Governor Mike Pence Is At IT Again! Or, playground bullying isn't isolated to grade school?

Abuse of Power is an Epidemic So It Seems;Too Many Selfie's Maybe? 

It seems that White House isn't the only place where there seems to be a misuse power in order to steamroll an agenda. Indiana Governor Mike Pence is at it too. Our state openly and honestly elected Superintendent Glenda Ritz, yet it seems that Mike Pence is doing everything in his power to remove her power as head of education in Indiana.

I personally believed in Ritz as she embodies everything that is right in education and stands against everything that has gone wrong. She represents the possibility that a person can be chosen for a position regardless of political connections, or correctness. Public education, like most government run agencies has become a cesspool of nepotism, political ties, and what is most pervasive cronyism! Glenda's appointment was refreshing because it sent a message to people everywhere. That message simply stated is; do a good job, be a good person, and you can move to the head of the class. Her appointment embodies what public education is!

Well, it seems that whether you are dealing with State level education or a local school yard, bullies do in fact troll the halls and playgrounds just waiting to find someone to bully and minimize. I truly believe that Glenda Ritz is being grossly disrespected by Governor Mike Pence. Is it because she never held a local superintendent position or is because she is a woman, she supports public education and republican Governor Mike Pence is misogynistic? My suspicion is that it is both. Please read a letter sent to me by the Indiana State Teacher's Association. It is time for union members across the nation to stand together and demand the badgering against public educators stop!


ISTA has learned that the State Board of Education intends to further diminish Superintendent Ritz’s role as Chair of the board and transfer some responsibilities to the board’s staff at the Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI). The actions will take place at the board
meeting on Wednesday .

The board will propose dramatic new board procedures through approving a resolution that will form a one-time, ad hoc committee that will approve the new measures intended to cut into the Superintendent’s traditional role as Chair.

It’s no secret that the Governor and the CECI have wanted to remove Superintendent Ritz as Chair of the State Board of Education. In December, it was disclosed in a leaked CECI memo that Ritz being the Chair was perceived as a “problem” that should be addressed by the legislature. The goal then was to have the Chair appointed by the Governor.

This latest move coincides with efforts to seemingly make the Department of Education a minor administrative bureaucracy folded within one agency under the Governor’s office. 

Efforts first began when the Governor, with the stroke of a pen and without legislative approval, created and diverted funding for his duplicate education agency, the CECI.

We learned just weeks ago that the Governor’s Indiana Career Council has adopted a new strategic plan that includes consolidating more than 30 state agencies and programs, including the Department of Education, totaling more than $650 million, under one lead agency directed by the Governor.

This new resolution brought forth by the governor-appointed state board of education members is the latest in this fixation over gaining singular power at the expense of the authority of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Please contact the members of the State Board of Education and urge them to work WITH Superintendent Ritz instead of continuing on this path of disrespect for her, the office she holds and the 1.3 million voters who elected her.

Tony Walker - tony@walkerlawgroup.biz

Dr. Brad Oliver - brad4education@gmail.com

Dr. David Freitas - drdavidfreitas@comcast.net

Daniel Elsener - delsener@marian.edu

Cari Whicker - cwhicker@hccsc.k12.in.us

B.J. Watts - bj.watts@evsc.k12.in.us

Sarah O’Brien - sobrien4cd@yahoo.com

Troy Albert - talbert@wclark.k12.in.us

Andrea Neal - aneal@inpolicy.org

Gordon Hendry - education@gordonhendry.com

A Letter to Congress On The First Day of Teacher Appreciation Day, 2014!

As we enter Teacher Appreciation Week throughout this nation, I cannot help but reach out to you and implore you to intervene on behalf of Teachers, communities, and most importantly our children. Show us appreciation!

I languish in the rumors that we will take a financial hit due to economic woes of the district, the community, eh state and more. not brought on by me or my fellow employees as,WE did our jobs. WE worked tirelessly to raise our student's scores, moral, as well as raising the moral of our community. Our Administrators will be forced to impose, not a well earned salary increase for dedication, but, they are being forced to ask us to absorb the loss of funds. They are put in a bad position as well.

While many are saying it is only a 2% or so cut, it is actually a 4% as we are not getting a cost of living increase, plus we will take a cut. We will have higher premiums on our insurance because of changes due to Obama Care, and other government mandates. What does this really mean? My district is no different than many other districts or industries. What does it all mean?

*Lower retirement investment, so there is a long term loss.

*Lower credit ratings, because our earning power has been diminished.

8Lower investment in the local community.

