There are times when elected officials feel the public does not understand that officials are people with real lives, jobs and families. This week two events brought the humanity of elected officials to the forefront.
Rep. Bob Morris witnessed his 72-year-old father die from a major heart attack while moving snow. Many of us from the Legislature attended the calling and/or funeral to support our colleague. Rep. Morris serves in a stressful environment and the sudden loss of his father can provide even more stress and complications. That is why it is so important that his friends and colleagues come forward with actions of help and support.
The second event that presented itself was Ann’s and my 40th anniversary on February 8. To say we do not know where the years went is an understatement of major proportions. We have been blessed in so many ways and hope that we return some of those blessings to our community. Ann is a diabetes educator for the Veterans Administration and travels around Indiana. In my position, I am usually at events, meetings and session; many times overnight. Our marriage has survived because we encouraged each other to grow, develop and take some risks. The stress that each of us experience seems to pull us together, not push us apart.
On a legislative note, I would like to address House Bill (HB) 1609 because it is drawing lots of attention. The bill provides that the State Board of Education shall elect annually a chairperson from the membership of the board during their July meeting. The state superintendent remains a member of the board, but is no longer automatically the chair of the committee. The superintendent is not prohibited from serving as chair, but would need to be elected by the full board.
This change is drawing criticism from several different groups, however, the automatic chairmanship of the State Board of Education by the elected state superintendent only exists in two states. Indiana and Oklahoma have the policy in place and both seem to be experiencing some level of disagreement and dysfunction because of it.
If we think about our local school board, we know there is an elected or appointed school board made up of local citizens. Each board elects a chairman from within the membership and the board directs policies. The corporation superintendent then is the administrator of those policies. HB 1609 would create a scenario for the state similar to that local process by allowing the state board to elect a chair from within the membership. The state superintendent would then administer the policies of the board, as is already the case. It would be possible that the state superintendent could be the chair of the board, but it would not be automatic. I was pleased to see this bill pass out of the House and it will now move to the Senate for their consideration.
Another education issue that has received much attention is the increased testing time of the ISTEP+ test. Many teachers have contacted me regarding this situation. It is the role of the Legislature to set education policy for the state. That policy is then administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The decision to increase testing time was the Superintendent’s decision, and neither legislators nor the State Board of Education were informed of this decision before it was publically announced. I have heard our community’s feedback on this issue and can assure you that we are working to resolve this matter.
I encourage you to follow along with session. You can do so by visiting iga.in.gov where you can view committee schedules, tracks bills and watch session online. You may even have the chance to see yours truly behind the rostrum!
Thanks for your communications.
More later,
Bill Friend
-30-
Rep. Bill Friend represents portions of Cass, Fulton and Miami counties. He also serves as Speaker Pro Tempore.
