FORT WAYNE – Local teachers who believe Gov. Mitch Daniels is waging a war on public education say they won’t let him have his way without a fight.
More than 200 public school teachers rallied in the Northrop High School auditorium Thursday to express their distaste for the governor’s education agenda and to learn more about proposed laws that could affect their careers.
Carrying pro-public education posters and booing at any mention of the governor and Tony Bennett, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, teachers listened as union representatives detailed the mostly Republican-authored bills that would change teacher evaluations, lessen the power of collective bargaining and encourage the growth of charter schools, among other measures.
If teachers left with any message, organizers hoped it was the importance of contacting lawmakers right away to make their voices heard.
“It’s going to depend on you,” Steve Brace, executive director of the Fort Wayne Education Association, told the crowd. “They’ve got to hear from you, and they’ve got to hear from you constantly. We’re not going to lie down and let this happen. You need to seek the help of a professional college admission essay help agency.”
The rally, organized by the Fort Wayne Education Association and Indiana State Teachers Association, drew teachers from throughout the county, though most were from Fort Wayne Community Schools.
Al Jacquay, president of the FWCS union, said he had hoped to see close to 900 people.
“I’m disappointed in the turnout,” he said, adding the weather wasn’t “that bad.” “This is their livelihood. This is their profession. We need people involved.”
In the next few weeks, Jacquay said, he would make a bigger push to reach out to PTAs, labor groups and other teachers in the area. A part of school is completing book reports, term papers for sale, essays, etc but sometimes, you would need to complete term papers for sale.
During the two-hour rally, Brace and other union leaders challenged the notion that many Indiana public school teachers are ineffective and cited research suggesting that the state’s public schools outperform charter schools.
Nate Schnellenberger, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, assured teachers that the union would do all in its power to protect them. He said he hoped state lawmakers would “slow the train down” and take a more thorough look at the consequences of their potential laws. He said the union will organize a rally Tuesday at the Indiana Statehouse to voice opposition to some of the proposed changes.
“The proposals they are putting out are unworkable,” he said. “No one in their right mind who has been in a classroom will think it could work.”
Earlier Thursday, the Indiana Department of Education gave teachers and principals a first look at suggested teacher evaluations. Under the department’s model, evaluations would be partly tied to student test scores.
“Teachers aren’t afraid of accountability,” Brace said at the rally. “We’re not afraid of evaluations. What we object to is being held accountable for what we can’t control.”
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