Reps. David Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) and Ralph Foley (R-Martinsville), and Sens. Pat Miller (R-Indianapolis), Greg Walker (R-Columbus) and Brent Waltz (R-Greenwood) and I really appreciate your input over the weekend. Many of you were able to come to the town hall meetings-those that were able to tough out the cold weather - many thanks for your input and questions. I have held these town hall meetings before, during and after each session to get your input in order to better serve you as your state representative. For those of you that were unable to make the meetings, or even those that did, I wanted to recap some of the discussions that took place. Education was the main focus at each of the three meetings. The majority of questions and concerns were spurred by information the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett, and the Department of Education recently released addressing education reform-which you can find at www.in.gov/doe. A lot of questions were about merit pay for teachers-how it would work and if it would it be fair. We also discussed collective bargaining, school funding and resources for special needs students. Education reform is a conversation for everyone. Did we have some heated moments on Saturday? Yes, because education is a sensitive subject about which people are passionate. This is a conversation we need to have. As a legislator, I need to know your concerns and your questions, so that I can address them accordingly. On Saturday, I was able to walk away with several reasonable ideas from local teachers and parents on how we can improve public education. For example, we discussed having a universal teacher evaluation system, smaller class sizes, mandatory retention and starting the education process earlier than kindergarten. Something brought up over and over again was the need for parent involvement. If parents aren't involved with their student's education, having good teachers in classrooms matters less because students aren't getting the support at home that's necessary for their success. Overall, we had a great discussion and, even better, had a lot of feedback. But education wasn't the only topic of conversation. We also were asked about how the state plans to "opt out" of ObamaCare, how we plan to draw new district lines based on the 2010 census and about Right-to-Work legislation. Legislation is currently in the works to help Indiana opt out of the taxpayer burden referred to as ObamaCare. In addition, Indiana has joined 22 other states whose Attorney General has taken legal action against the national healthcare legislation. As for redistricting, House Republicans have every intention to draw fair districts that meet the needs of all Hoosiers. In a few months, we will receive more data to help us in the process. And as for Right-to-Work legislation, I know several bills have already been filed and assigned to committees, but I have not seen the exact language. This is an issue that will be fully debated in the House and I am committed to listening to both sides of the debate before casting my vote. But again, I have not seen any language yet, but I promise to keep an open mind on this and other issues. As previously stated, we had a great discussion at all the meetings this weekend. And I want to thank again the people that were able to attend, along with area legislators that were able to join us. Over the next few weeks, I plan to meet with teachers and superintendents from schools in our district to get input on issues dealing with education reform. It's important that I get all the information and input I can before making any decisions. If at any time you have any concerns or ideas, please don't hesitate contacting me. Bring your concerns and ideas to the discussion table, and together as a community, we can find solutions. You can call my office at 1-800-382-9841 or email me at H58@in.gov. |
