In a past column, I wrote about concerns about school safety and the simple fact that one of most-requested measures – metal detectors – is a fundamentally flawed solution. The same is true for some of the high-tech wizardry you’ve seen on the news, or calls to arm teachers. (Why do I think arming teachers … Read more
I’ve written before about education myths. One of the most persistent is that Indiana schools no longer offer many vocational classes (now referred to as career and technical education, or CTE for short). In reality, our public high schools offer more CTE classes than ever before — far more than when you were in high … Read more
Drive the back roads through most of Indiana’s 92 counties, and you’re bound to encounter dead or dying small towns. You’ll arrive at a crossroads surrounded by a few rundown homes and crumbling storefronts that haven’t offered anything to buy for decades. And in most of these communities, you’ll find brick or limestone buildings that … Read more
It would probably surprise you to know just how much of your daily life is influenced by the amount of time it used to take a farmer with a horse-drawn wagon to get from Stilesville to Danville. If you’ve ever looked at a map of Indiana’s 92 counties, you’ve noticed that while shapes vary, most … Read more
Mrs. Bloom was my first-grade teacher. As she and Dick and Jane helped us discover reading, she also dealt with all the realities associated with six- and seven-year-olds, from accidents to tears to post-recess vomiting to my classmate Chuckie, who ate a lot of crayons. There were no litterboxes in her classroom. Nor were there … Read more
It’s one of those annual social media posts or the conversation you’re forced to overhear while waiting for a table. “And do you believe they’re expecting us to pay $2,500 for her show choir outfits? It’s a school thing … we pay taxes … so where do they get off making us pay? I bet … Read more
I clearly remember the strangest decision I had to make as an elected official. Sitting in a room with my fellow school board members, our top administrators, and several architects, we were asked to determine and agree upon something fairly amusing but surprisingly important. That something was the average width of the gluteal assemblages of … Read more
Property taxes have been a big topic here in Hoosierland for the past couple of years – so much so that they became the centerpiece of our new Governor’s campaign efforts. We’ve heard a lot about your property taxes from Mr. Braun, his lieutenant, and General Assembly members as they battle over the budget. If … Read more
It’s a zinger of an argument, delivered with all the contempt the arguer can summon. You’ll hear it anytime a developer or town officials propose something we haven’t yet seen in Hendricks County. “They don’t understand this isn’t Carmel!” or “If I wanted to live in Carmel, I’d have moved there and not here!” I’ve … Read more
I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about tax abatements from folks who hold some strong opinions about them. They seem to understand a lot of confusing stuff so they must know what they’re saying, right? Well, not necessarily. For decades, I’ve heard the same incorrect “facts” about tax abatements again and again. Like: Thanks to … Read more