Another week, more attacks on schools in Indianapolis
12/07/2013

It seems like every time parents, students and teachers turn around; public schools and Superintendent Ritz are under attack in Indianapolis. This week was no exception.

So what happened just this week?

• Governor Pence unveiled his 2014 agenda, all based on expanding Indiana’s already largest in the nation voucher program and helping the expansion of charter schools. This coincides with his plan for a $1 billion tax cut for businesses which would further defund Indiana’s schools.

• Newly leaked documents from the right-wing lobbying group, ALEC, show more Indiana legislators are flocking to ALEC despite other states abandoning the extreme group. Governor Pence was the group's keynote speaker on Friday.

• Superintendent Ritz released a secret CECI memo and draft legislation that calls for the removal of Ritz as the Chair of the State Board of Education.

• State Board of Education members called for an emergency meeting to lay out plans to strip as much authority as possible from Superintendent Glenda Ritz as the board’s Chair.

We believe it’s time for Governor Pence to dissolve his duplicate ALEC-style education agency, the CECI, and call on his state board of education members to respect the will of 1.3 million voters and let Superintendent Ritz do her job. Public schools, and the students they serve, deserve better.