Letter to the Editor

Resident upset with governor's handling of education funding

Sunday, February 22, 2015

To the editor:

Are you aware of what is being done with the tax dollars you paid for public services in Indiana? Specifically, those spent for the public schools in Indiana?

Are you aware that your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent to increase vouchers for private charter schools?

In his budget, Governor Pence has increased funding for all schools, an average of $86/student in public schools and an average of $1,200/charter school student. Are you aware this is undermining the public schools your child or grandchild is attending in this county, while lining the pockets of private business people in other counties? In addition, are you aware that further legislation has been proposed to allow charter schools to choose their own exam, and not be required to participate in ISTEP?

When vouchers were proposed in 2011, we were told they would save the state money, be more innovative (https://inschoolmatters.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/few-charter-schools-among-indianas-overachieving-schools/), out-perform public schools (https://inschoolmatters.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/no-magic-to-charter-schools/ ), and desegregate our schools (http://hechingerreport.org/content/as-charter-schools-come-of-age-measuring-their-success-is-tricky_12647/). This just hasn't happened. It has lined the governor's cronies pockets, and that is about it!

Let your Indiana Representative and State Senator know how wrong this is!

LaVonne Dodson

Center Point