Teachers, lawmakers discuss ways to preserve public schools

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Community members and leaders spent part of Saturday discussing ways to preserve the public school system.  Public school supporters say they're afraid public schools are disappearing and could one day be placed into the private sector.

Saturday's meeting, held at the Plymouth Congregational Church , wasn't just for Indiana educators and lawmakers to discuss ways to show public schools work, people from other states got involved too.

"We've never had a regional meeting where we bring people together across state lines to collectively build a model to spread across the country," said Maureen Reedy, one of the founders of Public Schools Across America.

Saturday's meeting included parents, teachers and education administrators from Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.  It was set up because parents and school leaders are tired of losing taxpayer dollars to charter schools.  It's an issue that people have seen in states across the country.

During the 2012-2013 school year, Indiana gave out 9,000 school vouchers.  The state had capped the number of vouchers at 15,000 for the school year.

"I think there's a national movement to get rid of public school and privatize them, and make children a commodity in a for-profit" Al Jacquay, the president of the Fort Wayne Education Association, said.  "This is just the beginning of an outrage you'll see across the country."

So to show public schools can succeed, school leaders are networking to discuss what tools work in the classroom, and unite teachers from coast-to-coast.

"What can we do collectively, as a Midwest or nation, to have this rise of people realize this is a giant issue," said Al Jacquay, the president of the Fort Wayne Education Association.  "People need to be involved and engaged to help save our local schools."

Saturday's featured speaker was Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz, who is a big supporter of the public school system.

Ritz has been in office for less than two weeks, but is already in the process of replacing the state's A-F grading school, used to measure a school's success.  Ritz wants the new grade system to include academic success and growth.

She said she would like to see the money being used on vouchers be kept in public schools, and be spent on improving struggling schools.

She added the state's school voucher program is still expected to go to the Indiana Supreme Court, which will determine if the program is constitutional.