Bosma's Comments on Voucher Bill

I read an interesting column in the Louisville Courier-Journal from last week, where Indiana Statehouse reporter Lesley Stedman-Weidenbener discussed the comments made by House Speaker Brian Bosma, (R)-Indianapolis, regarding the purpose of the voucher bill.  The Democrats proposed an amendment to this bill prior to its passing the House which would have only made vouchers available to students in failing schools.  Representative Ed Delaney, (D)-Indianapolis, explained, "If Republicans had been honest about their motivation for vouchers, they would certainly accept the failing school amendment."  However, the amendment failed, and when asked about the Republicans' motivation behind supporting the bill, Bosma explained, "Helping kids escape from failing schools was never the primary goal of the voucher plan... 'It’s about empowering parents with additional choices'"  This column was clearly left-leaning, but it still proposes a good point.  I have no problem with providing parents with additional choices in districts where they are needed; however, I do not like the fact that providing an emphasized focus to children in failing schools was not even considered by Republicans.  I understand limiting the control of government over citizens' actions, but providing all Hoosiers with a quality education is a guaranteed right in the Indiana State Constitution, and insuring that this right reaches all students should be the primary goal of both Democrats and Republicans.

The article can be read on the Courier-Journal's website.

5 Bills With Greatest Impact to Future Teachers & Their Statuses in the General Assembly

Now that both chambers of the General Assembly have reconvened, we can begin looking at the progress of education bills again.  These, I argue, are the five bills under serious consideration that would have the greatest impact on future teachers.  Their current statuses in the GA are also listed.

• HB 1002 - Charter Schools: Passed House 2/8/11, in second of three readings in Senate as of 4/5/11
• HB 1003 - School Vouchers: Passed House 3/30/11, transferred to Senate Education Committee as of 3/31/11
• SB 001 - Teacher Tenure: Passed Senate 2/22/11, transferred to House Education Committee as of 3/28/11
• SB 294 - Probationary Period for New Teachers: Passed Senate 2/22/11, transferred to House Education Committee as of 3/28/11
• SB 575 - Teacher Collective Bargaining Rights: Passed Senate 2/22/11, passed House Labor Committee 4/7/11, awaiting second hearing in House

While a great number of the education bills mentioned at the beginning of my blog have been thrown aside because of the House walkout situation, these five bills are still very contentious and could have the momentum to pass.  Whether or not you agree with the principles of these bills, most can probably agree that, if passed, they will place a deep impact on Indiana teachers for years to come.  Now that the GA is operational again, these bills will likely progress quickly, so I will try to pay attention to their progress as the month moves on.

SB 294 & SB 575

I was watching the video coverage of the Senate proceeding on 2/22/11 and saw 2 bills be passed of particular interest to new teachers:

1. SB 294: Essentially mandates that school corporations hiring teachers who had not previously held a teaching license in another district must enter into a 60-day probationary contract with that new teacher.  After 30 days, the teacher must be evaluated and must meet with the principal.  After 60 days, if the teacher's performance is not acceptable, the district has the right to terminate the teacher's contract without the due process afforded to tenured or non-probationary teachers. You can see the Senate debate this bill on the video link from 1:03:00 to 1:24:00.  Senator Lanane, (D)-Anderson, sums up my general opinion of the bill when he notes, "I'm sure glad they didn't come in after one week and judge me," to which the author of the bill, Senator Holdman, (R)-Markle, replied, "Well that's why you're a lawyer, son" (1:22:00).  That is, despite the opinion of a principal interviewed by Senator Holdman noting that teachers can be judged after one week, I don't feel that 60 days is not enough time to give a probationary teacher.  As a pre-service teacher, the fact that this bill passed the Senate really scares me.
2. SB 575: This bill greatly hinders teachers' collective bargaining powers over their contracts and limits the power of teachers' unions.  This bill can be seen on the video from 2:36:00 to 3:13:00 and was ultimately passed in the Senate.  Senator Rogers, (D)-Gary, does a good job of explaining that unions not only fight for teachers' rights but also fight for quality conditions, such as low class sizes, advanced technology, and reasonable building conditions - all of which students need to learn in the classroom.

Status of Bills Advocated by Governor Daniels

I have listed below the major education-related topics directly advocated by Daniels in his State of the State address and the bills that those topics manifested into.  I will discuss whether or not each bill has died or progressed through one or both bodies of the General Assembly.

1. Teachers should earn tenure by proving their ability to help kids learn - and not simply through seniority (SB 001).  PASSED SENATE 2/22/11 - CURRENTLY PROGRESSING THROUGH HOUSE.
2. Students who complete high school one year early should be permitted to apply the funding that would have been used on their fourth year of high school toward the tuition of a post-secondary institution (SB 497).  PASSED SENATE 2/22/11 - CURRENTLY PROGRESSING THROUGH HOUSE.  
3. Charter schools should have the right to utilize vacant public school buildings if they are in need of room for expansion (SB 446).  PASSED SENATE 2/14/11 - CURRENTLY PROGRESSING THROUGH HOUSE.
4. Parents should be allowed to choose where to send their children to school - even if it means allowing the use of their child's state funding in a non-government school (SB 496/HB 1250).  SB 496 PASSED 2/22/11 - CURRENTLY PROGRESSING THROUGH HOUSE.  HB 1250 HAS STALLED.

House Democrats Flee the State to Stall Republican-Supported Bills

I just read an article explaining that 37 of the 40 House Democrats have fled Indiana in order to stall a series of Republican-supported bills up for vote, including the private school voucher bill that would allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to private schools using public funds.  3 Democrats remain in Indianapolis: The Democrat Caucus has rotated 2 representatives to stay in Indianapolis to insure that Republicans do not progress without quorum.  Representative Stemler of Jeffersonville has also stayed in Indianapolis because he does not feel that stalling House business is the right answer. 

A two-thirds majority is needed to maintain quorum in the House, and a quorum is required to conduct any  House business, including voting on bills.  7 democrats would have to be in Indianapolis to maintain majority, but House Minority Leader Pat Bauer of South Bend notes that meeting this quorum would be unlikely.  Republicans have adjourned the House until Monday in hopes that Democrats will return after the weekend.

The article I read on this topic can be read on the Louisville Courier Journal's website. 

Lobbying Groups Interested in Ed Bills

Here are a few major lobbying groups that have been actively supporting/opposing education legislation in front of the General Assembly.  Many of these groups' sites have lists of all of the ed bills that are in front of the Assembly (many more extensive than mine).  The Indiana Association of School Principals also has a link to an excel file that lists that organization's opinion on all of the ed bills still in front of the Assembly.


Indiana State Teachers' Association: http://www.ista-in.org/dynamic.aspx?id=308

The Indiana Association of School Principals: http://www.iasp.org/dppLegislative.html

Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents: http://www.iapss-in.org/page.php?pid=270

House Bill 1002

I was reading an article in a newspaper from home today and saw coverage of teachers from across the state protesting against the passing of House Bill 1002, which provided additional state support to charter schools.  Teachers argued that passing this bill would take funding away from public schools in order to provide them to charter schools.  This bill was very contentious, sparking over 2 hours of debate and the sound of teachers in the lobby chanting "no" as the final vote was taken.  I can see why there is so much debate over this bill because, on one hand, charter schools provide additional opportunities for students in successful and failing districts, while on the the other hand, charter schools do take away desperately-needed funding from school districts.  The bill was ultimately passed in the House by a vote of 59-37.

The final text of the bill can be seen on the House's Website
The video of the House's final hearing on the bill can be seen on the House's Website from 2:17:00 to 4:27:00.