In Case You Missed It – April 25, 2022

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the new Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

THIS WEEK

This week's local education news was dominated by an application for a new charter school in the Fort Wayne area. The application was eventually withdrawn due to strong opposition.


ACCEL SCHOOLS FACES OPPOSITION IN FORT WAYNE

Fort Wayne charter school application withdrawn

For-profit charter school chain, Accel Schools, has withdrawn their application for a new charter school in Fort Wayne due to strong local opposition and poor planning. Articles dealing with the backlash against the charter school application follow...

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

An application to establish a new charter school in Fort Wayne has been withdrawn after the school faced overwhelming opposition this week.

Bridgett Abston, the Indiana Charter School Board's director of authorizing, evaluation and assessment, said today the board received an email saying Fort Wayne Preparatory Academy's application had been withdrawn.

The charter school board was to discuss the application during a meeting Thursday in Indianapolis.

The proposed charter school had planned to open in the 2023-24 academic year with 150 elementary students. Leaders had planned to expand to the middle-school grade levels, eventually serving 400 students, according to a 268-page application.

The academy expected to draw students from FWCS and open in southwest Fort Wayne within the FWCS district.

Below are two articles dealing with the charter school opposition in Fort Wayne.

New Fort Wayne charter school proposal receives major backlash at public hearing

From WFFT-TV

There wasn’t much support for the new school at Monday's meeting.

Teachers, parents and school board members were among the public speakers to share their thoughts.

In total, 26 of the 27 speakers said the application should be denied.

"I wonder how much research they’ve actually done on the clientele they want to serve," said one speaker.

"I don’t think this community needs another charter school," said another.

"I urge this application [to] be rejected."

These are just a few of the comments from people who spoke out against the new charter school.

Critics blast charter school proposal

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

A proposed Fort Wayne charter school faced overwhelming opposition during a public hearing Monday that filled an Allen County Public Library room to capacity, prompting about 50 people to gather in the grand hall.

About 25 people -- including Fort Wayne Community Schools board members and FWCS Superintendent Mark Daniel -- urged the Indiana Charter School Board to deny Fort Wayne Preparatory Academy's application next week.

The proposed charter school wants to open in the 2023-24 academic year with 150 elementary students. Leaders plan to expand to the middle school grade levels -- eventually serving 400 students, according to a 268-page application.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT ACCEL

Jeff Bryant: Inside a Chaotic For-Profit Charter School

Read this article for an inside look at how Accel Schools runs their locations...this one in Toledo.

From Diane Ravitch

It didn’t take long for Tasha Stiles to realize there was something very wrong with the school where she had just started teaching.

First, there was her rushed orientation to the school, Toledo Preparatory Academy, an early kindergarten through eighth grade charter school in Toledo, Ohio, operated by for-profit charter chain Accel Schools. She told Our Schools that her training during orientation in August 2020 consisted mostly of one workshop on “basics,” which included how to record attendance and enter grades. There was no school handbook or written guidelines about student discipline practices or instructional protocols.

FLORIDA'S ATTACK ON PUBLIC EDUCATION CONTINUES

Florida releases 4 prohibited math textbook examples. Here they are.

Florida has moved the culture wars to math textbooks. This is what happens when your governor has too much power and is running for President.

From the Answer Sheet

Days after announcing that it had rejected 41 percent of math textbooks submitted by publishers — some of them because of references to critical race theory and other “prohibited” topics — the Florida Department of Education on Thursday released four examples of lessons it considers unacceptable.

Last week, the department said some of the rejected textbooks — 54 of 132 — were not aligned with Florida’s content standards, called the “Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking,” or BEST, while others were rejected for the subject matter. “Reasons for rejecting textbooks included references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics,” it said.

The department came under criticism for not releasing any examples, so on Thursday, it did.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – December 20, 2021

Here are links to articles from the last two weeks that received the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the new Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

FORT WAYNE'S KAREN FRANCISCO ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Without question, the most widely read post from the last two weeks was the editorial announcing the retirement of The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's editorial editor, Karen Francisco. Below the following excerpt, there's a link to a post by Diane Ravitch...which, in turn, links to a post that Francisco wrote for Ravitch's blog.

