Governor Mike Pence didn’t like the results of the election in 2012 when voters chose Glenda Ritz as State Superintendent of Education. For the past two years, he has whittled away the authority and funding of her office and transferred it to other agencies. He even created a new agency to assume control of education policy, turning her office into an empty shell. He mat think he is clever but in fact he is acting like a tinhorn dictator, defying the will of the voters.
In this editorial, Karen Francisco of the Fort Wayne Journal Fazette explains Pence’s shabby and shameful machinations.
She writes:
“When voters elected Glenda Ritz nearly two years ago, they made it clear they didn’t like the direction of Indiana schools under Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett.
“Today, an appointed State Board of Education is set to undo the results of the 2012 election. Two resolutions that would strip most of Ritz’s authority are on the board’s meeting agenda. Working in concert with a new education bureaucracy created by Gov. Mike Pence, the 10 members – all appointed by Pence or Gov. Mitch Daniels – are preparing to reduce the superintendent to a figurehead and wrest control of key functions of her office.
“Aside from painting Ritz as weak and ineffective in advance of the next election, the proposals hand unprecedented control of Indiana schools to the governor’s office without any consideration by voters.
“Even the GOP-controlled General Assembly seems to have been duped into laying the groundwork for the takeover.
“A measure was quietly passed in 2013 to establish the new Center for Education and Career Innovation, with money transferred from the Department of Education. Not even the chairman of the Senate Education and Career Development Committee was aware of the financial sleight of hand. CECI’s staff now works full time to undermine Ritz.
“The State Board of Education includes professionals who seem to have the best interests of students at heart. They should recognize the resolutions crafted by the governor’s education staff are counter to the very democratic principles taught in our schools….
“Hoosiers should be angered by efforts to subvert the democratic process. Voters don’t elect supermajorities. They choose individual representatives and statewide officials entrusted to respect the will of the voters.
“Supermajority status does not confer the right to nullify an election, and we believe that members of the State Board of Education and the Republican legislators themselves do not support that course.
“The board members can demonstrate it by rejecting the resolutions and focusing instead on their responsibilities toward students. It’s the course Indiana voters chose.”
Governor Pence seems determined to strip Ritz of any authority. By doing so, he shames himself, defies the voters, and presents to the nation an example of anti-democratic behavior.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
How is it even legal for the politicians to circumvent elected boards, appoint boards and superintendents? I don’t get how they are allowed to do this.
I’m wondering this too, except that I think the courts are bought and paid for too. It probably is blatantly illegal, but finding an honest judge to say so will be the tough part.
Indiana is one of the most “reform-y, ALEC-y” states in the union. smh
Who needs Saddam Husein or Bashar al- Assad, when we have people like Mike Pence.
This is naked nullification of a democratic election. Voters elected a candidate who questions insider authority and its reformy policies, so incumbents neutralize her and teach all of us that “There is no Alternative(to the corporate status quo).” Same thing happened to Mayor DeBlasio in NYC last Jan. when he tried a modest limit on charters taking over public schools, overwhelmed by $5mil corporate TV campaign and by his “fellow” Dem Cuomo(“Gov. 1%”). Supreme Court conservative majority is another powerful tool for nullification. Public sector advocates can help turn the tables–when parents opt-out of all testing we nullify the Broad-Gates takeover of our children’s schools. When we refuse to vote for the two major parties, we nullify their claim to legitimacy.
Sadly: I “live” – mostly exist in Indiana. I did write to the school board people as Dr. Ravitch had suggested. Pence and the rest feel they are politically secure and can dupe Hoosiers. It looks like they can.
First Tony Bennett, now this. I guess the Indiana public schools DID fail to educate – at least some of our population.
The meeting is happening right now, and it’s CONTENTIOUS! The CECI board is bullying Ritz.
Apparently Indiana schools failed to educate the teachers who are agog about this move. Nothing the Governor has done is undemocratic. The Indiana Constitution simply requires, with regard to the Superintendent’s position, that “There shall be a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, whose method of selection, tenure, duties and compensation shall be prescribed by law.” The elected Legislature and elected Governor have chosen to alter the prior duties of the office, as allowed by the Constitution, perhaps due to their concern about the office caused by Mr. Bennett’s actions, which the teachers continually protested.
Kevin, I disagree. The governor is undermining the will of the voters by his undemocratic actions.
What can be done to stop this train wreck? Voting in the next election is great, but it will not undo the harm being inflicted now.
What can be done? well first of all Indiana teachers need to get up off their asses and march, write op-eds, speak out. Too many teachers sit far too silent “afraid” of what might happen, while all around them public education comes under fire.
Of course, far too many teachers in Indiana still vote Republican, despite the damage that party does to public ed.
Shame on Governor Pence and all school board members who support him in this mockery of democracy. Protests as close to his office should be held on a regular basis and he as ell as the school board members should be voted out as soon as possible. Is there any chance that this is unconstitutional and he could be impeached? That would send a clear message to future governors who want to take away duties from other elected officials.
As a teacher from Ontario, Canada, I am stunned to see that a State Governor can strip the responsibilities of the State Board of Education in this way. I fail to see how not working in concert with the democratically elected state Superintendent of Education is productive at improving student achievement. The morale of teachers in the state is low (I have 3 relatives who are residents of Indiana and are teachers), and how must they feel, knowing that even less funding is being directly earmarked for education in the state? It goes to show how the current administration in the state of Indiana completely devalues education and those who work to deliver that education to its children. Teachers, educational assistants, and all other support workers in Indiana need to become vocal; stand up for your rights, for the children you educate each day! March on Indianapolis, write editorials, flood your local-elected officials’ offices with letters of protest, BE HEARD. Your duty is to speak for the thousands of children in your care that have no voice. Parents-you need to stand up alongside teachers, fight for the basic rights of your children to a worthy education. A poorly educated public will never be productive; how do these elected senators and the governor expect to grow the economy of the state with a third-rate education system as a base? Disgusting.
He had Obama to teach him how to undermine the system.
Sorry to say, but I believe this is just the beginning of larger plan that our fine Governor has planned . Being a Republican all of my life I still say one party with control this long is very unhealthy for the voters.
There has to be a way to file an injunction. This manuever is illegal and it is a misuse of public funds to reallocate dollars that had been previously appropriated for the department of education under the authority of Superintendent Ritz. Indiana has gone too far with its attack on teachers and public education. The citizens need to file a court injunction and organize a mass rally and take a stand to stop the elimination of the department of education. This is what the GOP wants to accomplish at both the state and federal level. Indiana was the test for the state take over model and the transformation from public to charter schools. The universities should also take a stand to support public education. The universities should have made a stronger effort to prevent Bennett from ruining public education in Indiana. Instead he walked away free with a five thousand dollar fine. Now citizens need to take a stand against this constant attack on public education before it is too late.
Crystal DeHaan probably has the fine covered…..