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Revamped State Board Of Education Begins Work June 1

Rachel Morello
/
indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact

The reboot of the State Board of Education is set for next week.

Monday is the deadline for Governor Pence, House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President David Long to make their appointments to the state board.

The new law ending state school superintendent Glenda Ritz‘s automatic chairmanship of the state board also terminates the appointments of the other 10 members, in an effort to defuse the long-running battle between Ritz and the rest of the board.

Members can be reappointed, although a change in the required partisan balance on the board means at least one will have to be replaced.

Pence will pick eight board members, with Bosma and Long making one appointment each.

The Indiana State Teachers Association doesn‘t have any appointment power, but has sent the three leaders a list of seven suggested appointees.

President Teresa Meredith says it‘s an olive branch to Pence after weeks of battling over education policy and the extent of Ritz‘s powers.

"We were looking for people who were really known in their area for being some of the best educators," says Meredith. "And we were also looking to see if they were very knowledgeable about education issues outside of just their immediate local school corporation. Were they educators who seemed to be on the cutting edge?"

The union recommends reappointment of one board member, Huntington middle-school teacher Cari Whicker, even though Meredith acknowledges they typically disagree on policy.

She says teachers believe Whicker has listened respectfully to all points of view.

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