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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

ISTA Responds to Announcement of Governor Pence’s Creation of Education Agency


NEWS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE






August 23, 2013
For more information, contact:
Kathleen Berry Graham
317 263 3321
kberry@ista-in.org


ISTA Responds to Announcement of Governor Pence’s
Creation of Education Agency

INDIANAPOLIS—In a surprise power grab today, Gov. Mike Pence released information that he has created a new agency called the Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI).

Pence claims that the Center will improve collaboration among Indiana’s public, private and non-profit education and workforce partners by aligning education and career and workforce training efforts. The governor’s release states that: “The agency will proactively engage and collaborate with a number of valuable partners in state government including the Department of Education, the Indiana Charter School Board, the Department of Workforce Development, the Commission for Higher Education and the Office of State-Based Initiatives. The Indiana Career Council, the Indiana Works Councils, the Education Roundtable and the State Board of Education, though functioning independently, will exist as part of the new agency.” Yet the Indiana Department of Education was not contacted by the governor about creation of the agency even though the agency appears to be absorbing various functions of the IDOE and thereby reducing the authority of newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz.

Following Pence’s announcement, a news release from the IDOE said: “Partnerships require communication. Unfortunately, Superintendent Ritz learned about the creation of this new agency—the impact on taxpayers yet unknown—through news reports, rather than from Gov. Pence. Superintendent Ritz has met with the governor on many occasions, including as recently as two days ago. However, neither he, nor his office, mentioned the creation of this new agency until this morning.”

“Like Superintendent Ritz, ISTA was dismayed by the announcement of this agency today,” said ISTA President Teresa Meredith. “We already have in place a Department of Education that works. ISTA is disappointed that the governor would choose to disregard the input of Superintendent Ritz and thousands of public school professionals.

“We are all in this together. Last November many of our members and the voters of the state voted for a change in direction for education and 1.3 million Hoosiers said that they trusted Glenda Ritz to run the Department of Education,” said Meredith. “And while teachers are always aware of the lessons they model for children, evidently some governors and their political appointees are not.”

For the full release from Gov. Pence’s office, go to:
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=121572&information_id=187047&type=&rss=rss

For the full release from Superintendent Ritz, go to:
http://www.doe.in.gov/news/statement-indiana-department-education-response-governor-pence’s-announcement

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

ISTA Settlement


August 13, 2013

You might have heard or read in the media today that a settlement has been reached with the Indiana Securities Commissioner and the Indiana school districts who participated in the I.S.T.A. Insurance Trust (Trust). When finalized, this settlement, the Naylor Case, resolves the last of the litigation over the failure of the Trust, which provided health and other insurance products to a small number of Indiana school districts.

Despite what you might read or see in the media, NO ISTA or NEA monies were used to fund this settlement . Since 2009 there has been an array of litigation over the failure of the Trust, including litigation brought by ISTA and NEA on behalf of the Trust, to recover from those individuals and entities whose conduct caused that failure. That litigation generated settlements from those individuals and entities. Only funds from those settlements were used to settle the Naylor case.

Please share this information with your members, and in particular share the fact that ISTA and NEA member dues money is not being used to pay this settlement.

ISTA is pleased that all of the pending litigation is being resolved on terms that are fair to Indiana's public school teachers who participated in the Trust.

Thanks for your continued support.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Greetings from Your Executive Committee

Summer is moving on, so here is the calendar for 2013-2014. Write these dates on your calendar for future reference.

Did you know that if you are an ISTA-Retired member you have access to:
  • Insurance: Medicare supplement, life, auto, home, medical, dental, vision, long term care and liability insurance
  • Attorney Referrals: two half-hour sessions per year
  • Discounts: Lots of them. See NEAMB.com
  • Opportunity to participate in political action to defend public schools
  • BEST OF ALL, Five opportunities to have lunch with friends at chapter meetings
Dorthy will send e-mail reminders before each meeting so you can RSVP. To receive these reminders, indicate your interest by paying annual local dues of $10. You may pay them at the September meeting or you may send them to Dorthy Epple, Sec/Treas. See August mailing for more information.

Include your personal or updated email address. If you do not have e-mail, we will use US Mail. We do not share e-mail or postal addresses with other organizations.

2013-2014 Calendar

Thursday, September 12, 12:00 PM
Chops Steak and Seafood, 6421 W. Jefferson, Fort Wayne, IN
Speaker: Monica Miller, Local Author; Eric Pulley, Big Brothers Big Sisters NE IN

Thursday, October 10, 11:20 AM (NOTE Time Change)
Afternoon at Amish Acres, Napanee, IN
Lunch & Play, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
RSVP by 9/30 to Sarah Borgman. See August mailing for details and cost.

Thursday, November 14, 12:00 PM
Salvatori's, 10337 Illinois Rd, Fort Wayne, IN
Program: Marjorie Stephens, NE IN BBB, "Senior Fraud & Too Good To Be True Schemes"

Thursday, January 9, 12:00 PM
At's Ice Cream, 211 E. Tillman Rd., Fort Wayne, IN
Program: Stacey Stumpf, Editorial Writer, J.G. "How to write and publish a letter to the editor"

Thursday, March 13, 10:30 AM (NOTE Time Change)
Sweetwater Sound, 5501 US 30 West, Fort Wayne, IN

Program: Tour of their facility followed by lunch in their restaurant. They only accept credit cards.

Thursday, May 8, 12:00 PM
Guest House Grill, 1313 W. Washington Center Rd., Fort Wayne, IN
Program: David Dew, Historian

Thanks for your support of ISTA-Retired Allen County.

Fran McIntosh, President
Jack Spindler, Vice President
Dorthy Epple, Secretary/Treasurer
Jim Clauser, Rep. to ISTA-R State Council and 1-L District Council
Vivian Johnson, Alt. Rep. to ISTA-R State Council
Angela Miller, Uniserv Director
Danielle Kraft, Uniserv Assistant

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