Dems accuse GOP of 'dismantling public ed'

INDIANAPOLIS — Democratic lawmakers and public-school advocates on Monday continued to bash provisions of a GOP-sponsored bill to turn governance of Muncie Community Schools over to Ball State University.

For the first time in Indiana history, “non-resident outsiders” would be allowed to serve on the Muncie school board, and a public school district (Gary Community School Corp.) would have no school board, Vic Smith,  from the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, told lawmakers.

The deficit-ridden Gary and Muncie school districts are currently being operated by for-profit, state-appointed emergency managers.

If House Bill 1315 passes in its current version, Ball State would appoint a seven-person school board to replace the emergency manager and the current five-member elected school board. Only four of the seven appointees would have to reside in Muncie. In four years,  two of the seven board members would be elected at large.

The legislation also would convert the Gary school board to an advisory board.

The coalition calls HB 1315 the latest example of years of legislative actions aimed at “deconstruction of public education.” The bill “takes the public out of public education in these two communities," the group says.

A conference committee chaired by Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, heard testimony on Monday during a hearing to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the bill.

Brown let the faultfinders do most of the talking before adjourning for consideration of amendments. He again noted that if the bill passes and Ball State assumes control of the Muncie school district, it will no longer be classified by state law as “distressed.” 

Brown said that Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, and others representing Muncie claimed it was “going to be the end of the earth” for the district to be labeled as “distressed.” Brown said that under this bill, “that goes away.”

Conference committee member Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, quoted the Indiana Constitution as obligating the Legislature to provide “a uniform system of public schools.”

“And we have been undoing that for a number of years now,” she said during the hearing. “Now, instead of just having public schools we have transition schools and Freeway schools and charter schools and Innovation schools and virtual schools and now this year we’re going to have coalition schools and a university-run school. This is not a uniform system of public schools. We are dismantling public schools.”

The coalition warns that Ball State is asking for legal and public relations problems “that would ensue when out-of-town or out-of-state school board members vote each year to set the property tax levies of local residents.”

Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, another member of the conference committee, complained that the emergency manager of Gary schools operates “in a military style” and doesn’t understand the local culture, such as 6th graders supervising younger kids after school in single-parent households.

The bill gives Ball State the freedom to innovate and operate the Muncie school district more like a charter school, including not having to recognize the Muncie Teachers Association as a collective bargaining agent.

That is creating “angst” and “uncertainty” among teachers, according to Democratic Reps. Sue Errington, Muncie, and Melanie Wright, Yorktown, who are advisors to the committee.

Uncertainty over whether teachers “will continue to have a voice in their schools” could “cause an exodus,” Errington said during the hearing. If teachers leave, students will leave, and revenue will continue to decline, she said.

Lanane heated up when Brown called him out about the alleged unconstitutionality of appointing Muncie school board members who don't reside in the district.

"What part of the Indiana Constitution did you cite?" Brown asked.

"I can't give you chapter and verse but I can get back with you …," Lanane, an attorney, responded.

"It's township boards," Brown said.

"Is that just townships?" Lanane asked.

"Yeah."

"I still think it's a good idea if you are going to control the destiny of people in a community, I think it's only well that we have people within the community," Lanane went on. "Otherwise … we're going to have taxation without representation already in this bill. I guess we're going to allow people from the hinterlands to decide what the tax rates should be and the school policies … You might think that's a good policy. I don't, Mr. Chairman."

"I was just asking you about the constitutionality."

Becca Polcz, vice president for governmental relations at Ball State, read to the committee a statement from President Geoffrey S. Mearns pledging to "mobilize the talent and expertise that permeates our campus — all of our faculty, staff and students," to work with teachers, parents, pastors, business leaders, foundations and "every person who will join us" to provide outstanding education to the children of Muncie.

The conference committee must forward a new version of the bill to the House and Senate for final action before midnight Wednesday.

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Seth Slabaugh is an education reporter who can be reached at (765) 213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com.