1. TAKE FIVE -Action Item
CALL THIS WEEK
Tell Governor Pence to stop talking
about working with Superintendent
Ritz and begin actually working with
Superintendent Ritz
TAKE ACTION:
Contact Governor Pence to encourage him to stop diminishing the
authority of Superintendent Ritz and the Department of Education.
Governor Mike Pence’s Office: 1 (317) 232-4567
Consider the Following:
ISTA members saw the result of the governor-appointed members of the State Board
of Education continuing to undermine the authority of Indiana’s duly-elected State Superintendent Glenda Ritz.
“A year ago, voters elected Ritz to lead our state’s educational programs,” said Teresa Meredith, ISTA President. “Soon
after bills were drafted undermining her authority. When those efforts failed, Gov. Mike Pence, ignoring 1.3 million
voters and through an executive order the legality of which ISTA continues to question, created at taxpayers’ expense a
duplicate Department of Education – the Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI).”
Through these actions, Pence perpetuates the ugly climate and escalates the gridlock displayed at the November 13th
State Board of Education Meeting.
In a letter to the Indianapolis Star this afternoon, Gov. Pence criticized the present of politics in education policy
making. “It’s time to put conflict behind us and work together for the benefit of our kids and their futures,” Pence
wrote.
Actions speak louder than words, Governor, and the very existence of CECI diminishes the authority of Supt. Ritz and the
Department of Education. The creation of and efforts to expand CECI can only be viewed as both political and
inflammatory.
Talking Points
•
Governor, Indiana’s children need you to govern and be a bridge builder between your appointedboard members and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
•
Glenda is the duly elected Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction—Indiana’s Chief State
School Officer.
•
Taxpayers lose with CECI creation as it attempts to duplicate duties performed by the Department of
Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Make your voice heard today!