(From the Indianapolis Star, August 29th, 2011)
I recently read that U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, Republicans’ likely gubernatorial candidate, intends to focus his campaign on education.
Pence brought up reforms recently enacted at the Statehouse and referenced some initiatives that have been in place for more than a decade. What he failed to mention is that Democrats, both in Indiana and nationally, have led the way for years on improvements and reform for our K-12 education system.
Indiana’s push started back in the late 1980s when Gov. Evan Bayh made education a top priority in his administration, pushing to enact school performance measures, standards for learning, and the nation’s first college scholarship program for lower-income students.
Bayh was succeeded by Gov. Frank O’Bannon, who championed a comprehensive education accountability system, created the state’s first charter school law, and established what he called “a pipeline for lifelong learning” by introducing policies beginning with pre-kindergarten and extending beyond postsecondary education. Nearly every one of those policies, as well as the educational initiatives Gov. Bayh shepherded, were approved in the state legislature with significant bipartisan support.
Though he’s branded himself an education reform leader, Gov. Mitch Daniels didn’t focus on the issue during his first six years in office, and the reforms he recently enacted are part of a sweeping, visionary framework President Obama announced when he took office.
We’re delighted to hear that Pence finally agrees with Obama on something and intends to talk about education reform during his campaign. As he does that, Hoosiers need to remember that Democrats have led the way on the issue for 20 years and have earned broad support for those policies. We look forward to the debate.
Larry Grau
Indiana Democrats for Education Reform