By Sheryl Swingley—
MUNCIE, IN—Two representatives of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education will be the guest speakers for a joint meeting of the Muncie branch of the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County.
The meeting is open to the public.
The meeting will start at 10 a.m. and wrap up no later than noon on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Motivate Our Minds, 2023 E. Highland Ave., Muncie.
The topic of the discussion is “The State of Public Education in the 2024 Indiana Legislative Session.” One topic to be discussed will be the General Assembly’s consideration of a bill to retain third graders in third grade if they cannot pass state reading test for their age group.
The first speaker is Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, president of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education. She also is a member of the Monroe Community School Corp. School Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in social foundations of education from Eastern Michigan University.
The second speaker is Joel D. Hand, who is the attorney and lobbyist for ICPE. In Hand’s private practice, he has lobbied on behalf of the ICPE at the Indiana State House since 2011. Hand also handles K-12 special education due process matters, student discipline hearings and appeals, as well as hearings and appeals for suspension or revocation of teacher licenses. He previously held an Indiana teacher’s license and worked for Dr. Suellen Reed, a former Indiana Department of Education superintendent of public instruction, as legal counsel and later as Reed’s director of legislative and governmental relations.
According to ICPE’s website, it is a bi-partisan nonprofit organization. Its mission is to advocate for public education in Indiana. According to its website, public education is important for some of the following reasons:
–Public schools are community centers.
–Communities benefit from excellent public schools.
–Public schools are open to all. They are inclusive.
–Public schools are accountable to the communities they serve.
–Public schools are the bedrock of democracy.
Questions about the meeting or how to join AAUW or the League of Women Voters may be directed to Sheryl Swingley, sswingley@bsu.edu.