The Fort Wayne area has been lucky to have Karen Francisco as an advocate for public education. While we at NEIFPE wish her well in her well-deserved retirement, she will be missed.

'The quiet and thoughtful voices'

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

This is a good stopping point for a 40-year career in newspaper journalism. In two Indiana cities and at three newspapers, it's been a fascinating and fulfilling job on both the news and opinion sides of the newsroom. Thank you to everyone who has shared your time and stories. Thanks to all who have contributed letters, op-ed columns and comments about what I've written. Thank you to my co-workers and editors and, especially, to Journal Gazette President Julie Inskeep, whose unwavering support for opinion journalism is increasingly rare in this industry.

You can read about my successor on Page 14A. I know he shares my belief that our editorial pages can make a positive contribution toward a better city, region and state.

I'm now looking forward to days without deadlines and to moving close to loved ones. I'll continue to follow the news here and wish the best for all who call it home.

Thank You, Karen Francisco!

From Diane Ravitch

Indianans will miss her.

All of us who believe that public schools belong to the public will miss her too!

In April, when I was scheduled to have open heart surgery, I asked a number of friends to write something original for the blog to keep it alive in my absence.

Karen Francisco wrote this one, which I scheduled on the day of my surgery, April 8, called “Why I Fight to Save Public Schools.”

CHARTER SCANDALS

Another Day Another Charter Scandal

This holiday season, the Network for Public Education is bringing you 12 Days of Charter Scandals to celebrate their new, free research tool.

Look up #AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal by state, by category, or by search term.

CHARTER SCHOOLS: CAVEAT EMPTOR

When a Charter Network Discriminated Against My Daughter, I Fought Back

Charter schools often claim to be public schools -- when it's to their advantage, but they are not. Charters and private schools and, apparently, have the right to reject some students.

From Public Voices for Public Schools

My oldest had just started first grade when our lottery number came up and I received a call from the charter school. We were living on the north side of Scottsdale, Arizona and had been looking for school options for my then five year old. Great Hearts Academies, a chain of charter schools, immediately caught our attention with their advertising and the claims they made regarding student achievement. And so we joined their waiting list. More than a year later, the school called to tell us we were in. “You have two days to decide.”

Our visit the next day impressed us. Orderly children, all in uniform, seemingly well mannered and happy. We opted out of our district school then and there and enrolled at Great Hearts. And things went well for a couple of years, so well in fact that I hoped to send my youngest, then four, there for her kindergarten year.

That all changed at the start of 2016 when Great Hearts rolled out a new policy targeting transgender kids. Written with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ law foundation with close ties to the charter network’s founder, Great Hearts’ “Biological Sex and Gender Policy” was the most anti-trans student policy in the country. The ignorance of the new policy was striking, but for me, the issue was personal. My youngest daughter is transgender. Thanks to this policy, it would be impossible for her to go to this school, be successful, and be herself.

PRIVATIZATION FORMULA:

• Starve Public Schools
• Claim They Have Failed
• Send Public Funds to Private Schools

Missouri Parent to Legislature: Don’t Defund Our Rural Schools with Charters and Vouchers

Another state goes down the failed road of privatization.

From Diane Ravitch

I tell you the story of rural schools because we are in a fight to keep our public schools funded and open in Missouri. In my state, we are 49th in funding for public schools. We don’t provide public schools with enough for the basics. The state funds just 32% of schools’ budgets, which means that residents must pay for the bulk of their local school expenses through property taxes. That means that our system is highly inequitable. The defunding of Missouri public schools has happened over the last decade, but has been on warp speed in the last five years. The school funding formula was adjusted to lower the amount a few years back, meaning we lowered the funding bar to be able to claim we met the bar. And now, even more bad news for Missouri rural schools: a voucher scheme.

INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY TRIES TO FIX TEACHER SHORTAGE THEY CREATED

The state or districts? Indiana lawmakers weigh who should have the authority to license teachers

Over the last two decades, the Republican-dominated Indiana legislature has enacted a series of laws guaranteed to discourage young people from becoming teachers in Indiana public schools. Teachers no longer have seniority, collective bargaining has been seriously limited, and Indiana's average starting salary, average salary, and per pupil spending are all in the bottom third of the USA.

Last year, the Governor's Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission released it's report on ways to increase salaries which the commission stated was 18 percent below the national average. Among the suggestions were

• Encourage and implement expense reallocation measures, so more dollars currently spent on other needs can be redirected to teacher salaries,
• Increase sources of revenue available for teacher pay, and
• Improve teacher compensation-related policies.

While the Governor has promised Indiana tax payers a refund of $125, there doesn't seem to be enough money for the state to invest much in its public school teachers.

From Chalkbeat*

Indiana lawmakers on Tuesday debated giving school districts the authority to license their own educators as a solution to ongoing teacher shortages.

The Interim Study Committee on Education discussed the topic as part of its charge to recommend ways to deregulate state education policies.

Final recommendations approved on Tuesday ask the Indiana Department of Education to provide input on “streamlining workforce programs and licensing and other regulatory requirements for teachers,” among ten other recommendations.

Also see New Orleans Tribune: No One Wants to be a Teacher Anymore, No-Duh!

LEFTOVERS

Do Not Forget the True Purpose of School
The Tip Of The Weisberg

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – April 12, 2021

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

VOUCHER EXPANSION IN INDIANA

New Indiana budget proposal scales back private school voucher expansion

The Indiana Senate scaled back the increase in Indiana's voucher program proposed by the House of Representatives. Public school advocates and more than 170 school boards spoke out against the massive increase that the House proposed.

From Chalkbeat*

After a chorus of opposition from public school districts and advocates, Indiana Senate Republicans significantly scaled back an expansion of the state’s private school voucher program under their budget proposal Thursday.

The Senate plan would not extend private school vouchers to as many middle-class families as suggested in the House budget proposal and other legislation discussed this session. It also would dramatically curtail a proposal for education savings accounts, which would give stipends to parents of children with special needs who do not attend public schools.

The Senate would nonetheless make the state voucher program, which currently serves more than 36,000 students, more generous than it is currently. Students from a family of four earning nearly $110,000 per year could be eligible for vouchers under the Senate plan. It would raise the eligibility for new students to 200% of the subsidized meal income qualifications and 225% for returning students and those receiving special education, instead of the House’s proposed cap of 300%.

No Pause in Indiana's Push for Privatization

The Senate might have scaled back the House's massive gift to privatization, but an expansion of vouchers is still an expansion of vouchers.

From Live Long and Prosper

The bill now goes to a conference committee where House members will try to put back what the Senate took out. Speaker of the House Todd Huston, whose campaign contributions include $35,000 from Betsy DeVos's Hoosiers for Quality Education (see also here), said that the house will "be negotiating very aggressively" to get back what was taken out so they can satisfy their lust for privatization.

One might even think that the plan all along was for the House to propose an extreme expansion of vouchers, then have the Senate back off a bit to pacify public school advocates (and more than 170 school boards around the state), and settle on a more "modest" increase in voucher money and an ESA plan.

It's still an increase in Indiana's ever increasing move towards total privatization.

FIGHTING VOUCHERS

Scholars show how to challenge voucher discrimination

Steve Hinnefeld explains one possible way to fight against vouchers.

From School Matters

...supporters promote vouchers to expand opportunities for students and families. But, as the programs expand, state officials often enable them to deny those benefits to entire groups of students.

“Vouchers were sold as program that all could benefit from, but the anti-LGBT provisions give the lie to that statement,” Green said.

