By Craig Ladwig

There is an argument underway in the letters columns of Indiana newspapers between the head of the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) and a GOP state senator. One side thinks the other side’s estimate of the cost of teacher unionization is too high.

The two sides, though, are not equally credible. The position of the senator, however politically motivated, is straightforward, i.e., a private entity, the teachers union, is destructive and should be disbanded. Read the rest of this entry »

They’re spending it surfing this blog, and commenting on this article by State Senator Jim Banks.

This morning Northrop High School art teacher Albert Jacquay emailed what appears to be every teacher at the following schools.

—–Original Message—–
From: Jacquay,Albert
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 9:40 PM
To: Jacquay,Albert; _Nebraska Staff; _North Side Staff; _Northcrest
Staff; _Northrop Staff; _Northwood Staff; _Portage Staff; _Price Staff;
_Shambaugh Staff; _Shawnee Staff; _Snider Staff; _South Side Staff;
_South Wayne Staff; _Study Staff; _Towles Staff; _Washington Staff;
_Washington Center Staff; _Wayne Staff; _Waynedale Staff; _Weisser Park
Staff; _Young Staff; sbrace@ista-in.org; Amin,Robin; _Grile Staff

Subject: This is what we are up against. Maybe a stronger letter or
phone call would help educate this “angry white boy” from Columbia City.

Below are the visitors from Fort Wayne Community Schools just within the last 6 minutes. Since Mr. Jacquay set his email out at 9:40, there has been over 75 connections logged into the blog from k12.in.us.

Get back to work teaching the kids. You can come to the website when you’re off duty. Read the rest of this entry »

FWCS Board will be having Public Work Sessions on the following dates

Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Grile Board Room, each meeting is scheduled to last approximately 2 hours.

These are Open Work Sessions (Discussion only – no voting decisions made)

Topics to be discussed:

A. Balanced Scorecard
B. District initiatives
C. Any other topics the Board may decide to discuss

These are not regularly scheduled meetings and it is possible that many people may not have seen a posting of these events. The original posting appeared in an archive of School Board Meeting Notes.

Here Come the ‘Union’ Protests

by Craig Ladwig

The television news and talk shows have met their match. It is collective bargaining, an issue too complicated for the nine-second sound bite.

Unions are promising Statehouse protests this week against bills that would weaken their membership here. The televised reports on this important development, if the pattern holds, will be marked by misunderstanding and oversimplification. Read the rest of this entry »

US House Expected to Vote on the Repeal of “Obamacare” Today

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote today on the repeal of the controversial Health Care Reform Act passed by the Congress last year. The political change in legislative leadership stemming from the November election has, by design, made this the first major vote of the new Congress. The Senate which is still led by Nevada Democrat Harry Reid is not likely to pass a repeal or allow its consideration on the floor with and up or down vote, but “not likely” does not mean “impossible” if there is a groundswell of calls, emails and faxes for a Senate vote on the measure. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes you are, according to Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, speaking Monday at an campaign event held by the United Steelworkers for Ohio Democrats, including Democrat Governor Ted Strickland. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

Reading the Wall Street Journal this morning, near the end of the forth section under a heading “Best in Class,” I spotted a long list of college names in bold and student names in a lighter shade of gray. I scanned the page and then thought to look for a name from alma mater IU Bloomington. Nothing.

I read the headline again and noted the whole page of names celebrated, “For more than 60 years…exceptional students,” but did not go into any detail.

I scanned again. Read the rest of this entry »

Sylvia Smith is bemoaning the fact that the Stutzman campaign reached out to Fort Wayne Community School teachers and offered them a chance for students to participate in a political campaign.

A Stutzman field worker contacted the schools and obtained teacher’s email addresses and then offered them an opportunity to allow their students to work as volunteers. Read the rest of this entry »

The arrogance displayed by the White House never ceases to amaze.

Tuesday, Missourians overwhelmingly voted to pass a measure that would exempt residents from President Obama’s socialist health care mandate. 667,000 Missourians braved 102-degree heat yesterday to send Obama a clear message, “we don’t need your stinkin” health care plan.”

According to The Hill.com, When White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked today what it means that voters in Missouri would vote against the federal mandate, Gibbs said: ‘Nothing.’”

By 2014, new federal regulations issued this week by the department of homeland stupidity will require all electronic health records must record your Body Mass Index: how fat you are. This new Draconian law also requires that these electronic health records be available on a national medical exchange.

Read the rest of this entry »