Daniel Darnell sat back in his chair, exhaled dejectedly, and shrugged his shoulders.
“I just don’t get it,” said Darnell, a third grade teacher at Central Elementary School in Valparaiso. “I don’t understand what the state is thinking. Why would we increase funding for schools that are not performing well as it is? Why?”
Darnell, who’s also a parent of public school students, joins thousands of other Hoosier teachers in opposition against pending legislative bills regarding potential new funding for charter and private schools, among other controversial proposals.
Last month, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and State Superintendent Tony Bennett outlined their legislative goals, including the expansion of charter schools, changing teacher tenure systems, and awarding voucher money for private schools.
Last week, Daniels issued a statement that summed up his office’s stance, saying, “As always, the (teacher) union’s demand is more money, no change.”
“Their priority is their organization, not the young people of Indiana. Their special interest domination of education policy from the local level to the Statehouse has hurt Indiana children for too long and this year, change must finally come.”
Conversely, public school teachers claim that Daniels’ and Bennett’s GOP-controlled agenda is all about the financial bottom line and not the top interests of Hoosier kids.
“I don’t think people in general, especially parents, know what’s really going on, and these possible changes would drag down all our students,” Darnell said.
“If charters continue to receive additional public monies, theses charters that are not held to the same standards as public schools — with inferior student achievement results — will deplete the monies and resources that could otherwise be used by the more successful public schools.”
An all-out war?
Most teachers I spoke with about this white-hot issue said the reams of performance data on charter schools simply don’t warrant additional financial support or extra breaks regarding criteria requirements. Some teachers, however, were more outspoken than others.
“If some of this legislation passes, it will be an all out war — public schools against charters and private,” said Gary Gray, an engineering/technology instructor at Valparaiso High School who’s been an educator for 38 years. “Some of the ideas created in bills from our legislators coming out of Indianapolis make me believe they are mentally ill.”
“Most public school teachers go about their professional business and get the job done educating our kids in the classroom — no matter what the outside influences are,” he said. “It is just that this outside influence called politics makes it a little more difficult. I have never seen politics play such a large role in education in our state.”
‘Dismantling public education’
Lisa Gahimer, a teacher at Central Elementary, agreed that the series of House bills now in the General Assembly pipeline are “systematically undermining and dismantling public education.” Although this may sound like emotional hyperbole at first blush, it echoes what I’m hearing from many Northwest Indiana teachers.
“Taking away a professional educator’s right to bargain and be treated fairly serves no purpose in a state that continually strives to hire intelligent, motivated individuals to better educate our children,” Gahimer said.
The issue boils down to a few key points in the eyes of local teachers who believe if charter or private schools receive public funds, then those schools should be held to the same standards and policies as public schools. Another point is that the legislative proposals appear to simply bash public education and diminish the rights of teachers, rather than help school students.
“A growing chasm will exist between those students who are already academically successful and those who are academically challenged,” Darnell said. “It will come down to the haves and the have nots.”
What’s a charter school?
Charter schools were first established in 2001, according to the Indiana State Teachers Association. These schools are still considered public schools, however they are not tied to a geographic area and are open to any student from any school district. The “charter” is the school plan submitted by applicants and approved by specific authorizers and, currently, there are 62 charter schools serving about 22,000 students in the state.
House Bill 1003 could shift as much as $110 million dollars from public schools to private schools, and House Bill 1002 can make it easier to establish charter schools while permitting those schools to claim unused space in traditional schools.
Darnell did his own math using pie-graph chart data from the Indiana Department of Education.
The figures show that public school demographics present far more obstacles to teaching and learning, generally speaking, yet public schools still perform better than non-public schools.
For example, 45 percent of public school students receive free or reduced meals versus 11 percent of non-public students. And 15 percent of public students are special education kids versus 5.8 percent. The data also show that 21 of the 25 lowest performing schools at the third-grade level are charter schools.
“Why has the governor chosen these reforms and this venue to persecute public schools when the reforms he offers are worse than public schools?” Darnell said. “It seems a popular idea to say how bad public schools are, but with all the data I have, it shows they are a success story.”
Daniels, Bennett and other GOP-backed state officials think public schools are anything but.
Time to do your homework
A rally Tuesday in Indianapolis focused a brighter light on this often-closeted issue to most citizens, parents, and even many teachers. But the issue’s conflicting facts, repeated rhetoric, and confusing complexities are obvious obstacles to, especially, parents who don’t know where to turn or who to trust.
It’s no secret that most public school teachers are overworked, underpaid and often neglected by parents, even though they routinely use their own personal time, money, and efforts in their classrooms.
So what should parents or concerned citizens do with this information overload and all these heated opinions? Today’s lesson plan is simple, I say: Get involved. Now. While legislators are still hashing through the details.
This isn’t another PTA meeting that you routinely dodge. Or a parent-teacher conference that you conveniently ignore. Or an extracurricular school activity that you pretend doesn’t exist.
This is serious business and your child or children are caught in the crossfire, regardless of your personal stance or political leanings on this complex issue.
Now is the time to do your homework, not your kid’s. Now is the time to show you truly care about your child’s education by contacting their teacher, principal or superintendent, as well as your lawmaker.
Ask questions. Demand answers. Offer opinions. Do your homework. Show up at school. In other words, do the same things you expect from your kid every day in the classroom.