Fishers educator: “We don’t need partisan games infiltrating our school board more than it already has”

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Dear Editor:

On Jan. 18, Dr. Juanita Albright published an opinion piece regarding partisanship in Indiana school boards. Apart from the mental gymnastics necessary to connect “Do No Harm” to adding a D or an R to the end of names on a ballot, Dr. Albright’s column gives little in the way of evidence or reasoning behind her support in school board partisanship. In the end, it reads like she is a sore loser, one who’s desired slate handedly lost the 2024 HSE School Board election.

Dr. Albright states: “During the pandemic, Indiana parents got an inside look at what was happening in their children’s classrooms and didn’t like what they saw. Academic excellence took a hit when schools were closed …”

This couldn’t be further from the truth, and is yet another attempt at revisionist history. When schools closed in March of 2020, the public at large lauded teachers and their efforts to continue some semblance of normalcy. We thanked them, as what we really saw is a peek into their daily reality, but one they experience times 30. Academic excellence didn’t take a hit – we reprioritized surviving a pandemic over completing homework.

Here’s the reality that Dr. Albright isn’t interested in examining: U.S. students have struggled for years in reading and math. We were able to ignore it, and we did so, in the name of finance. In Indiana especially, we have never worked to fully fund education. Instead, we go to every place we can BUT financial support. The newest is blaming teachers while also not giving them what they need. Then, instead of trying to actually help them, we play games in the name of partisanship, creating the need for situations such as HSE’s multiple Unfair Labor Practice disputes.

In her piece, Dr. Albright claims: “School board members make key decisions on curriculum, salaries, instruction policies, and staffing – and members oversee millions of taxpayer dollars. Voters need to know the ideological backgrounds of the individuals who will wield this much power in the community.”

This also isn’t accurate. Maybe this fundamental misunderstanding has led Dr. Albright to be confused about her role. According to the ISBA School Board Candidate Information manual (2024): “First, it is a fundamental understanding that governance is not administration. There is a clear delineation between the two roles. School boards are responsible for setting policy, program oversight, superintendent evaluation, approving the budget, approving recommendations brought by the superintendent, establishing appropriate and safe facilities, and acting as liaisons to the community.”

The world of decision-making, especially in curriculum, salaries, and instruction, these are done by district administration. Decisions made about education are best done by educators, and not doctors. That is because, again, the role of a school board is governance, not administration. In this role of oversight, one’s ideological background is not of value. What does matter is how a candidate runs on understanding their role, including their sound values and respect for educators. It is clear from this most recent election that such things matter to HSE voters.

Dr. Albright, it’s 2025. The pandemic is over. Those of us here in the present are working hard to support our educators by giving them what they need, and helping them to serve our students. It’s rather concerning that you would spend time writing this column instead of responding to emails sent to the board. HSE voters and parents, nonetheless, are perfectly capable of making decisions for their school board without partisanship. Your claim that: “Non-partisan elections can give inflated influence to special-interest groups that may not be student-focused” has already come to pass, and the parents and voters of HSE have realized it’s not what we wanted. And we don’t need partisan games infiltrating our school board more than it already has.

Keep School Boards in Indiana free from partisanship.

Alyssa Roberts
Fishers resident, educator & parent of two current students