Indianapolis Public Schools is no longer the largest school district in the state. The District announced that it lost about 1,500 students bringing its preliminary enrollment to 30,128 students for the 2012-13 school year. That puts IPS behind the Ft. Wayne School District which has an enrollment of about 30,622.
Did anyone see this coming? Yup!
I interviewed U.S. Senator Richard Lugar over the weekend and asked if he would campaign or help Republican nominee Richard Mourdock. His response was interesting at best. Click below to listen to what he had to say. It’s interesting, especially since a new poll is out today showing the U.S. Senate continues to be a virtual dead heat.
Leon-Tailored Audio – U.S. Senator Richard Lugar – 2 (Run time – 5 minutes)
Seeing how my brothers and sisters in the media are having so much fun with the first Marion County Sheriff’s Commissary Fund report we put out, here is the one from June 25, 2011 to December 31, 2011. What fun items can you find that should be going to cover the costs of inmate health care?
As a kid growing up in Chicago in the late 1970s to mid 1980s, a teachers strike was nothing out of the ordinary. The unions were either on strike or threatening to go on strike for what seemed like every other year.
And while you and your friends loved getting a few days off from school until you realize you have to make up the days at the end of the year. But being shortsighted is what kids do and the Chicago teachers unions are acting like children.
Contrary to some reports this strike is not about classroom sizes or air conditioning. This strike is about school reform and accountability. The core issue of this strike is that the unions don’t want to use test scores and teacher performance to evaluate how well teachers are doing in the classroom.
Another issue is whether laid off teachers should get first crack at new positions. Several Chicago schools are slated to close due to under performance and the unions want those teachers to be able to go somewhere else. They should go somewhere else, into another profession because obviously teaching isn’t working for them.
The entire nationwide school reform movement should very closely be watching what’s happening in Chicago. Whether the issue is is accountability, mayoral control or just the future of collective bargaining, what happens in the Windy City will definitely not stay in the Windy City.
I am all for teachers, but this entire situation demonstrates why I have a problem with teachers unions.
In my monthly column in today’s Indianapolis Star, I write about the undecided voter and what candidates should do to win their vote. An an example, I use the undecided voter I know best, my wife, the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz.
Up until about a week ago, the most hated Black man at Marion County Democratic headquarters was probably yours truly. That was up until a week ago. I think that privilege now goes to Indianapolis City-County Council members Vop Osili and Joe Simpson.
As you know both Osili and Simpson decided to show an independent streak and committed the unforgiveable sin of listening to their constituents and voting in favor of expanding the downtown TIF District to Mass Ave and 16 Tech. It is something a number of business people, church groups and neighborhood organizations wanted. So they expanded the TIF and at the same time found money for business loans and workforce development. And instead of getting praise, they are getting grief.
Apparently when the Council Democrats got together at the start of the year, they made a pledge to vote together as a group, regardless of whether a measure was good or bad for their respective districts. They made a pact to stick together and no one would break from the caucus ranks. Now that several of them have, life reportedly is not going to be good for Osili or Simpson. I am told there is a meeting this week between Council President Maggie Lewis, Osili, Simpson, Vern Brown and new chairman of the Metropolitan Economic Development Committee, Leroy Robinson. Steve Talley stepped down from the post.
I don’t have the full scoop on that meeting yet, but what I do know, there is supposed to be a move to get Osili and Simpson back on the plantation. I find it fascinating that these guys ran on representing their districts and listening to their constituents, however when they actually do it, they get called on the carpet.
I think what some people are failing to grasp is that a lot of these church groups, business groups and neighborhood organizations are watching the Marion County Democrats and are getting fed up with the game playing and are seriously looking at taking it out on them in the next few election cycles. And if you don’t think these groups can make a difference in a county where Democrats have a 14,000-vote straight ticket advantage over Republicans, pick up the phone and call Melina Kennedy and ask her how the view from the 25th floor looks.
That’s the nice thing about walking off the political plantation; there are a lot of free people waiting for you on the other side.
After a little experimenting and looking around I have a new radio home. In conjunction with my website Indy Politics, I’ve relaunched my public affairs program, “Politically Speaking”.
It airs Saturdays at 1 p.m. (starting today) on WITT 91.9 FM in Indianapolis. It will be a half-hour show, and occasionally one hour when warranted.
Our inaugural program will feature interviews with Republican Mike Pence, Democrat John Gregg and Libertarian Rupert Boneham.
Currently the program will air in Indianapolis, but there are plans to expand it statewide and we have already had stations in other parts of Indiana express interest. Our goal is to focus on issues facing the state as a whole.
If you are a radio program director interested at picking up our weekly public affairs program at no cost to you, e-mail me at abdul@indypolitics.org for details.
