Attention all who support public education:
You are invited to a rally in support of better funding for K-12 education. We need you!
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 3:30 pmStand up for public education! Let legislators know you care about K-12 funding in the two-year budget.
Where: Indiana Statehouse North Atrium
Sponsored by: Indiana Coalition for Public Education & Indiana PTA
Everyone is encouraged to join us!
Raise the Priority in Support of K-12 Funding
We need your presence to raise the priority on better funding for our K-12 students in the new budget.
Here’s the picture: The Governor and the House both recommended unacceptably low increases for K-12 next year, $70 million (1%) by the Governor and $77 million (1.1%) in the House budget passed Feb. 27th. Funding for K-12 seemed to be an afterthought, with no urgency.
These low 1% increases were like the low K-12 budgets during the Great Recession. Indiana is not still in the Great Recession and our K-12 students should not be treated as if we are!
Then the Senate passed a better budget on April 6th: an increase of $117 million (1.7%) for next year and a two-year increase of $358 million. This two-year amount is $85 million more than the House budget!
This $85 million or more must be included in the final budget.
There is no guarantee that the final budget will include this $85 million. The House and Senate have to negotiate their differences. If they split the difference, our K-12 students will lose half of this $85 million for K-12 programs.
We need you on April 18th to help send a message: Our K-12 students need this $85 million or more!
The members of the General Assembly need to hear from you the parents, the taxpayers and the educators of Indiana about supporting better K-12 funding.
Participate in support of the rally theme:
“K-12 Public School Funding: Indiana Can Do Better”
Will you join us? Will you bring friends and family?
The rally will not be as long as the February 20th rally. After key speakers share inspiration and information, all present will be invited to bring messages to their legislators about how the proposed budgets will impact local schools. Sharing these messages is a vital step in getting a fair budget for our K-12 students. In the next few days, ICPE will have messages customized for every Indiana public school district available on the ICPE website to assist in this process. Stay tuned!
Make plans now to join us next Tuesday April 18th to support our K-12 students.
Click here for a printable flyer for you to share with friends, family and colleagues. Please pass the word!
Thank you for actively supporting public education in Indiana!
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. We need your membership to help support ICPE lobbying efforts. As of July 1st, the start of our new membership year, it is time for all ICPE members to renew their membership.
Our lobbyist Joel Hand is again representing ICPE in the new budget session which began on January 3, 2017. 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.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. 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.
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