Pelath: Politicization of public education now in full swing in 2015 session

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath from Michigan City today issued the following statement after the House Republican supermajority approved House Bill 1609, which takes control of the State Board of Education away from Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz:

“And so begins the full-scale partisan political takeover of the process of educating Hoosier schoolchildren, who find themselves unfortunate victims of the inescapable fact that a Democrat was elected by the people of Indiana to be in charge of public education at a time when the rest of state government is under the control of Republicans.

“Today marks the first step in telling the people of Indiana that their votes mean nothing if they run counter to the desire for complete control demonstrated by one party. In the days to come, we will see more of this effort as various functions of a state department run by an elected official are taken away and given to a board made up of political appointees.

“We are told that these moves are needed to end the chaos that marks Board of Education meetings over these past two years. Yet all the actions that are being taken lay the blame for what is happening at the feet of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Nothing is done to place any blame with a Board of Education that serves at the pleasure of the politicians who appoint them.

“Let me remind everyone once again…Glenda Ritz was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction by the people of Indiana. She received more votes than the governor of our state. Hoosiers chose her to be in charge of setting the policies that help educate children in grades K through 12 across Indiana.

“Yet the supermajorities that control state government are moving steadily to place that control with a bunch of appointed bureaucrats, simply because they can. Shame on them for what they continue to do.”