It’s nice to be back. We’ve missed you too.
Three Indiana lawmakers say they want to defend parts of the state’s immigration law in federal court because Attorney General Greg Zoeller won’t. And while they are asking a federal judge to intervene on the state’s behalf, Indiana law may not allow them to do so.
Republican State Senators Mike Delph of Carmel, Phil Boots of Crawfordsville, and Brent Steele of Bedford have filed motions in federal court to intervene and defend the portions of Indiana’s illegal immigration law which Zoeller’s office says have been made unconstitutional by the recent Supreme Court decision regarding Arizona’s immigration law, particularly the provision allowing for warrantless arrests.
The three lawmakers are being represented by the Immigration Reform Law Institute in Washington. However there are several provisions of state law which may make that illegal.
IC 2-3-8-1 – Private attorneys
Sec. 1. The House of Representatives and Senate of the Indiana General Assembly are hereby authorized and empowered to employ attorneys other than the Attorney General to defend any law enacted creating legislative or congressional districts for the State of Indiana.
(Formerly: Acts 1972, P.L.17, SEC.1.)
IC 2-3-9-2 – Lawsuits against state representatives; employment of attorneys to defend; costs
Sec. 2. (a) This section applies if any of the following occurs:
(1) An individual is sued in the individual’s capacity as a state representative.
(2) An individual is sued in the individual’s capacity as an agent of the Indiana house of representatives.
(3) The Indiana house of representatives is sued as a body.
(b) Notwithstanding IC 4-6, the speaker of the house of representatives may employ one (1) or more attorneys necessary to defend a lawsuit described in subsection (a) without obtaining the consent of the attorney general. If a member or an agent of the minority party of the house of representatives is a defendant in the lawsuit, the speaker shall consult with the minority leader of the house of representatives before employing an attorney under this section.
(c) The costs of employing an attorney under this section shall be paid from appropriations made to the house of representatives and shall be considered a necessary expenditure of the house of representatives.
As added by P.L.2-1994, SEC.1.IC 2-3-9-3 – Lawsuits against state senators; employment of attorneys to defend; costs
Sec. 3. (a) This section applies if any of the following occurs:
(1) An individual is sued in the individual’s capacity as a state senator.
(2) An individual is sued in the individual’s capacity as an agent of the Indiana senate.
(3) The Indiana senate is sued as a body.
(b) Notwithstanding IC 4-6, the president pro tempore of the senate may employ one (1) or more attorneys necessary to defend a lawsuit described in subsection (a) without obtaining the consent of the attorney general. If a member or an agent of the minority party of the senate is a defendant in the lawsuit, the president pro tempore shall consult with the minority leader of the senate before employing an attorney under this section.
(c) The costs of employing attorneys under this section shall be paid from appropriations made to the senate and shall be considered a necessary expenditure of the senate.As added by P.L.2-1994, SEC.1.
IC 4-6-5-3 – Written consent; employment of attorneys or special general counsel
Sec. 3. No agency, except as provided in this chapter, shall have any right to name, appoint, employ, or hire any attorney or special or general counsel to represent it or perform any legal service in behalf of such agency and the state without the written consent of the attorney general.
(Formerly: Acts 1943, c.70, s.3.) As amended by P.L.5-1984, SEC.21.
The lawmakers argue that by refusing to defend portions of the law, the Attorney General is effectively robbing them of their votes.
The AG’s Office would not formally comment on the intervention, but spokesman Bryan Corbin did release the following statement via e-mail…
“Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that warrantless arrest provisions of such laws are unconstitutional, we had a duty to notify the federal court while continuing to defend the portions of the law that are defensible. It is up to the court as to whether to allow others to intervene at this point.”
Want some interesting reading? Here is the January-June 2012 Commissary report for the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. Look at what they spend money on. You would think that with having to fork over $11 million for inmate health care that some of the money collected from the inmates at the Commissary would be used to take care of that instead of paying for Direct TV, gloves for the honor guard and luncheons. Happy reading!
In case you haven’t heard there is a new blog in town, Indy Vanguard.
They are a left -leaning, liberal, progressive blog which means they are wrong on almost everything, but they are a welcome addition to the Indianapolis blogosphere. In order for there to be a healthy debate about the issues facing this city and we state, we need different points of view. Not just me and people who wish they were insiders but can’t be so they will spend all day beating up on the institutions they secretly wish they were a part of.
Back in the old days, it was me, Jen Wagner and a handful of others. It was lively, raucous, but it was fun. Hopefully Indy Vanguard will help bring some of that back. Welcome aboard guys! Looking forward to the lively debate!
By the way, if those hotel workers don’t like their jobs, they can quit and take their skills somewhere else.
