New Legislative Report Card Gives Three Local State Reps Failing Grades

Just as the SBOE was deliberating grades for schools, and changing Christel House's grade from a D to a B--shades of Tony, a specter just in time for Halloween!--ICPE-MCSCI volunteers were assigning grades to state representatives.

ICPE's report card for south central Indiana looks at the votes of five legislators representing districts that include Bloomington, Bloomfield, Terre Haute, Martinsville, and Bedford. Representatives Bob Heaton (R-46), Peggy Mayfield (R-60), and Matt Ubelhor (R-62) received an F; Representative Eric Koch (R-65) received a D. Only Representative Matt Pierce (D-61) earned an A for his pro-education votes.

Our report card examines four bills for the 2013 legislative session that had a significant impact on public schools in Indiana, reshaping education policy in our state.

The majority of local lawmakers voted to divert millions of dollars from public education to charter schools and to private schools through vouchers. They also supported laws that have emphasized high-stakes testing and grading of schools while lowering professional standards for teachers and superintendents.

According to our chair Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, “We need to elect state representatives who will listen to the rising tide of anger and frustration from parents and citizens regarding the attack on our public schools and our teachers. We need change in policy. In order to do that, we need a change in policymakers.”

Click here to view the report card, and please share widely.