Charters vs. Vouchers

What's worse, Vouchers or Charters? Both have had their part to play in harming America's public schools, but one has more potential to destroy them altogether. Do you know which one it is? Peter Greene casts his vote.

From Curmudgucation

I have tried (I love a good thought experiment), but I cannot imagine a world with a voucher system that is not really a pay-your-own-way, two or three tier system (with the vestiges of public education occupying the lowest tier). Charters have adopted and tacked on free market ideology as a tool and a desired outcome, but vouchers cannot be separated from it, because the whole concept of vouchers is about replacing shared societal responsibility for maintaining a common good with opportunities for folks to make a buck. At the same time, the wealthy will still get the education they want for their children, while being freed of any requirement to help foot the bill for educating Those Peoples' Children. And I am unable to imagine--nor have I seen anyone propose--a voucher system that works otherwise.

LOCAL FORT WAYNE EDUCATION

PFW allowing student teachers to substitute for local school systems

Purdue University in West Lafayette modified its policy and now allows student teachers to get paid for substituting. Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW), follows suit.

From Fort Wayne's NBC

Back in March, Purdue modified its policy regarding student teachers working as paid substitutes.

“We knew our school partners were struggling with needing subs, so when we heard about Purdue’s move, we wanted to do the same. Student teachers pay full tuition for the experience of working full-time under the guidance of a mentor teacher – they do not get paid. I love that this provides an opportunity for our students to both help their schools and make a financially challenging semester a little easier.”

Isabel Nuñez, director of Purdue Fort Wayne’s School of Education

NACS teachers support masks: Union backs precautions as others voice opposition

The teachers of Northwest Allen County Schools take a stand on wearing masks.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

As parents lobby the Northwest Allen County Schools board to relax masking rules, teachers are speaking up in support of mask-wearing and other coronavirus precautions.

Such protocols make in-person instruction possible during the pandemic, protecting students from the greatest threat to their social and emotional health – isolation from classmates and teachers, the Northwest Allen County Education Association said in a statement.

“To safely achieve the 'in-person' structure, precautionary measures such as the wearing of masks and social distancing must be implemented and respected,” the union said. “These precautionary measures allow educators to effectively support the academic success and emotional health of the thousands of NACS students and families in our community.”

FROM DIANE RAVITCH

My Broken Heart

NPE President, Diane Ravitch, told her readers about her upcoming heart surgery.

From Diane Ravitch

I was born in 1938. I’m in pretty good health, considering my age. But one of the valves in my heart has a leak. It must be repaired. On April 8, I am having open heart surgery. The surgeon will break open my breastbone to reach my heart, then wire it back together. He assures me I will be fine, but fatigued, when it’s over.

I have tried to take it in stride, but it’s hard not to find it scary. Terrifying, actually.

Karen Francisco: Why I Fight to Save Public Schools

While she's recovering from heart surgery, Diane Ravitch asked others to write blog posts for her. In this piece, Karen Francisco, editorial editor of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**, chronicles her journey towards public school advocacy.

From Diane Ravitch

I wish I could say Indiana has seen some success in fighting off the privatization monster, but that’s far from the truth. More than $1 billion has now flowed to private and parochial schools through the voucher program, with no accountability. A scandal involving a virtual charter school cost taxpayers at least $85 million, with seemingly no concern from lawmakers or taxpayers. In the current legislative session, the Republican supermajority is throwing everything at school choice: income limits that make vouchers available to wealthy families, ESAs, full funding for online-only schools and more.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – July 1, 2019

Here are links to last month's articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

ICYMI will return to its weekly format beginning July 8, 2019.

