State lawmakers will navigate a sea of more than 16,000 teachers dressed in red this morning when they head back to the Indiana Statehouse for organization day.
Among the 16,000 faces at today’s Red for Ed Action Day will be nearly 200 educators from Bartholomew County, including those from Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. — all rallying for education reform.
The action day, organized by the Indiana State Teachers Association, takes place on the day lawmakers return to the Statehouse to gear up for the 2020 legislative session. They are expected to be in session for about half a day today.
More than 100 school districts across the state, including BCSC, have closed to allow school employees and the community to attend the union-organized Statehouse rally to lobby for legislation. Teachers want legislators to hold instructors harmless from low I-LEARN scores, and are asking that the state’s budget surplus be used to increase teacher pay. They also want a repeal of new requirements for teachers to complete an externship in order to renew their teaching license.
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“We appreciate the effort of BCSC staff members to participate in the Red for Ed Action Day in an attempt to enact change at the state level for public education and hope that elected officials pay close attention to their message,” said Jim Roberts, BCSC superintendent. “The increasing financial constraints that our school corporation faces are many and will continue to present challenges that require ongoing support from our community and state legislators.”
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, said his office is open today to meet with anyone from District 59 who wants to voice their concerns. Lauer, the son of two former teachers, said he wants to ensure every child gets a quality education in Bartholomew County and the state of Indiana.
Lauer said he talked to Roberts about the decision to close schools in Columbus and said he believed the decision boiled down to the ability to safely and orderly hold a regular school day, which Lauer said became an impossibility.
“I respect the rights of our teachers to get involved politically, have their voices heard,” Lauer said. “My message has been the same to all Hoosiers and constituents, including teachers, as I instructed my office tomorrow, I’m always available.”
A major talking point of his is the level of education funding in the state. Last year, the Indiana legislature passed expansive appropriations for K-12 education, which added up to a $763 million investment overall, with more than 50% of the state’s biennial budget devoted to K-12 education.
Having followed BCSC’s recent contract negotiations approved by the school board last week, Lauer said he’s most concerned with the increasing costs of healthcare that he said seem to be driving the local district’s financial issues.
“This was one example where one of our largest employers (in Bartholomew County) is implementing an enormous increase in healthcare premiums for our teachers and school employees, and that’s unfortunate,” Lauer said.
“Last session, I fought very hard to make sure we invested, and we did. We had the biggest increase for education in the history of Indiana. We passed bills that encouraged our school corporations to dedicate 85% of state tuition money to the classroom.”
He said that while it remains a local decision, he would have liked to see more money go to local classrooms.
“With the massive increase locally for healthcare premiums, I am concerned about those increasing costs to the bottom line of our teachers,” Lauer said.
Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, said he already has most of his Tuesday scheduled out, working on legislative initiatives for the upcoming session, but he welcomes anyone who wants to come to the Statehouse to advocate.
Walker said he does his best to interact on short-term with constituents, but it’s best to schedule an appointment to speak with him. During the summer and fall, Walker said he has spoken with several local educators, including BCSC’s collective bargaining unit, about their concerns heading into the next legislative session.
“I think legislators want to know the climate, the atmosphere, what to expect in terms of public support for legislation,” Walker said of the more than 16,000 people expected at the Statehouse today.
The Republican lawmaker said he already supported significant increases of the state’s funding formula during the 2019 session, but said it’s always going to be difficult to generate significant increases because it already encompasses over 50% of the state’s budget for just K-12.
“It takes a lot of money to move the needle because it’s already such a large part of the total spending,” Walker said. “I think there’s a lot of efforts to increase teacher compensation through grants, through additional recognition, merit pay. There’s lots of ways that school corporations that set salaries and set those wage agreements to attract the top talent.”
Beyond the issue of teacher salaries, Lauer said he is also supportive of holding teachers harmless for this year’s low I-LEARN scores. This year’s scores, he said, give the state a baseline for years to come. He expects the legislature to take this into strong consideration.
Gov. Eric Holcomb will not be at the Statehouse today. His office said he is in Florida for a Republican Governors Association conference that was scheduled months ago.
ISTA expects crowds to start arriving at 8:30 a.m. and participants will make human tunnels around the Statehouse entrances beginning at 9 a.m. Remarks from ISTA President Keith Gambill and Becky Pringle, National Education Association Vice President, will take place at 10:30 a.m. with a march to follow at 10:50 a.m. The day is expected to wrap up at 3 p.m.
A complete schedule of events and more information is available at ista-in.org/invest-in-education.
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For more coverage of the "Red for Ed" event, see Page A4.
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Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is closed today for "Red for Ed" Action Day in Indianapolis.
Edinburgh School Corp. is also closed.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. is open.
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