Response to State of State: Bold leadership is investing in our schools, not more unnecessary corporate tax cuts
01/15/2014

 

Yet again, Governor Mike Pence tries to convince Hoosiers that the state of our state is just fine.

 

In his State of the State speech last night, Pence dragged out his usual talking points in an attempt to convince us all that we can tax-cut our beleaguered state economy to prosperity – the same mindset he showed during all of his years in the U.S. Congress.

 

Pence continues broad-brushed calls for all kinds of “reforms” to improve our state while ignoring the one simple thing that he and his colleagues could do to guarantee brighter futures for all Hoosiers: Adequately funding our traditional public schools.

 

Year after year of tax caps and draconian cuts to K-12 public schools are decimating our communities as witnessed by the lead stories on the morning news programs one day after Pence’s speech. 

 

Indiana’s community-based public schools shouldn’t be faced with the false choice of keeping adequate qualified staff members or providing school bus transportation to their students.

 

Continuing to ignore the needs of our public schools is not bold leadership.

 

Governor Pence, we don’t open the doors to educational opportunity for all kids when Indiana’s traditional public schools – the true schools of promise located in every Hoosier community – struggle to keep their doors open as their public dollars continue to be diverted into the pockets of out-of-state privatizers and religious schools.

 

To build a more prosperous future for our state, we need to build a more stable and secure public school system – a commitment that Hoosiers made to the children and families of this state nearly 200 years ago. Doing so would show true leadership.