* Editor's Choice

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

• *You don’t have to go to kindergarten in Indiana. But educators say it ‘levels the playing field’ from Chalkbeat

FORT WAYNE LOCAL SCHOOLS

• *Public to get say on new FWCS superintendent from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

• FWCS board unanimous on future Electric Works high school and FWCS School Board votes ‘yes’ on Electric Works space 

FUNDING, MONEY IN POLITICS/EDUCATION

• Schools struggle with unfunded mandates from Tribune-Star

• Strength in numbers: As budget shortchanges public education again, it's time to make demands of our lawmakers from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

INDIANAPOLIS LOCAL SCHOOLS

• Indianapolis Public Schools’ new leader wants to have ‘hard conversations’ about race from Chalkbeat

• How a parent organizer will try to upend Indianapolis’ top-down charter movement from Chalkbeat

POLITICS

• Education was ignored by debate moderators. What the Democratic presidential candidates should have been asked about America’s public schools from The Answer Sheet

• *We Told You So, Dammit from Curmudgucation

• *Bill and Melinda Gates have spent billions to drive their agenda on education and other issues. Now, they have created a lobbying group to push even more from The Answer Sheet

PRIVATIZATION

• *How School Choice Undermines Democratic Processes from Peter Greene in Forbes

• *Indiana schools that discriminate receive public funding from School Matters

• *After refusing archdiocese’s order to fire gay teacher, school is told it will no longer be recognized as Catholic from The Answer Sheet

• With little fanfare, Daleville board votes to shutter controversial Indiana Virtual School from Chalkbeat

• *The deal to close Indiana Virtual School leaves unanswered questions. Here’s what we want to know from Chalkbeat

• *Voucher accountability charade from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

• *Charter Schools Will Always Waste Money Because They Duplicate Services from Gadflyonthewall Blog

• If The Supreme Court Hears This Case, It Could Change The Face Of Public Education from Peter Greene in Forbes

• Critics of charter schools say they’re hurting school districts. Are they right? from Chalkbeat

• Banks gets scolding on voucher plan in DC: Delegate dismisses effort as Republican meddling from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

• Ex-Horizon chief opening school: Abraham Prep schedule to open on Coliseum from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

• *To Understand Teach for America, See Who Funds The Organization from Diane Ravitch

SEGREGATION

• When school districts resegregate, more black and Hispanic students drop out from Chalkbeat

STANDARDIZATION

• *Standardized Tests Are Not Objective Measures of Anything from Gadflyonthewall Blog

• The Twins Are Two from Curmudgucation

STATE TAKEOVERS

• For the Poorest Rust Belt School Districts in 2019, June Is the Cruelest Month from Jan Resseger

• Indiana officials spar over extra funding for takeover schools from Chalkbeat

U.S. ED DEPT

• DeVos Hires Advocate for For-Profit Colleges to Oversee Higher Education from Diane Ravitch

THE WAR ON TEACHERS

• State Sends Mixed Messages As Thousands Of Teachers Rush To Avoid Licensing Rule from WFYI-Indianapolis

WRAP-AROUND SERVICES

• Schools sought mental health aid: Conservative groups fought against funding from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

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In Case You Missed It – Sep 24, 2018

Here are links to the articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

RAVITCH OPINION PIECE

My Views on the Kavanaugh-Ford Issues

From Diane Ravitch

...Mind you, I am dead set against Kavanaugh joining the Supreme Court because he will provide the decisive vote to roll back civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, abortion rights, and the “wall of separation” between church and state. I am also aware that the prisons contain many black men who did stupid things when they were 17, but got caught.

ECOT GETS SCHOOLED

Ohio: ECOT Received Even More than $1 Billion in State Money!

From Diane Ravitch

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) is the biggest online charter scandal in the nation, for now. The state poured more than $1 billion over 17 years into this for-profit enterprise, with no accountability until recently. After the state finally audited ECOT, it learned that there was no system in place to know whether students logged in, whether they participated in instruction, and commenced proceedings to recover at least $80 million. ECOT fought the state in court and lost. Rather than return the money, ECOT closed its doors.

Almost every Republican official running for statewide office received campaign funding from William Lager, the entrepreneur behind ECOT. Mike DeWine, the Republican candidate for governor, returned the ECOT money, but continues to accept contributions from other for-profit charter “schools.” Online charter schools everywhere have dismal records and are typically the worst-performing schools in every state where they are allowed.

