By Larry Grau
(From Indianapolis Star, July 5th, 2012)
Do you remember the time in high school when your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend came to the school dance or the Friday night basketball game on the arm of another person? Out of spite, he was trying his hardest to show you up — to prove something.
Well, don’t look now but the Indiana State Teachers Association just showed up this election season on the arm of a radical state senator who is committed to dismantling public education.
When ISTA recently endorsed Republican state Sen. Brent Waltz, it sent a message to its members across the state that it’s willing to place priority on revenge and spitefulness — despite the fact it means going against nearly every principle they’ve ever stood for.
It’s no secret that ISTA has had a challenged relationship with Waltz’s opponent, state Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan. Sullivan has been one of the most outspoken leaders in the state legislature when it comes to enacting reforms to improve our public education system. Her positions have put her at odds with ISTA on a number of occasions, especially on the issue of teacher accountability, when Sullivan supported a law that rewards high-performing teachers while holding accountable those who are not getting results in the classroom. (ISTA has long been an opponent of any system that actually tracks and rates how well our educators are doing their jobs.)
So it’s not surprising that ISTA would withhold support of Sullivan, despite the fact she is a staunch supporter of improving public education and has opposed supplying public funding to private school through vouchers.