Dive Brief:
- An Indiana bill, which eliminates the guarantee that the State Superintendent automatically has a seat on the Indiana State Board of Education, has been passed by the state House and now heads to the Senate.
- The legislation, which also changes how the board is chosen, is the latest is the ongoing battle for power between Republican Governor Mike Pence and Democratic State Superintendent Glenda Ritz.
- The bill gives the State Board the power to choose a chair.
Dive Insight:
Democrats have been fighting against this bill for quite some time (since it was proposed in December) arguing that it just another example of Pence's goal of ridding Ritz of all of her power. Pence, on the other hand, points to Ritz's current squabbles with the board as evidence for why the change should happen.
At the end of the day this bill could rid Indiana citizens of their voice. They elected Ritz to office with the expectation that she would have an active role making education decisions for the state (mainly through her role on the State Board).