I think that Ritz got elected because people realized how bad Tony Bennett had F#%ked the job up before.
Teacher or teacher in the family?
I think that Ritz got elected because people realized how bad Tony Bennett had F#%ked the job up before.
Teacher or teacher in the family?
From Lucas' Facebook post on this topic
FACTS! FACTS! FACTS! Get the FACTS and THINK FOR YOURSELF!
The biggest misunderstanding I keep hearing about HB1609 is that it "takes away the will of the 1.3 million people that elected Superintendent Ritz".
Take a deep breath, it does NOT do that!
Here's the quick skinny for those that want to know the facts:
1) The Indiana Legislature passes laws and determines funding.
2) The SBOE (State Board of Education) adopts rules and sets goals.
3) The SPI (Superintendent of Public Instruction) IMPLEMENTS the laws and rules that the Legislature passes and SBOE adopts.
4) Under current law, the SPI is also the Chair of the SBOE.
5) The duty of the Chair is to ensure that the Board or Committee functions properly and fulfills its duties and responsibilities.
6) The SBOE is comprised of 11 members, 10 of which are appointed by the Governor: the SPI, 1 appointed representative from each Congressional district and 1 At Large.
7) There can only be 6 members from the majority political party, with the remaining 4 members from the minority party. A MINIMUM of 4 members must be actively employed in Indiana schools and hold a valid teaching license. Our current Governor-appointed Board has all but two education involved members, ranging from elementary school teachers to university presidents. ALL are HIGHLY RESPECTED members of the education community. Read about the Board here - SBOE: Board Members
8) There has been MAJOR dysfunction on the Board. Type in "indianapolis star sboe Ritz" on your browser to read for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
9) HB1609 merely allows the SBOE to elect their own Chair. Period. Nothing more. Nothing less. Currently, Indiana and Oklahoma are the only two states in the country that have the SPI automatically Chair the SBOE, and both states are experiencing major dysfunction. 36 states allow the SBOE to elect their Chair and 8 states the Governor appoints the Chair.
10) Under HB1609, the SPI IS STILL on the SBOE. The SPI STILL has a vote. The SPI CAN STILL run for Chair.
11) HB 1609 DOES NOT AFFECT the powers of the SPI to do their duty of implementing laws.
12) Superintendent Ritz testified before the House Education Committee on Tuesday the 3rd and read a prepared statement. She then walked out of the meeting, without being dismissed, and prevented the Committee from asking questions and prevented millions of Hoosiers from hearing HER side of the multiple stories reporting the dysfunction of the SBOE.
13) It is being widely reported that HB1609 "takes away the will of the 1.3 million people that elected Superintendent Ritz".
14) A Board/Committee has to be able to function efficiently to perform its lawful duties and it is up to the Chair to ensure that that happens. Period. When that fails to happen, the Legislature has a lawful and moral duty and obligation as elected officials (same as the SPI) to make sure that the Board is given the tools necessary to properly perform its lawfully required duties.
source from my prev postThe House bill would effectively remove Ritz as State Board of Education chair by having the 10 gubernatorial appointees to the 11-member board vote for a new chairman.
But opponents have pointed out that most other school boards in Indiana are elected by voters and this one is appointed by the governor, which is also abnormal.
I guess we don't get to vote:
source from my prev post
Would you rather elect someone or have someone elected appoint his or her buddies?
.
I would be willing to bet a reasonably large sum of money that very few folks would take the time to do background research on board candidates prior to the election and even fewer would impart that knowledge prior to/during voting. I bet most people voting for the state superintendent pulled the lever for their party while not actually knowing much about the candidates. And furthermore, what's the per centage of Indiana residents who actually voted ? Less than 25% ?
I guess we don't get to vote:
source from my prev post
Would you rather elect someone or have someone elected appoint his or her buddies?
.
Do you have super secret information to prove he is an educator?...
I would be willing to bet a reasonably large sum of money that very few folks would take the time to do background research on board candidates prior to the election and even fewer would impart that knowledge prior to/during voting. I bet most people voting for the state superintendent pulled the lever for their party while not actually knowing much about the candidates. And furthermore, what's the per centage of Indiana residents who actually voted ? Less than 25% ?
100% of eligible voters vote in every election.
I think you forgot the purple ! ! ! Or at least I hope so.
No, I'm just someone has seen first hand how badly your "conservative" buddies have messed things up with their increasingly absurd regulations. How on Earth can you support these allegedly conservative politicians in their quest to centralize control of education and rule through this top down approach? Shouldn't "conservatives" support local input and control over a district's schools?Just an observation in jest about those supporting poor Ms Ritz in this thread. It appears as though nearly all of you have some sort of a financial interest involved in your commentary?
...I'm just someone has seen first hand how badly your "conservative" buddies have messed things up...