ISTA-Retired Conference

NEA has approved the grant for the ISTA-Retired Conference to be held on March 13, 2013 at the Hilton Indianapolis North, 8181 North Shadeland, Indianapolis, IN 46250. Wrap up and super door prizes will be from 4:05 to 4:30. The conference is free to all retired members. (Non-members pay $65.00 registration).

This promises to be a great conference developed on the theme, "Building Stronger Affiliates." The morning motivational speaker will be Dr. Earl Wiman of the NEA Executive Committee. Break out session leaders will include Joanne Gay from Connecticut, Sandy Swellinger from Georgia, and our own Theresa Meredith, ISTA V. Pres., and Gail Zeheralis, Roni Embry and John O'Neal.

There will be a nice sit down lunch at noon and the afternoon break includes a yummy dessert.

Jim Clauser has worked hard with Sarah Borgman to organize this conference. So let's show them we appreciate their hard work.

Several from Allen County attended the conference last year and had a good time.

If members car pool, we will pay some gas money from the treasury.

The deadline for registering is March 6, 2013. You can find the registration form on line at https://ista-in.org/2013-retired-leadership-conference.

...or you can e-mail Jim Clauser or Fran McIntosh and we will send in your registration.

Let's get a good representation from the Allen County Chapter.

Keep The Promise: Kruse Commends Ritz

Senator Kruse Commends Superintendent Ritz

Last week, Senator Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn) opened his committee hearing (Senate Education and Career Development) with the following statement:

“We’re not going to hear any bills here in the Senate bills that reflect in any way against our new superintendent. She has been doing an excellent job so far and getting along with us very well, and I will continue to work with her the best I can,” Kruse said. [Thanks to Eric Bradner of the Evansville Courier and Press for including this in his blog, Capitol Journal]

Then, Senator Kruse publicly invited ISTA lobbyist Roni Embry to work on SB 330 (having to do with the school accreditation process) with Sen. Earline Rogers (D-Gary), and John Barnes (legislative liaison to the Department of Education) to ensure that the Department of Education is appropriately included in the bill.

All of this is very good news for school employees across the state and reflective of yourwork in sharing with Senators your concerns about bills that have been introduced that appear to seek to diminish the authority of the office of the State Superintendent.

ACTION ITEM: Please follow-up and thank Senator Kruse (s14@in.gov) for his public comments supporting Glenda Ritz and for his open invitation to your ISTA lobbyists to help improve bills in his committee.

2013 Legislature is Now in Session

Stay informed about what's happening in the Indiana Legislature.

ISTA Smart Phone APP

Download from your smart device app store (search for "ISTA Mobile"). This new app delivers the optimum mobile experience for ISTA members putting all things ISTA right into your pocket.

You will need to have your ISTA membership number on hand when you download the ISTA app for the first time.

Keep up-to-date on all the happenings during the 2013 Legislature.

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ISTA Keep the Promise Web site

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Bill Watch: 2013 General Assembly Education Bills


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Questionable Questionnaire Question

News Release

Indiana State Teachers Association
150 West Market Street, Suite 900
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2875

Office: 317-263-3400, 800-382-4037
FAX: 317-655-3400, 800-777-6128

The following release was sent to the statewide media earlier today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Some Legislators Open Session with Questionable Survey Question

Monday, January 7, 2013

Contact: Mark Shoup, 317.263.3369 / Kathleen Berry, 317-263.3321

Some Legislators Open Session with
Questionable Questionnaire Question

INDIANAPOLIS - Just as the 2013 session of the General Assembly is set to open today with hopes of bi-partisan cooperation and meaningful debate on important issues facing the state, Hoosier voters in several legislative districts received a taxpayer-funded survey from some Republican caucus members of the House of Representatives that raised eyebrows and simultaneously lowered expectations that policy over partisanship might just prevail in 2013.

The reason for the new-found skepticism?
One of the questions reads (as if some major issue facing the state):

..."Currently, the teachers' union can automatically deduct fees and dues from teachers' paychecks. In many cases, these dues are used to support candidates or political organizations that a teacher may disagree with. Would you support a law that requires the union to receive authorization from a teacher before it can deduct fees and dues from their paycheck."

It's important for Hoosiers to know the facts: Indiana law already requires all of this.
One could argue that legislators who included this question in their survey should have known this, too.

Indiana law already requires prior written authorization from any educator who voluntarily chooses to automatically deduct from his/her paycheck association dues. (see IC 20-29-5-6) In addition, those deductions must be consistent with other laws that govern all other entities and employers/employees relative to wages. (see IC 22-2-6; IC 22-2-7; IC 20-28-9-18) This practice is not out of the ordinary, but is both a routine and rather perfunctory option granted to employees all across the state: Think health insurance premiums, think retirement contributions, think United Way and a myriad of other not-for-profit/charitable contributions, think professional association dues and fees, think garnishments, on and on.

