Pence's Indiana Career Council: The Latest Power Grab?

by Doug Martin

Earlier, I found the below message posted on facebook.  I haven't seen the original text this facebook post quotes from, since it costs money to subscribe to the Indiana Education Insight, but it would not surprise me if there's another attempt in the works to steal power from Glenda Ritz and taxpayers in Indiana.

The Indiana Career Council mentioned below met on June 16th.  Pence is its chairperson, and its board is loaded with many corporate school people mentioned in Hoosier School Heist.  You can find the link to its newest plan here. 

Please tweet this post and leave comments below if you have any inside info.  Or email me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/doug.martin.503.  Thanks! Doug Martin

IMMEDIATE AND WIDE-SPREAD SHARING, PLEASE. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THIS! This looks like another power grab from Gov. Pence's office.

From Parents & Educators against the Daniels & Bennett Educational Reform: "Some very, very troublesome things going on behind the scenes at the Indiana Career Council. The ICC is calling for a major re-alignment of state governmental agencies, including the Indiana Department of Education, Department of Workforce Development, Indiana Commission on Higher Education, and the Family and Social Service Administration. According to the 06/23/14 issue of “Indiana Education Insight,” they are calling this the “Align, Engage, Advance” plan.

The ICC is recommending that 30 relevant programs be consolidated under the oversight of an employer-controlled entity such as the Indiana Career Council.

Superintended of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz says, “I’m all about the Career Council. I tout it all over the place because all the agencies are working together. (However), when I see this (plan), I think, ‘What’s wrong with all of us getting together rather than one single agency overseeing it all? Where’s the input then if you only have one agency? I have strong reservations about this. It clearly says we’ll have one agency overseeing this. My Goodness, what does that even look like?”

Commissioner of Higher Education, Teresa Lubbers, saying that a single agency over-seeing education and training was never part of the legislative discussions that led to the formation of the Career Council in 2013. “Lest we think this came out of a directive from the legislature, it didn’t.”

Neil Pickett, former senior advisor to Gov. Daniels has stated, “It’s a lot easier when one person is in charge.”

Governor Mike Pence, chair of the ICC, has stated that he thinks streamlining the governance structure could be a “terrific” step.

Please note that ALL of this was done without public input. This plan, with recommendations for potential alignment action is due to the Governor and the General Assembly by a deadline of October 1, 2014."

The ICC is recommending that 30 relevant programs be consolidated under the oversight of an employer-controlled entity such as the Indiana Career Council.

Superintended of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz says, “I’m all about the Career Council. I tout it all over the place because all the agencies are working together. (However), when I see this (plan), I think, ‘What’s wrong with all of us getting together rather than one single agency overseeing it all? Where’s the input then if you only have one agency? I have strong reservations about this. It clearly says we’ll have one agency overseeing this. My Goodness, what does that even look like?”

Commissioner of Higher Education, Teresa Lubbers, saying that a single agency over-seeing education and training was never part of the legislative discussions that led to the formation of the Career Council in 2013. “Lest we think this came out of a directive from the legislature, it didn’t.”

Neil Pickett, former senior advisor to Gov. Daniels has stated, “It’s a lot easier when one person is in charge.”

Governor Mike Pence, chair of the ICC, has stated that he thinks streamlining the governance structure could be a “terrific” step.

Please note that ALL of this was done without public input. This
plan, with recommendations for potential alignment action is due to the Governor and the General Assembly by a deadline of October 1, 2014."