Indiana EdCast Episode #12

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #12 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!


Tom Mellish speaks with Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana's State Superintendent about her many accomplishments during her first 100 days in office.


Listen to the 23 minute episode here.

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Vic’s Statehouse Notes #289 – March 27, 2017

The following is an excerpt from Vic's Statehouse Notes, written by Vic Smith of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education.

You can reach Vic to subscribe to the notes by emailing him at: vic790@aol.com

Dear Friends,

This morning, the Senate Rules Committee decided that even though the bill to appoint the State Superintendent was “decisively defeated” on February 20th, they could revive it this session by amending it. The amended bill passed the committee 8-4 on a party line vote.

Check out the confusing new amendment, which is quoted below.

Ask your Senator and all Senators to stop diminishing the voter’s role in our democracy by maintaining the powers of Hoosier voters to elect the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

House Bill 1005: The Governor Wants to Appoint the State Superintendent

Let’s review the story of HB 1005:

• After 166 years, Speaker Bosma and the Governor really want to end the power of the voters to elect the State Superintendent.

• The Senate voted down the bill to do so 23-26 on February 20th.

• Senate Rule 81E (as quoted in the IndyStar) says when a bill is defeated “that exact language or substantially similar language shall be considered decisively defeated and shall not be considered again during the session.”

• All four Democrats on the Rules Committee today made comments objecting to the way Senate Rule 81E is being skirted.

• Senator Lanane made an impassioned statement that the changes being offered to get around Senate Rule 81E were just “window dressing.” “The heart of the bill” he said is to appoint the State Superintendent. He said this action is “diminishing the rule!” He said “This should not have been considered.”

• Senator Randolph said this move to get around the Senate rule would hurt the “Senate’s credibility in the public eye.”

• Chairman Long ruled against all objections and called on Speaker Bosma to present the bill and on Senator Hershman to present the amendment to HB 1005 which would allow compliance with Rule 81E.

• The amendment changes the starting date to 2025, rather than 2021.

• Secondly, the amendment reinstates the residency requirement: “has resided in Indiana for at least two (2) years before the appointment.”

• Thirdly, the amendment sets qualifications. This needs to be quoted in its entirety for you to see the confusion that is possible when you take the power out of the voter’s hands:

“(2) has demonstrated personal and professional leadership success, preferably in the administration of public education;” (Editorial note: “preferably”???)

“(3) possesses an earned advanced degree, preferably in education or educational administration, awarded from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university; and” (Editorial note: “preferably” again???)

“(4) either:

(A) at the time of taking office is licensed or otherwise employed as a teacher, principal, or superintendent;

(B) has held a license as a teacher, superintendent, or principal, or any combination of these licenses, for at least five (5) years at any time before taking office; or

(C) has a total of at least five (5) years of work experience as any of the following, or any combination of the following, before taking office:

(i) Teacher.
(ii) Superintendent.
(iii) Principal.
(iv) Executive in the field of education.

I had to quote the exact language of the amended bill for you to understand my question: Is this confusing list what we have come to after 166 years of letting the voters sort it all out in the process of our democracy?

Can’t we instead trust the voters to select a qualified State Superintendent? Isn’t that what our democracy is all about?

Concerns about the New Amendment

This amendment is not ready for prime time!

The word “preferably” has no meaning under the law. It can obviously be ignored. It is surprising that such a word is used in the bill. Using “preferably” means that it is not necessary to appoint an educator to be State Superintendent. Similarly it is not necessary to appoint someone with a degree in education or educational administration.

My impression is that the amendment was written so that an MBA from the business world could fill the position after being employed as a superintendent. Superintendents are no longer required to have a superintendent’s license in Indiana.

Another concern is whether it was written for a higher education official to be appointed. No reference to K-12 experience or degrees is included in the amendment.

Let your Senators know how you feel about the new amendment. Let them know how you feel about taking the power to select the State Superintendent away from voters and giving it to the Governor.

If all 26 Senators maintain their no vote, the power of voters will not be diminished. They need to hear from voters loudly and clearly on this issue, and soon. The leadership is likely to seek action on the floor of the Senate this week.

Once again, the 26 Senators who voted no on February 20th are as follows:

Senator Becker	Senator Glick	Senator Leising	Senator Stoops
Senator Bohacek	Senator Grooms	Senator Melton	Senator Tallian
Senator Breaux	Senator Head	Senator Mishler	Senator Taylor
Senator Crane	Senator Kenley	Senator Mrvan	Senator Tomes
Senator Crider	Senator Koch	Senator Niemeyer	Senator Young
Senator Doriot	Senator Kruse	Senator Niezgodski
Senator Ford	Senator Lanane	Senator Randolph

The 23 Senators who voted yes on February 20th but now should be asked to take a principled stand on Senate Rule 81E to call this bill “decisively defeated” are as follows:

Senator Alting	Senator Charbonneau	Senator Houchin	Senator Ruckelshaus
Senator Bassler	Senator Delph	Senator Long	Senator Sandlin
Senator Boots	Senator Eckerty	Senator Merritt	Senator Smith
Senator Bray	Senator Freeman	Senator Messmer	Senator Walker
Senator Brown	Senator Hershman	Senator Perfect	Senator Zay
Senator Buck	Senator Holdman	Senator Raatz

One Senator who was excused and did not vote on the bill was Senator Zakas, who should also be contacted on these points.

Contact Senators to Keep the Power in the Hands of Voters

If you want to maintain your power as a voter in our democracy, it’s time to go to work. Contact any and all Senators to:

• Tell them how you feel about keeping or losing the power to elect the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• Tell them how you feel about the wording of the new amendment cited above. 