Teacher union dues are not given nor diverted to political candidates or political campaigns (period). VOLUNTARY political action contributions are distributed through a separate political action committee (in the case of ISTA, the political action committee is called I-PACE) and are governed by a different set of laws.

With all of the major issues facing our state and nation - creating jobs, improving the economy, funding our schools, protecting Hoosier children in the state welfare system, etc... legislators should be sensitive to creating false "policy issues" that take up valuable space in a constituent survey ostensibly designed to foster meaningful exchange. At the very least, legislators who disseminated this question should alert their constituents to the fact that the question's entire set of premises is faulty and that the concerns they raised about teachers, teachers unions, and salary deductions are, in fact, non-issues as they have already been covered under existing Indiana law.

"We still hope that this session will be one focused on cooperation and bipartisanship," said Nate Schnellenberger, ISTA President. "We fully intend to reach out to all legislators as the session unfolds on behalf of Indiana's public school students and the school employees-teachers and educational support professionals-who have dedicated their professional lives to them."

January 10 Meeting

Happy New Year!!!!

The ISTA-Retired Allen County meeting will be held January 10, 2013 at noon at the Mastodon Grill located in the Holiday Inn at 4111 Paul Shaffer Drive. It is on the north side of Coliseum Blvd. across from the Coliseum. Turn at the stoplight and you'll be on Paul Shaffer Dr. Then turn left into the Holiday Inn. Walk thru the Lobby toward the back and turn left for the Mastodon Grill.

Our speaker is Kathy Pargmann, Marketing Manager for the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation and her topic is "History and Future Plans for Fort Wayne Parks." She has been with the Park Board for 25 years.

We will have updates on what is happening with FWEA and the Legislature. We hope to see everyone at the meeting. Come and bring your spouse and/or a friend with you.

Please RSVP by January 7, 2013 by e-mailing Dorthy Epple or call her at 436-2326 and leave a message. Thanks.

State Board Passes Controversial REPA 2

...from ISTA

The State Board of Education amended and passed controversial changes to teacher licensing rules over the objections of incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and a number of teachers who urged the group to slow down. Ritz -- just weeks from taking office after defeating incumbent Tony Bennett -- asked the board to table the proposal, saying it could "put unqualified teachers in the classroom."

State Board of Ed passes new licensing standards for teachers, administrators

Indiana State Board of Education passes controversial changes to teacher licensing rules

REPA 2 - ISTA Statement to State Board

December 5, 2012

ISTA provided this statement to the Indiana State Board of Education at its meeting this morning:

The Indiana State Teachers Association urges the Indiana State Board of Education to table further action on REPA 2.

REPA 2 is a sweeping set of rule changes that will affect everything from approving teacher training institutions to teacher licensure and re-licensure - the overall effect of which will de-professionalize the teaching profession. The changes in licensure alone could mean that a person need only pass a content test to become a licensed teacher in the state in certain areas without ever having taken a single teaching methods, child psychology or classroom management course first.

The case has not been made that any of this is warranted or that the area of teacher licensure/re-licensure is in a state of crisis (or even near-crisis) in Indiana. This is an area in which a comprehensive overhaul was made recently (REPA 1) in 2010-and REPA 1 has not even had the chance to be fully implemented. There currently exist multiple paths to teaching, both traditional and alternative, in Indiana law and rule. What REPA 2 does is both extreme and unnecessary, the results of which could be dangerous to classrooms of children.

Among the issues over which ISTA members are concerned relate to the new "adjunct teachers permit" which would allow any person with a bachelor degree (3.0 gpa) to become a classroom teacher. Absolutely no classroom experience, no coursework in classroom management or in student discipline would be required going in.

And tying the evaluation results to an adjunct faculty member's licensure is in contravention to the compromise earlier made to concerned legislators.

Finally, shifting authority away from the elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction and to the State Board of Education itself to approve teacher training programs smacks of politics over policy.

As drafted, there is no substance offered in REPA 2 on which anyone can count to know what will constitute a legitimate teacher preparation program. No longer will we know that public school teachers are trained at bona fide universities. Instead REPA 2 would allow "organizations" approved by political appointees to become teacher preparation centers. This is what is meant when accusations are made to the State Board that REPA 2 de-professionalizes the profession of teaching.

The State Board of Education should table any further consideration of REPA 2.