Union-only Need Apply

Discrimination on School Committees

From the President

Shake-up at the State Board

Education Roundtable Reconvenes

Education Briefs

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Union-only Need Apply

A growing number of schools in the state appear to be giving in to the teacher unions and excluding independent educators from school committees.

Prevented by state law from forcing independent teachers to join or pay dues as a condition of employment, ISTA/NEA union officials are working to exclude these teachers from school policy positions where they might be involved.

How is it in the best interests of students or school improvement efforts to exclude a teacher from serving as a volunteer on a school committee simply because he or she is not a member of the ISTA/NEA teachers union?

The obvious answer – it isn’t. However, it is in the best interest of the union bosses in their campaign to intimidate teachers and exclude them from school policymaking discussions.

This is a handy tool for the teacher union bosses to reward their favorite and most compliant members, while slamming the door in the face of independent teachers who are willing to serve. It’s tantamount to political patronage, rewarding the most supportive union members and ensuring union control through favoritism.

School committees are just that – school committees created by schools to advise, assist, and otherwise help to achieve school objectives. These are not labor union committees doing union business, but school committees doing school business for children, their parents, and their community.

Taxpayer dollars – state and local – fund many of their activities, particularly in the area of school improvement planning and professional development.

All too often administrators may find it more expedient to hand over school committee member selection to the union building representative. Doing so allows them to avoid a conflict with a demanding union official. It also allows them to give something away in the give and take with the union.

This development is rooted in Indiana’s teacher monopoly bargaining law, which gives one union exclusive control in a school district.

This is supposed to be limited to negotiating wages, benefits, and grievance processes. School policies are not supposed to be part of the exclusive powers of the the union, although they can be discussed.

The ISTA/NEA union bosses are taking advantage of this backdoor approach in order to discriminate against independent teachers. Administrators are actually enabling the discrimination when they hand over control of school committees to the ISTA/NEA union bosses.

Why should independent teachers care? First, they simply should not be discriminated against. As school employees, it is an outrage for them to be excluded from working with their colleagues on official school projects. Educators are professionals and deserve to be treated as such.

The union bosses are choosing to exercise power over teaachers, instead of promoting professionalism.

Second, involvement in school committee activities is becoming part of the teacher evaluation process – whether directly or slipping into the subjective elements of evaluations. In an environment of ever-growing pressures to achieve and ultimately be held accountable for it, excluding an independent teacher from school opportunities is patently unfair. It could have an impact on a teacher’s career.

For the last three years, Senator Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) has introduced legislation in the Indiana Senate to remedy this abuse. Last year, it passed the Senate Education Committee, but stalled before a vote on the floor. Senator Kenley deserves kudos for his leadership on this important issue for independent teachers.

What Can You Do?

1. Please contact the IPE office at (800) 673-4734 or email: ipe@indy.net as soon as possible if school committee assignments in your building are being limited to teacher union members.

2. Contact your state legislators and urge them to support efforts to protect independent teachers from union boss discrimination.

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From the President

IPE has received reports from across the state that independent teachers are regularly being excluded from various school committees, including textbooks, standards, improvement, and selections of new staff members.

Reportedly, in the Indianapolis Public Schools (where the percentage of teachers joining the ISTA/NEA union is decidedly low for an urban school district), principals were told that only union members could participate on new "school improvement initiative" for high-impact standards.

In some cases, principals are even being given lists of teacher union members and told to choose from the lists. In others, union officials are telling independent teachers they aren’t eligible.

While this might appear petty behavior by the ISTA/NEA teacher union bosses at first glance, it is really a case of blatant discrimination. It’s also all about building their monopoly privileges over schools and teachers. Educators - independent and union members alike - are professionals and deserve to be treated as such by administrators and union leaders alike.

Sincerely,

H. Jane Ping, President

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Shake-up at the State Board

With Governor Daniels’ appointment of six new members to the State Board of Education, significant changes and tensions may be coming.

Even before the appointments were announced or their first meeting held, the Governor’s office began suggesting big changes might be coming with a more aggressive board, particularly on moving the ISTEP+ to the spring. The State Board has been a steadfast supporter of Dr. Reed’s fall-testing position in the past.

At their first monthly meetings held Nov. 2-3, new board members asked a number of pointed questions and emphasized their intent to be active on various issues and to be heard on the board.

Since the establishment of the Education Roundtable by statute in 1999, the State Board’s role in much of the school policy realm (particularly standards, curriculum, and accountability) took a back seat. Further, in practice the Board largely became an administrative institution of the Department of Education and Superintendent Suellen Reed.

The new majority on the State Board appears determined to be much more active, asking questions, setting policy, and in a more independent role with the Department of Education.

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Education Roundtable Reconvenes

After an eight month hiatus of meetings for as yet to be explained reasons, the Indiana Education Roundtable reconvened in October.