ALLEN COUNTY IN. SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS UP

Enrollment up in all county districts

From The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Allen County's public school districts are reporting across-the-board increases in enrollment this year – a continuing trend for the suburban districts and more evidence the school voucher drain is slowing.

Friday was the Indiana Department of Education's collection day for average daily membership – a preliminary count of students enrolled in each district. It's an important number, as the state uses it to determine per-pupil tuition reimbursement to schools. A second enrollment count will be taken Feb. 1, but the September count determines funding.

The numbers are not yet official, as the state will track student identification numbers across schools and districts, but the preliminary figures tend to remain fairly stable.

BILLIONAIRES CONTINUE TO MEDDLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Jeff Bezos is spending $2 billion to help the homeless and educate poor kids. Sounds good. Is it?

From The Answer Sheet

In recent years, America’s wealthiest citizens have poured, collectively, billions of dollars into efforts to change public education. Some believe the public system is inefficient; some simply don’t believe in the public sector. Whatever the motive, these billionaires have been able to drive the public education agenda in myriad ways. That includes pouring money into pet projects through nonprofit organizations that they create or heavily fund, giving money directly to school districts to pursue initiatives, or taking a leading role in public-private partnerships.

But critics say it is fundamentally undemocratic for private individuals to take over basic responsibilities of government, such as helping the homeless and educating kids. In a democracy, public policy should not be driven by people who are not elected and who are accountable to no one but themselves, these critics say.

BENEFITS OF TEACHERS UNIONS

Why Teachers Join The Union

From Curmudgucation

I want to be a teacher, and I need to provide my family with a decent standard of living...

I want to be a teacher, and I don't want to be forced to sacrifice my entire life every time my employer decides to have me give extra time for free.

I want to be a teacher, and I don't want to risk my family's livelihood every time I stand up against injustice or stand up for my students.

I want to be a teacher, and I want to work for someone who provides the support or resources to help me do the job.

I want to be a teacher, and I want to be treated fairly, professionally and respectfully.

I want to be a teacher, and because I cannot negotiate any of these conditions successfully as just one person, I'm joining a union so that we can work for these conditions for all of us, together.

NOBLESVILLE TEACHER HONORED

Jason Seaman throws first pitch at Cubs game

From WTHR-TV, Indianapolis

Another moment of honor for Jason Seaman, the teacher who stopped the Noblesville West Middle School shooter.

Seaman headed out to the pitcher's mound at Wrigley Field wearing his own jersey with the number 18 on the back.

The Chicago Cubs invited Seaman to come up today to throw the first pitch and be recognized for his act of heroism back in May.

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NEIFPE's statement about the proposed Business Personal Property Tax

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education was formed to help educate ourselves as well as our community about many of the recent reform measures coming from the state that we feel are damaging public education.

• Our legislature has created a system to label our schools as “failing” by creating their A-F grading system.

• They created the “voucher” or “school choice” program which has siphoned money away from public schools.

• They have demeaned educators as well as our Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• The majority of this state voted to change our state constitution to place caps on our property taxes which has put many school systems behind in capital projects and has forced them to cut transportation for students.

The measures NEIFPE so frequently speaks out against have happened at the state level. Never did
we think the attacks would come at us locally. With Jason Arp’s proposal to exempt Business Personal Property from local taxes, our schools will once again take huge hits from transportation and capital projects. Fort Wayne Community Schools will notice the biggest loss and will be forced to reduce transportation even further. The proposal will also increase property tax bills for every real estate owner in Allen County who has not reached the tax cap. That includes approximately 65% of all homeowners in the County. The majority of homeowners are inside FWCS, so it's safe to say that the impact on FWCS families will be more significant than in other districts.

Please contact your city councilman to ask him to vote against this proposal. Education is already under attack; we do not need to see further damage coming from our own backyard. You can find your city councilman by using the link below, complete with email, phone, and mailing address.

http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/city-council.html

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