Sparks, principal of Linton-Stockton Junior High School, was one of a handful of educators in 2014 running as Democrats for state office to give teachers a louder voice in Indiana education policy.
Since 2012, the Republican governor and Indiana General Assembly have pushed to expand a controversial voucher program that cost the state millions last school year, and created, by executive order, a state agency that appropriated some Department of Education funds and control of the State Board of Education.
“I kinda feel like I’m in a Peanuts cartoon and Lucy’s holding the ball,” said Sparks, whose opponent’s voting record doesn’t display support for public education funding.
The Pence-created Center for Education and Career Innovation was dissolved this month, partly to dispel controversy over its perceived partisanship. In Indianapolis, State Superintendent of Education Glenda Ritz and Gov. Mike Pence fight for control of Indiana schools, a battle that’s reflected across the state and in Sparks’ home of Linton, Ind.
In District 62, Sparks and Republican incumbent Matt Ubelhor competed for a Statehouse seat. Across the state, educators, lawyers and businessmen fought each other in the midterm elections for General Assembly votes and control of public education in Indiana.
“I think a lot of people were making decisions that don’t know education at all,” Sparks said. “We need to listen to more people who know what’s going on in schools.”
