Indiana State House 63 Candidate Teresa Kendall Unveils New Education Plan, Calls for Immediate Increase in Teacher Pay and End to Standardized Testing
With Endorsements from Hoosiers for Public Education and Leading Educator and Author Dr. Robert Arnove, Kendall aims to empower teachers while also taking on Republicans to save Hoosier farms, forests, and lives
JASPER, Ind., Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today Teresa Kendall, candidate for IN House district 63, unveiled the Kendall Public Education Plan (KPEP) to meet new educational needs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Kendall and her plan have been endorsed by Hoosiers for Public Education and longtime public school advocate, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Robert Arnove. The Kendall Public Education Plan is a six-point plan for getting Indiana schools back on track in spite of the challenges of Covid-19.
The Kendall Plan calls for immediate action to:
1. Increase teacher pay
2. Eliminate standardized testing and replace with formative tests teachers can use to actually help their students learn.
3. Utilize incentives to attract and retain new and existing teachers
4. Create a new Teacher Residency program that allows recent masters degree graduates to serve a one-year residency in public school systems across Indiana
5. Expand arts and wellness programming by empowering local citizens and groups to provide classes in their areas of expertise
6. Establish accountability measures for Charter and Private schools.
With Indiana emerging as a battleground state this year, people in Pence's home state are showing that they value the person more than their politics; just this past month, Indiana State School Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick broke party lines to endorse Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers, the first black person to run for office ever in the state's 200+year history.
Kendall's 32-year long teaching career will help Indiana's public school teachers work through the pandemic and fix problems that existed even before the world heard the word 'coronavirus'. For example, in 2019, nine out of ten (92%) Indiana schools operated with a shortage of teachers, according to a study by Indiana State University, the school where Kendall received her BA. "My plan calls for mobilizing a huge workforce of new teachers, teaching assistants, teaching artists and wellness coaches, and put the power of learning back into the hands of the teachers," said Kendall.
With a masters in educational technology and learning theory, Kendall is excited to work with McCormick and teachers across Indiana to deliver the best, safest services to Hoosier students.
Professor emeritus and author Dr. Robert Arnove, educator and author, says he strongly endorses the candidacy of Teresa Kendall for Indiana House Seat 63, saying, "She is the right person at the right time. Teresa will be an effective advocate for public education as the bulwark of a thriving democracy and vibrant civil society. Teresa understands the existential need for a strong social safety net to protect Indiana's most vulnerable individuals and communities at a critical point in our history that threatens the health and well-being of all Hoosiers."
Kendall is also running for IN63 to save the homes and farms of hundreds of her Hoosier neighbors, and acres upon acres of the Hoosier National Forest: "My husband and I were so happy to retire to Jasper, and then we learned my opponent and a wealthy group of Republicans were looking to spend $19 billion on a new-terrain highway that will increase pollution, traffic, and the death toll in our area."
Though Senator Mike Braun comes from Jasper, he has shown his support of the road, along with Holcomb and Pence. Shane Lindauer, the person appointed to fill Braun's state house seat and charged with protecting the people of his district and their land, is Kendall's competition, and has also publicly backed the building of a new-terrain highway cutting through southern Indiana.
"I will work hard to protect this land. I don't want this area to be forever changed just so folks from Carmel can get down to French Lick faster," explained Kendall. "And I will look closely at how our tax dollars are spent - imagine what teachers could do with $19 billion! Imagine, instead, our engineers using $19 billion to build a state-of-the-art public transportation system - that actually serves our rural areas. Imagine what $19 billion could do for Hoosiers on Medicaid who have missed vital appointments due to Republican mismanagement."
Kendall became active with "Stop the Midstates Corridor", a group of thousands of Hoosiers and organizations including Orangeville Rise, Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Forest Alliance (IFA), Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter, Valley Watch and Protect Our Woods, with technical support by the Environmental Law & Policy Center. The IFA has issued this statement: "We oppose any new terrain route because such a route would destroy precious forests or cut through valuable farmland."
Kendall also points out INDOT's poor track record with staying under budget; when Mike Pence was governor of Indiana, "the state's public-private partnership (P3) with I-69 Development Partners saw numerous delays and cost overruns." In 2017, the Wall Street Journal also reported on INDOT's failure to stick to their budget for new-terrain I69: "The debt-stricken operator of the Indiana Toll Road filed for bankruptcy protection... with a plan to restructure some $6 billion in debt, the latest example of a private investment in public infrastructure that failed to meet expectations."
"And Republicans are supposed to be the fiscally conservative ones, right? I have not seen evidence of that in Indiana," Teresa says. "There's so much at stake this year - I am asking every Hoosier to vote with your heart, and vote in your best interests. Vote for your neighbors who may lose their land. Vote for our teachers and nurses and a better education for our kids and grandkids. Vote for change."
"The tunnel vision of our current leaders will not lead us into the future," Kendall finishes. "I dare anyone in the state house to look me in the eye and tell me they think a shiny new road is more important than better pay for our teachers, better care for our elderly and those with disabilities, and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. I dare them."
The full text of the Kendall Public Education Plan is available at TeresaKendallFor63.com as well as on
SOURCE Teresa Kendall
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