Vic’s Statehouse Notes #185 – September 30, 2014

Dear Friends,

Can you come this Saturday October 4th to the ICPE meeting at 2pm in Fort Wayne to support public education?

The documentary “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting in the Rhinehart Recital Hall on the Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne campus, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd, Fort Wayne.

The originator and producer of the documentary, Dr. Rocky Killion, West Lafayette Superintendent, will introduce the video and will participate in the panel discussion to follow.

Networking during this election season with others who share the deep belief that better support for public schools must be restored is another feature of the meeting.

I hope all public school advocates in Northeast Indiana can come! All who support public education are invited. There is no charge.

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Fall Meetings

This is the third of five ICPE meetings around the state this fall. Momentum for public education is building. The first two meetings have attracted more total attendees than the total for all three of our fall meetings last year. Bring your friends and join us!

All meetings will feature “Rise Above the Mark” followed by a panel discussion. Dr. Killion will join the panel at each site. The three remaining dates are as follows:

Oct. 4, 2014....Fort Wayne....IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd

Oct. 18, 2014....New Albany....NAFC Education Support Center, 2801 Grant Line Road

Oct. 25, 2014....Evansville....Evansville Central High School Auditorium, 5400 First Avenue

All meetings begin at 2pm, local time.

On Saturday after the video, a panel discussion will be led by ICPE Vice President Marilyn Shank. Confirmed members of the panel include:

• Phyllis Bush, Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education

• Karen Francisco, Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette

• Dr. Wendy Robinson, Superintendent, Fort Wayne Community Schools

• Dr. Rocky Killion, West Lafayette Superintendent and video producer

All parents, community members and educators should see this video!

“Rise Above the Mark” is worth seeing two or three times. For all those who saw “The Roosevelts” recently on PBS, the narrator of that series Peter Coyote is also the narrator of “Rise Above the Mark.” It is a quality documentary film about the results of corporate reform in Indiana and around nation. It was prompted by Dr. Killion’s inquiry into why some of his best teachers were retiring early in frustration.

Please circulate the attached brochure (click here) to let others know about this meeting.

An RSVP for October 4th is not necessary. Come and bring a friend! An RSVP, however, would be helpful at vic790@aol.com if you have not yet done so.

Thanks for participating! Please keep up your great support of public schools!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“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. The fall ICPE membership meeting in Fort Wayne will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 2pm at the IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum, Fort Wayne. The video “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting and Rocky Killion, the video’s producer, will be among the panelists to discuss the film afterward. Come join us on Oct. 4th!

We need your membership to help pay the bills for ICPE lobbying efforts. Many have renewed their memberships already, and we thank you! If you have not done so since July 1, the start of our new membership year, we urge you to renew at one of our fall meetings or by going to our website.

We must raise additional funds for the 2015 session. We need 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.icpe2011.com 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.