Teachers, school administrators and clergy sued Friday to block the nation's broadest private school voucher plan on
the day it took effect, arguing that the new Indiana law violates state constitutional provisions on education and protecting
taxpayers from supporting religious institutions.
The lawsuit filed in Marion County seeks a preliminary injunction on grounds that most of the 352 private schools whose students
are eligible for the vouchers are affiliated with churches or other religious institutions. It also said the Indiana Constitution
directs the General Assembly to educate children through a "general and uniform system of Common Schools."
"This voucher program will provide public funds to private schools that can give individual preference to students based
on test scores, disabilities, wealth and personal faith. Such preferences should not be publicly funded," said lead plaintiff
Teresa Meredith, a Shelbyville public school teacher and vice president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, the state's
largest teachers union.
At least two of the other 11 plaintiffs also are affiliated with teachers unions. They include a public school superintendent
and former state school board member, a public school principal, and Methodist and Baptist ministers.
Named as defendants are Gov. Mitch Daniels, who signed the voucher plan into law on May 5, and Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tony Bennett. Both strongly supported the voucher law as part of sweeping school changes.
Daniels issued a statement Friday saying ISTA was putting its "financial self-interest ahead of the interests of children
and Indiana's low-income families."
Bennett said the lawsuit was expected.
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UPDATE: Teachers, others sue over school voucher law
Associated Press
July 1, 2011
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liek the rest of America
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These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.
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It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.
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No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.
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whoa!
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2) The preachers are upset because they don't have schools that can get in on the vouchers - regardless of what they SAY - actions speak louder than words.
3) If it costs, say, $5,000 / year to educate a child, then what's the beef if that same $5 grand is spent at IPS, Lighthouse Academy, or St. Roch School?
Ms. Meredith gave herself away... "This voucher program will provide public funds to private schools that can give individual preference to students based on test scores, disabilities, wealth and personal faith. Such preferences should not be publicly funded," OK - so we don't use public funds to pay for individualized instruction to students who do poorly on test scores, have disabilities, and / or are not wealthy. So, where does she think the money should go? Probably her own ISTA salary, is my guess.
She's contradicting her own so-called argument! Nuts!
Dan and Trista, right on!
Dupree, if it's "For The Children", what difference does it make to the state which school does the teaching?
Nope, it's clearly a money grab from ISTA - and I hope the courts can see it as well...
Before we throw money at the governorâââ‰â¢s charter schools, letâââ‰â¢s see how the state does at one of the 'failing schools'. Since the state can't run CPS, Welfare, Courts, etc. with efficiency...how do you think they will do running schools?
Your take any school, private, public, charter, and force it to follow the rules that government has put on public schools and give them the same studentsâââ¬Ã¦.then through the false government measurements of student successâââ¬Ã¦.the school will be declared failing. The propaganda campaign to give tax payer money to charter schools has falsely labeled the public schools as failures. The true failure is government policy and worthless parents/students who do not deserve to pass.
Dupree
Article 8, Section 1. "Knowledge and learning, general diffused throughout a community, being essential to the preservation of a free government; it should be the duty of the General Assembly to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual scientific, and agricultural improvement; and provide, by law, for a general and uniform system of Common Schools, wherein tuition shall without charge, and equally open to all."
If state dollars that otherwise would go into the public tuition support formula for "a general and uniform system of common schools" are redirected to private institutions, then it seems fair to determine whether this passes constitutional muster.
There are 11 plaintiffs, including many who are not affiliated with the ISTA. Tone down the cynicism and let the courts do what they're in place to do.
Whatever will be, will be.
The sad fact is that they are represented by a union that clearly does not. This isn't about constitutionality. It's about union leadership fearful of seeing its power diminished and trying to look relevant.
If a kid can get a better education at another school, why not let him?
Suing the state to try to prove to the rank and file that the union is still relevant will cost the state (those of us who pay taxes) a bundle to defend and is thus a waste of resources that could be put to much better use elsewhere.
Our kids have all graduated from the school systems this will impact so I have no direct benefit either way, but it frosts my mug to have a union spew untruths or half-truths and contend they speak for a poorly defined group like taxpayers in general.
We'll try to say something like they would:
Isn't this the same group under investigation for allegedly misappropriating millions of teachers' dues?
And when this law takes effect, the schools will likely have to adjust their payrolls thus decreasing the income stream to the union. Seems like they don't want the gravy train to stop to me.