vehicle for the prohibition—first a dues prohibition and then a “contribution for political activities” prohibition. HB 1334 passed the House with this language in it, thereby keeping the issue alive for literally the rest of the session. It seemed as though every day there was a new rumor as to its resurrection and each rumor had to be tracked down and legislators had to be reminded that the entire effort is unfair, unwarranted, and punitive.

ISTA received final word from the Speaker just yesterday that the issue would not be resurrected this year.

While this is a positive accomplishment for our organization—and a testament to your persistence and communication skills and outreach—it does clearly demonstrate that the Association must devote an inordinate amount of time and resources into fighting this when there is an alternative available to us that gives us back our leverage. That alternative is what ISTA calls EASY PAY—our own tailor-made dues deduction system that would take this out of the hands of the general assembly completely….

I don’t mean to turn this into a commercial…but it is now after 2am and I am reflecting on how much better things would be if we could free ourselves from having to lobby this particular issue over and over again and be able to concentrate all of our efforts on the issues most important to you and public education.

‘Nuff said for today….again, from the bottom of our collective lobbying hearts, thank you for all that you do for children, our communities, and public education.

Gail Zeheralis
Roni Embry
John O’Neal
Brad Tracy

The Value of YOUR ISTA Membership!

Individual Teacher's Contract

• In August, 2011 ISTA immediately challenged Dr. Tony Bennett's new teacher contract form and was granted a Preliminary Injunction to keep it from being used. The judge ruled that current teacher contract forms should be used because Bennett's form did not conform to Indiana code.
• In August, 2012 ISTA opposed IDOE's attempt to overturn that Preliminary Injunction and ISTA was granted a Permanent Injunction.
• ISTA then prepared to challenge IDOE's appeal of the Injunction to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
• In March, 2013 Indiana's Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal at IDOE's request.
• ISTA is drafting a sample teacher contract providing IDOE with suggestions on how the teacher contract should read.
• This effort by ISTA and its legal counsel (costing in excess or $50,000) is worth the cost of your membership because no teacher in this state will now be forced to become an at-will employee and be required to work any and all hours their employer would request.

ISTEP Integrity Statement

• ISTA's legal efforts resulted in an immediate revision of this statement last school year and a recall of the first version teachers were mandated to sign.
• ISTA is currently working with the IDOE to further modify the statement to make it less offensive to those who are required to sign it.

License Revocations

• ISTA has successfully represented several members in license revocation cases.
• Without ISTA's efforts on their behalf, they were certain to lose or have their licenses suspended. Some of these cases were brought against teachers who had no charges of any sort pending against them and who had been entirely cleared of any offense by law enforcement and Child Protective Services but were still being pursued by the IDOE for license revocation.

Child Abuse Representation

• Eric Hylton, ISTA legal counsel, has handled more than 35 child abuse allegation cases so far this year with tremendous success in getting an unsubstantiated ruling on virtually all of them.

Permanent/Semi-Permanent Property Rights

• ISTA is currently challenging in court the property rights of teachers who have previously earned semi-permanent or permanent status but who have now been RIF'd before a less senior colleague.
• This challenge could have huge ramifications for every teacher in the state who has semi-permanent or permanent status when school districts start looking at layoffs this spring.
• ISTA is also challenging to establish the right of a semi-permanent or permanent teacher to have full evidentiary rights at a dismissal hearing.

Collective Bargaining

• ISTA has several pending cases or Unfair Labor Practice claims that will try to establish the right of teachers to bargain the payment of wages for additional hours worked into their master contracts.
• A Nettle Creek Fact Finding case is pending in a trial court and a Noblesville ULP is awaiting a hearing before the IEERB Board. Both could have significant impact on our members across the state.
• ISTA is currently inquiring into the authority of the State Board of Accounts to audit local bargaining agreements and to issue citations to local school corporations.

Legislative

• ISTA staff continues to aggressively advocate for public education and education employees and lobbying against many bills that are not favorable to ISTA members or to public education in the General Assembly, including the bill that vastly expands the current voucher program that provides public dollars to private schools.
• ISTA remains the voice for public school educators at all levels of state government.

Political Action

• ISTA was an early supporter and stayed extensively involved in the successful election of State School Superintendent Glenda Ritz and will continue to support her efforts to improve public education and the Indiana Department of Education.

Voucher Challenge

• NEA/ISTA presented oral arguments before the Indiana Supreme Court in opposition to the voucher program on November 21, 2012. ISTA continues to believe that Indiana's private school voucher program is a clear violation of the state's constitution. The Indiana Supreme Court has not yet ruled in this case.

Look for more information from ISTA soon!

Stand up for yourself and ISTA

ACTION ITEM: Please contact your House Representative immediately to urge their opposition to HB 1334.

This is your chance to stand up for your profession and the Association that stands up for you.

This morning, the House Education Committee heard HB 1334 (Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, a teacher himself), allowing the Department of Administration to contract for liability insurance for public and nonpublic teachers. This was the original bill (before an amendment) and basically invites state government to get in the teacher liability insurance business-hardly an example of free market principles generally espoused by members of the Republican caucus-but coincidentally a service that the ISTA provides as part of its membership dues.

Speaking of Association dues, Rep. Thompson then added an amendment to his bill in committee to do a number of things, chief among them, to prohibit a school employer from enabling the automatic deduction of union dues from the school employee's paycheck as voluntarily requested in writing by the employee.

Since this issue was highlighted in the Northwest Indiana Times and the Indianapolis Star beginning in November (after the election) as a legislative goal of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, ISTA has systematically contacted many members of the Republican House and Senate caucuses to ascertain the strength of support therein. Time after time, the response ISTA received in these intervening months centered on words and phrases like "unnecessary," "punitive," "retribution," and "does nothing to improve student achievement."

During public testimony on this issue, only one individual registered support specifically for the component of the bill that prohibits dues deduction-Kevin Brinegar, President of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce.

ISTA testified in strong opposition and is greatly disappointed that, once again, the House Education Committee has chosen to focus on adults rather than programs in classrooms that help children succeed. The effort to take away teachers' own choice to deduct their dues, which is both voluntary and annually renewed, is disrespectful and is yet another attack on teachers-this time their professional Association.

During testimony, Rep. Thompson confirmed that his measure has nothing to do with cost and everything to do with his "philosophy" on the issue. This is not being billed as a fiscal savings measure and is surely not as demonstrated by the continued allowance of every other voluntary deduction one can conceive.

Recently, in other states with Republican-controlled legislatures, this same measure has been enacted-only to be found unconstitutional in court.

Ironically, Rep. Thompson embedded into his anti-teacher amendment the following initiatives:

(1) A $1000 state income tax deduction for certain expenditures made by teachers related to their instruction (this amounts to $34 annually);

(2) Excused from all professional growth requirements for re-licensure teachers deemed "highly effective;"

(3) Excused from 50% of the growth experiences the teacher would otherwise be required to accrue for re-licensure teachers deemed "effective;"

(4) In a blanket move, authorized "high performing schools" to seek waivers of all SBE rules.

The bill passed committee as amended along party lines with a vote of 7-3. Representative Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes) excused himself from the vote until he can seek legal counsel because, as a professional educator and dues-paying member of ISTA, he wants to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

ACTION ITEM: Please contact your House Representative immediately to urge their opposition to HB 1334. This is your chance to stand up for your profession and the Association that stands up for you.

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https://keepthepromiseindiana.org/_data/files/Copy_of_House_Senate_emails.pdf

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