My spending at restaurants, shops, donations to local endeavors, etc., will all be diminished as my income is being diminished.

The local community will be impacted by the unfortunate economic imposition. My Administrators who believe in public education, who believe in this community are being forced to do what so many families are doing. "Robbing Peter to pay Paul." "Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare!" "Where has all the money gone?" All cliches aside, we need transformation! It is broke system and I cannot help but believe that governmental interference is to blame! Throwing a test at something that is broken is like throwing an anchor to a drowning man. (look to publishing companies, pie in the sky programs, and standardized testing along with Federally mandated programs that are in actuality unconstitutional!) TESTS DO NOT TEACH! It is time and money lost on nothing more than a game of witch hunt! After decades of testing, your way doesn't work!

Will the only thing that matters to congress, our test scores continue to rise if moral is low? Will our scores continue to rise if some of the best and brightest see this as an time to leave the learning community? When will that loss ever be regained? How many years will it take until those of us who have little time left before retirement reclaim our loss? Will we ever without leaving the community?

These are realities that I am sure you are very much aware of. As a dedicated veteran educator I am asking you to help change the direction of education in this country. The current direction has a rapidly spiraling downward effect for your constituency. With 1/3 of all new teachers leaving the profession within the first 3 years, how does this nation and local communities reward those of us who have stayed in and demanded the best for our kids?

What costs is the State and Federal entities imposing upon our learning communities which time and time again, does nothing to prepare our kids for careers and a sound future? (I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about these wasted programs, etc.)What cuts can be made now by the Governmental bodies that will ensure more teachers, good teachers? I challenge you imagine this simple truth! One good teacher can have more impact, than any textbook, reader, computer program, pie in the sky program, and a standardized test will ever have. I stand on this reality. Our nation has been built upon the shoulders of teachers who had only one thing in their satchel...passion for knowledge and a desire to share that passion! The current means of financing schools is as antiquated.

I trust that we can depend upon you to help secure our future along with the future of our schools. Without that, there is little hope. Show how much you appreciate teachers, LET US TEACH!

Mary E. Rapier, Founder of PBL3 Initiaitives

We are facing a dilemma currently in our global society. It is a one that we have never truly had to deal with entirely before and it is one that will be with us from this era forward. We as a nation have taken a half-hearted approach towards, it. “It” is illiteracy, and literary incompetence. We have witnessed an increase in the investment into our schools in the area of literacy, but this is actually because of the identifiable shortcoming of our students graduating out of our public school system. This is not to say that there is an ever increasing upwards movement towards higher education. It is to say that even with all of those efforts we are still falling short with regards to communicating effectively through the written word. The NCEE, National Center on Education and the Economy has spent a time and money to create a program that fills in the gap and prepares for the future students who are capable of producing thoughtful, succinct executive summaries. In an ever increasing movement via the internet the dominance of the written word is further ahead than any mainstream individual could have ever imagined fifty years ago. Our founding fathers desire to establish an educated society was an insightful desire, however we have created a dual dynamic in that there are so many that are graduating from halls of universities, colleges, technical training schools without the ability to communicate effectively through the medium of written text, that however they understand concepts, they cannot effectively translate that into documentation. One must ask then is writing a learned skill or is it an art? Is need outpacing ability? Regardless of what the individual belief is, the necessity for a strong written document is central to the promotion of idea, product, emotion, a securing of both the tangible as well as the intangible. Word weaving as I like to refer to it is fulfilling that Very need. My life experience when melded with education, art, the weaving of the importance of the written word, provides you the client with the documentation necessary to get your message across. A real world, pragmatic approach to allocation of concepts is what you will find in my work. While there has not been formal education in the area of mar-com, I do have experience in writing for a purpose, Executive summary, research, curriculum development, web-text development, essay, as well as non-professional documents. All in all, my ability to transfer ideas in written form is a strength that I have been developing over the course of many years. The role of educator, coach, developer, volunteer, director, consumer, has given me the ability to identify the needs of those that I am serving. As the individual shares a need, a preferred outcome can be isolated. My goal oriented nature seeks ways in which to fulfill the desired results. Articulate, direct, passionate, encouraging, are all words that can be used to describe my approach. When approach is coupled with the an idea or product there will be results coming forth as a result of the written word. The market and the needs of the individual will change as we evolve into a global community. Having someone with a diverse background identifies their ability to grow and change with the needs of those around them. The diversity of skill sets provides a canvas of adaptability and modifiable form to deliver a product to you the client, that meets your need as well as your client’s needs. For further information feel free to contact Mary E. Rapier with maryerapier@gmail.com