Some reshuffling and preparation was certainly required with a new Governor. However, Roundtable co-chairs Gov. Daniels and State Superintendent Suellen Reed have also disagreed in recent months on issues like the ISTEP+ and broader K-12 education policymaking.

Further, the much touted P-16 plan – a sweeping set of policy recommendations for expanded educational programs from pre-school through college – has been set on the back burner.

Daniels and Reed have appointed several new members to the Roundtable, including Leo Junior/Senior High School teacher Stephen Gabet – a long-time IPE member. Gabet is the only classroom teacher serving on the body.

In a presentation on improving high school retention rates, Gabet outlined three components necessary at the school-level: (1) intervention to get to the kids considering dropping out; (2) demonstrating the "relevance" of school to life successes; and (3) motivating students to stay in school and succeed.

The reconstituted Roundtable is focusing on several initiatives in three general areas: (1) improving high school graduation rates; (2) graduation requirements, required curriculum, and course rigor at the high school and middle school levels; and (3) closing the achievement gap for minority students.

Among the highlights of packed agendas at the October and November Roundtable meetings:

A presentation by Matt Gandel from Achieve, Inc., a national research and policy group founded by the nation’s governors and business leaders. Gandel congratulated Indiana for developing, with Achieve’s help, some of the best academic standards in the nation and for raising graduation requirements by making Core 40 the default curriculum. However, he outlined a number of changes that need to be made in student assessment systems (ISTEP+).

Kati Haycock from the Education Trust presented significant data and analysis on student performance in the state and nationally, particularly regarding the achievement gap. For instance, while National Assessment Education Progress (NAEP) scores show test scores rising ahd the achievement gap beginning to close for 8th graders, this is not the case for high schools. Haycock outlined ten steps to improve graduation rates. To view Haycock's Powerpoint presentation, CLICK HERE.

David Shane, senior education advisor to Governor Daniels, presented various school finance data to open a discussion about how to drive more resources to classrooms. For instance:

- Even adjusted for inflation, total state spending on Indiana’s K-12 schools is $3 billion per year higher than it was 15 years ago (a 47% increase above inflation).

- Indiana ranks 46th in the nation in the percent of teachers of total staff, with only 47% of total staff as teachers.

- Indiana schools have the highest debt burden ratio in the nation.

- Compared to other states, Indiana expenditures on teachers are tipped more towards benefits than salaries.

To view Shane's slideshow from the Education Roundtable, click here.

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Education Briefs

On July 1st by act of the legislature, the Indiana Professional Standards Board was reconstituted into a new Division of Professional Standards within the state Department of Education, thus ending its independent agency status.

Shawn Sriver was appointed the new division director. The Division will still oversee teacher licensing and education areas. The previous Professional Standards Board will still exist and have rule-making authority. However, its role shifts to an advisory capacity.

The General Assembly changed the Indiana Mentoring and Assessment Program (IMAP) to a volunteer program. This means that even though teacher mentoring will still be required, the $600 stipend to assist new teachers has been eliminated.

An alternative system has been developed that would allow teachers to take time off from teaching in order to mentor. This will be made possible by using state funding for professional development to pay for substitute teachers while mentor teachers are out of their classrooms. The Dept. of Education will be working to restore direct mentor stipends in the next state budget process.

The State Board of Education is currently in the process of reviewing and approving new curriculum standards for Indiana middle schools. The proposed rules will be published by Dec. 1 and the State Board will hold public hearings on the rules in January.

The new curriculum will track middle school standards and include language arts, social studies and citizenship, science, fine arts, career and technical education, health and wellness, physical education, and world languages.

In a continuing legal battle in Kenmare, North Dakota, Northwest District Court Judge William McLees has ruled that the local school corporation can pay an additional $15,000 over the union pay scale to fill a speech and language pathologist position the district had been unable to fill. "For one individual to be allowed to negotiate up to $15,000 additional salary is wrong," the local union president argued. (Source: EIA Communique, 11/8/05, The Education Intelligence Agency).

The Michigan Court of Appeals in August overturned a precedent-setting Michigan Employment Relation Commission ruling that had extended the state’s monopoly bargaining law to private Catholic schools in the state. The Michigan Education Association (NEA affiliate) had sought the forced unionization powers to pursue the compulsory membership powers over these private school teachers.

The Terminator’s big gambit to pass major policy changes, including education, through the proposition (instead of a hostile Legislature) failed under a union-financed onslaught. The proposals included changing teacher tenure rules and requiring the unions to get prior written approval to use member dues for politics.

Reportedly, over $50 million was spent by the state’s teacher union through a special member dues increase (CA teachers are forced to join and pay dues to the union). Additionally, the NEA provided at least $5 million to oppose the measures.