• Tell them how you feel about Senate Rule 81E and the Senators’ rationale to pass a “decisively defeated” bill.

Will Indiana voters defend their powers? It’s up in the air. Voters are about to lose a big one if they are not heard loudly and clearly in the next few days.

I was one of four speakers who spoke against the bill this morning, while three spoke for the bill. The Senators need to hear from the voters.

In this era of activism, the voters of Indiana who don’t want to lose their powers in our democracy need to go to work!

Thank you for actively supporting public education in Indiana!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

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Indiana EdCast Episode #11

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #11 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!

Steve Beebe joins Tom Mellish as they discuss HB 1537 “13th Check and HB 1463 “DC Option”.

Listen to the 25 minute episode here.

IRTA Newsletter – March 23, 2017

HB 1463 “Defined Contribution Option Plan” passed out of the Senate Labor and Pension Committee on Wednesday, March 22nd with a vote of 6-3 party line vote. IRTA along with 3 other groups testified strongly against the bill and no one testified in favor of the bill. To make matters worse the bill was amended to make it a poorer option for future educators in committee.

We are reaching out to other Public Pensions groups to call and to testify against this bill.

We again reach out to you to call/email your Senator and tell them to vote “NO” on HB 1463. The reasons are many and will be included along with a list of Senators. This is the last chance to stop this bill. Make your contacts by phone or email before Tuesday noon.

Indiana’s Hybrid Plan for educators already offers a pension and an annuity option. Educators receive their pension and can either tie their annuity investment into their pension payment, leave their annuity alone with INPRS, or pull their annuity and put into another private savings plan when they retire.

At today’s flat lined salaries, our future educators will not be able to save enough to have a secure retirement. Financial studies show that they would need to save over $600,000 to replace their pension benefit. Many young educators are coming out of college with large college loan debt, they are not able to save adequately for their future retirement.

Think what would have happened to you in 2008 if all you had was an annuity account. How much would that have reduced your retirement fund? Share your stories on how the recession effected your investments and retirement options.

Other reasons we are against Defined Contribution Plans:

• Does not guarantee retirement income will last through retirement
• Dramatic fluctuations in account value with stock market downturns
• DB plans provide same benefit at half the cost
• DC plans have higher fees
• No one has requested this option or testified in favor for 2 years
• Firemen, police and state police are not asking for this option or being pushed into it
• New educators are not ready or have information to make the decision when they are hired

Our present retirement plan allows for a secure and modest retirement. It is a better recruitment tool for future educators than having a DC plan. We are trying to recruit and retain educators in this time of shortages, not encourage them to leave by taking the money and run.

Senators Call: 1-800-382-9467 or 1-317-232-9400

Click here to find your State Senator

Please feel free to share this message with active teachers and any future educator that you know.
Thank you for your interest and support of our legislative efforts.

Tom Mellish
Executive Director

President's Letter – March 2017

Dear Allen County Retired Educators

Our third of four annual meetings will be held on Wednesday, April 19th at Biaggi's Restaurant at Jefferson Pointe. We will begin our meeting promptly at 11:00 AM, so come at 10:45 AM to check in and pay for your lunch.

Please make your reservation with Mary Jo Purvis. Please contact her by April 12th. If you need special dietary changes, please talk to the wait staff that day. We will enjoy selections of soups, salads, and pasta from a menu created for us.

The meal cost will be $15.00 payable when you arrive. If you are a 2016 retired teacher or administrator, and you are a first time attendee, your meal is FREE. Members who bring a nonmember retiree, will get a TWO-FOR-ONE deal for lunch. Let Mary Jo know when you make your reservation.

The program for this meeting will be "The Zoo and You!" a presentation by Jim Anderson, director of our Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. he'll share what's new at the zoo this season and ways to share our great treasure with our community.

At this printing, AREA is looking for volunteers to attend IRTA's Legislative Brunch at the Indianapolis Statehouse on Tuesday, April 4th. Carpools will leave early AM and return by late that afternoon. This is the longer budget legislative session, so it is imperative that we speak up for our retired educators. Call or email AREA President, Barb Kanning by March 23rd, as we will be taking charter buses from the IRTA office in Indy. No parking issues at the statehouse that way, and mileage is paid.

Scholarship information is still available from Nancy Sprague, Committee Chair. If you have a family member who is a college sophomore or junior with an education major this academic year, they are eligible to apply by the April 29th deadline. Time is short. Contact Nancy for an application and guidelines.

The IRTA Representative Assembly will be held on Wednesday, June 14th at Primo South in Indianapolis. We are eligible for a large number of delegates for this informative day, so mark the date on your calendar and join us. We will have carpools organized to attend, and there is NO cost.

Also mark our next meeting date: June 6th at Pine Valley Country Club when Todd Pelfrey, Executive Director of our History Center, will present an Indiana bicentennial program, complete with "hands-on" artifacts!

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Indiana EdCast Episode #9

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #9 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!

Steve Bebe joins Tom Mellish. Chairman Brown presented his budget to the Senate, which included funding for 2 years for 13th check.

Listen to the 34 minute episode here.

Indiana EdCast Episode #8

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #8 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast! For this edition, Sudi Naraine, IRTA's AMBA Manager, joins Tom Mellish to discuss Association Member Benefits Advisors and Medicare Supplemental Plans.

Listen to the 22 minute episode here.

Indiana EdCast Episode #7

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #7 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast! For this edition, we discussed the following points:

• Representative Gutweine's Thirteenth Check Bill Passed 96-0
• Defined Contribution Option Bill
• General Assembly Half-Time | Legislative Brunch

Listen to the 22 minute episode here.