Understanding the ‘Red For Ed’ demonstration at Statehouse
It is very likely that many taxpayers are wondering why half the public school systems in the State have changed their school calendar so that almost 10,000 teachers and public school stakeholders can descend on the Indiana Statehouse on Organization Day on Tuesday.
As the famous line goes: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
The massive demonstration in Indianapolis is in support of public school educators, against demeaning and negligent legislative education policies that are harmful to students, and dissatisfaction for unfulfilled promises to improve teacher pay that is the worst in the nation with respect to lagging behind an ever increasing cost of living.
While it is true that more money than ever goes into education, a closer look reveals the following.
Since 2008, the state budget has increased 21%, the cost of living has increased 17%, the portion of the state budget that goes to
Education has decreased from 65% to 62%, and the net increase of funding to traditional public schools — after removing the money diverted to private school vouchers — has only increased 10%!
Private School Vouchers have predominantly paid for students who have never attended public schools and have diverted $160 million away from public school funding to the tune of $160 per student, thereby financially harming every public school in the state.
Property taxes funding public schools have been reduced through circuit breakers and tax caps. Big box retail stores have won tax appeals requiring public schools to pay back millions of dollars years after they received those dollars. Where property taxes are impossible to collect and diminished, there is no remedy other than passing a referendum — a solution primarily in wealthy communities.
While traditional public schools have been chastised for allocating too much of their state tax dollars for administration and “non classroom” purposes, charter and voucher schools are allowed to hide how public tax dollars are spent versus how much is kept for profit.
State testing has been in shambles for many years leaving emotional and academic scars on students while resulting in misleading school grades and teacher evaluations with blame being heaped on teachers for poor test performance.
Tuesday’s massive “Red for Ed” demonstration is an indication of even more to come, and it should be taken seriously as “a shot across the bow”.
The demeaning and underfunding of pubic school educators must end, while adequate funding and valuing of all public schools must start.
The 2020 elections are less than a year away, and “Red for Ed” will be there.
Dr. Tony Lux is a retired Superintendent of Merrillville Community Schools and a board member of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education.