House Bill 1609, authored by Rep. Jud McMillin, R-68th District, would effectively remove Ritz as chairperson. The bill passed the Indiana House of Representatives on Monday in a 58-40 vote.
Traditionally, the superintendent, an elected position, automatically fills the spot of chairperson, but the legislation aims to completely reorganize the membership process for the board. House Bill 1609 would have 10 of the members be appointments by the governor, and the chairperson would be elected by the other 10 members.
On Monday, #IStandWithRitz trended by supporters of Ritz, who opposes this legislation. At the same time, #StandWithKids trended in support of the bill. This hashtag was initiated by Hoosiers for Education, an education group associated with former Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett, who lost to Ritz in the 2012 election.
There is some speculation that this legislation, which has been backed by Gov. Mike Pence, is a personal move against Ritz due to past disagreements with the governor.
“Indiana chose to have its highest ranking elected authority on education to be the chair,” Ritz said in an interview with Fox 59 News. “And the 2012-elected superintendent should be afforded this role.”
Daniel Metz
