School leaders urge support of ‘Greene Goes Red’

Monday, November 18, 2019

Local school administrators have issued a call-out to the community to wear red on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in support of public education.

As teachers from across the state plan to visit the Statehouse Tuesday as part of the Red for Ed Action Day, superintendents, principals and teachers locally are promoting “Greene Goes Red” in support of education.

According to the Indiana State Teacher’s Association, the Red for Ed Action Day focuses on three main points: teacher compensation, holding schools harmless from I-LEARN results and repealing the professional growth/externship requirements.

Eastern Greene Superintendent Trent Provo explained why some of these issues are important to bring forward to legislators.

“The growth of teaching salaries in Indiana over the years is among the lowest in the country. That makes it difficult to retain and attract teachers. State standardized testing is a very hot button subject also. ILEARN scores were low across the state. The timing of when we receive the data, and the data itself, does not allow us to use it in a way that benefits students. Lastly, the state passed legislation for licensure that requires teachers to earn 15 professional growth points by doing an externship in a business. The state felt this would help teachers get students ready for careers. However, there was not any thought put into when these externships should take place. Is it to be done on a teacher’s time outside of school? If so, should this be compensated since it is a mandate? Teachers are asking for this to be repealed,” Provo explained.

Shakamak High School Principal Brent Anderson, Elementary Principal Jeff Gambill and the school board put together a statement to explain why the changes at the state are having a negative impact on local schools.

“The MSD of Shakamak Board of School Trustees and Administration fully supports the Red for Ed Action Day scheduled for Nov. 19. This day is an opportunity to publicly voice concern for current issues affecting public education. In our area of the state, that would include underfunding for small, rural schools resulting in lower pay for teachers and the subsequent teacher shortage statewide,” the statement explains.

“Another issue is the lack of balance in funding for charter schools versus public schools and the discrepancy in holding public schools to a higher degree of accountability compared to charter schools. It is the state’s responsibility to educate children, but more pressure is being put on local taxpayers to keep public schools running. These are all issues rooted in decisions made by legislators in Indianapolis, and Red for Ed Action Day is a day for public school educators to voice their opinion on these issues. As an administration, we wholeheartedly support the teachers and applaud them standing up for public education. As a school, we plan on staying open, but we will accommodate any educator planning on attending the Indianapolis rally. We all will be wearing red.”

Linton-Stockton School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Kathy Goad explained the impact teachers have on our youth makes it integral to support educators.

“Teaching is a profession like no other. Our teachers touch the lives of thousands of children and youth throughout their careers. I have been saddened by the recent devaluing of the profession and happy to see teachers standing up for their life’s work. At LSSC we are very proud of our teachers and support them in their efforts to bring attention toward their worth to our schools, our students and our future,” Goad explained.

Bloomfield School District Superintendent Jeff Gibboney stressed not only do schools support students, but also the community as a whole.

“We believe our schools serve as the heart of our community. Our teachers, administrators, staff and students do so much for the community and have been highly successful in their endeavors We stand united with the Bloomfield Teachers’ Association and believe the General Assembly must do more to support our schools by increasing public school funding, even if it means cutting into the more than $2 billion state surplus. While the 2.5 percent increase in the next two years is appreciated, it is a drop in the bucket compared with the 10 percent increase provided to charter schools and the 9 percent increase for private school vouchers. While the infrastructure of our state must be a priority, so too is the investment our state must make in the individuals and organizations (teachers and schools) held highly accountable and responsible for developing the next generation of talent needed by the workforce,” Gibboney said.

White River Valley Superintendent Dr. Bob Hacker said Greene County schools, teachers and students especially have seen a major hit in recent years.

“Teachers all over our state need our support, and nowhere is that more important than here in Greene County. The issues being raised across the state involve standardized testing and ties to that standardized testing to teaching evaluations, teacher pay and benefits, and general overall working conditions. We support our teachers and are hoping that the many that travel to Indianapolis make a positive difference for the profession. In the end, we want what’s best for our teachers, and -- more importantly--our students,” Hacker said.

Provo weighed in on how all of these changes and restrictions have impacted students in particular.

“How is this affecting our students? There is definitely a teacher shortage in Indiana. We have fewer people going into the profession and people leaving the profession for some of the reasons I stated above. Teacher shortages can lead to larger class sizes and a less talented pool of applicants for teaching positions. State standardized testing takes up a lot of student time. Between the formative assessments (local tests) we are required to give and the state test, students spend a few weeks of the year testing,” Provo said.

While no Greene County Schools are planning to close next week for the Red for Ed Action Day, some local teachers will be heading to the Statehouse to help address the growing concerns among educators.

Each local administrator asked that residents offer a small token of support by wearing red, Tuesday, Nov. 19, making sure “Greene Goes Red” for education.

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  • If these administrators supported our teachers, they would be in Indianapolis on Tuesday! 130 school districts are closed tomorrow to show support. What does that tell you about our county admin? They are more worried about "building a brand" and the competition between the county schools to draw more students in to make more money.

    -- Posted by MJ7 on Mon, Nov 18, 2019, at 11:10 AM
  • Our teachers are underpaid and people need to support this.

    -- Posted by catpowered on Tue, Nov 19, 2019, at 5:33 AM
  • MJ7, I believe the administrators in our county all have the best interests of the students and staff in mind, which is not a statement I would have made 7 or 8 years ago. Perhaps there was not enough interest shown by the staff to make it necessary to close down? I saw teachers from Greene County at the rally through facebook, so it seems like it wasn't that they weren't allowed to go. All I would say is that admins and teachers are on the same team, so trying to divide them will never be productive.

    -- Posted by FlapJack on Tue, Nov 19, 2019, at 8:10 PM
  • Flapjack - I agree that our admin has improved. However, many of the teachers were made aware that it was frowned upon to go, even though they "had full support" from the admins. There is never a rally or outcry to support our admins. Why? Because they make A LOT of money and are NOT held to unrealistic and ridiculous standards.

    -- Posted by MJ7 on Wed, Nov 20, 2019, at 11:45 AM
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