Vic’s Statehouse Notes #391 – HB 1136 is a terrible bill
Dear Friends,
Legislators who brought us school choice now propose to remove an important school choice for parents.
House Bill 1136 is the UNCHOICE for parents.
A long term goal of those who oppose public education is to turn every public school into a charter school.
Now, that goal has raised its ugly head in a bill proposed in the House of Representatives. House Bill 1136 would dissolve current school districts and turn their schools into charter schools if 50% of the students living in the district have used school choice to go to a private school or a non-district school.
This is a terrible bill.
It proposes to take away an important parental option in the school choice marketplace: a traditional public school. It would dissolve the Indianapolis Public Schools, Gary Public Schools, Cannelton, Tri-Townships and Union.
Parents in IPS have had significant choices among many options, including Montessori, Reggio-Inspired, and Dual Language schools. Now, this bill would crush these popular options, and for what reason? The academic success of the school is not considered in the bill, but only whether more than 50% of the district parents have picked a choice in another district or a private school. This is not a reason to upend innovative schools that are working well for the parents who choose them.
The traditional public schools are a winning option to many parents for good reason:
- Public schools are open to all who come to the schoolhouse door.
- Public schools bring entire communities and neighborhoods together.
- Public schools are run by community elected school boards. Voters can influence policies.
- Public schools offer full services for special education students.
- Public schools offer better pay due to collective bargaining, attracting strong teachers.
Many parents reject charter school options for good reason:
- Charter schools diminish democracy. They are managed by operators who appoint their own unelected boards with members who do not have to live near the school or even in Indiana.
- Charter schools lack financial transparency and require only private audits, not state audits.
- Taxpayers and voters who foot the bills have no say in charter school policies.
- Charter schools are exempt from many rules and regulations that public schools must follow.
Historian Diane Ravitch concluded “Most studies consistently conclude that on average the academic results of charters are no better than those of traditional public schools serving the same sorts of students.” (Reign of Error, p. 167)
Forcing charter schools on all IPS and Gary families makes no sense at all in a school choice system.
Contact your member of the Indiana House or any member of the House and let them know you think this bill should never get a hearing.
This bill should not go forward!
Threatening the existence of IPS, Gary schools and other districts has already deeply disturbed many parents who had selected stable schools with the programs they wanted their students to have.
Thank you for your active support of public education in Indiana!
Best wishes,
Vic Smith vic790@aol.com
“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!
ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. We need your membership to help support ICPE lobbying efforts. We need all ICPE members to renew their membership.
Our lobbyist Joel Hand is representing ICPE extremely well in the 2025 session. We need your memberships and your support to continue his work. We welcome additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!
Go to www.indianacoalitionforpubliced.org for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!
Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:
I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998. In 2013 I was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education, and in 2014 I was honored to be named to the Teacher Education Hall of Fame by the Association for Teacher Education – Indiana. In April of 2018, I was honored to receive the 2018 Friend of Education Award from the Indiana State Teachers Association.