Early this morning I rousted myself out of bed to attend the February Chamber of Commerce breakfast. I wanted to go because I am on the Chamber Board representing our church and because it was the "Legislative Meeting." Movers and shakers from our community are always there for this meeting to hear what's going on and to express their opinions. State Representatives and Senators are busy this year with over 1250 bills introduced! However, Bob Cherry, Sean Eberhart, and Mike Crider took time to be in attendance with us today. We heard about how the main job of the legislature this session is developing a state budget. Representative Cherry reported that we will continue to strive to maintain a balanced budget while attending to the needs of the state. The biggest single expense at 65% is education. Bob said they are working to try to adjust the state funding formula to be more fair to all students in Indiana. Presently, some of the lowest achieving schools receive the most money per pupil. He stated, "We want to fund education, especially at the loweer levels, because if we lose the kids there...they seldom recover. We end up funding them in the prison systems and we don't want to build more prisons." He also said HB 1004 and HB 1005 would benefit teachers with tax credits and expectant mothers through health education. Mike Crider focused on the bills which would promote funding for preventing domestic violence and increase penalties for violent offenders of crime.
During questions and answers State Superintendent Glenda Ritz came up. Again Bob Cherry did an excellent job of explaining what was going on there. He said that at present only Indiana and Oklahoma assign the State Superintendent as the "Chair" of the Department of Education. Most states allow the Department to elect their own chair. The recent HB 1609 sought to allow our state to allow that department to elect their own chairman. The bill in no way removes the "powers" from the State Superintendent. His analogy was comparing the Southern Hancock Board and Superintendent to Indiana's. The role of the board is to create parameters for school to follow. Then the superintendent's role is to see that they are implemented and carried out. It made sense to me. According to Bob, Superintendent Ritz went outside the board and wrote letters to every school district stating the ISTEP testing was to be three times longer than before. Governor Pence stepped to say he would not allow that to happen. As a retired school principal, we already were taking 4 - 6 days to complete testing. Adding more would be ludicrous. He said for more information google, (Gordon Henry, Ritz, State Board).
Mr. Eberhart responded to a question about the ICC, the Interstate Connector Corridor. He was adamately against it and said he would fight tooth and nail to stop it. It was the idea to connect I70 on the west side of Indy to I69 all the way around the south side while connecting I69, I65, I74, I70, and finally I69. Much debate has taken place in the past about the route it might take. At present there is no legislation for this endeavor. It seems the fervor against this possibility has not died down however.
Over all it was a good breakfast meeting and very informative. I, however, may need an afternoon nap today!
On my way to Hancock Regional Hospital now to pray with one of our church constituents.
In His Service,
Roger
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