Opinion

To the Editor: I am very concerned about proposed legislation that will adversely affect education as we see it. Several teacher associations across Indiana are fighting for public school funding. You see, public schools have never recovered from when former Gov. Mitch Daniels cut $300 million from its funding in 2010...

To the Editor: The headline in the Tuesday, March 16, 2021 issue of the Banner Graphic is worth repeating: “Putnam communities to get more than $10 million.” The article provided these details: • Bainbridge: $160,000. • Cloverdale: $450,000. • Fillmore: $110,000...

There is a bit of an unexpected tussle going on right now in the statehouse. You see, the Republican supermajority did not expect to have any problem pulling more money away from public education and giving it to private education entities. It turns out that people are pushing back, and the more they learn about the on-going scheme to give public money to private schools, the less they like it...

It’s time to debunk the myth of the financial burden advertising public notices places on local government units. The cost is the No. 1 cited reason given by representatives of local government associations while testifying for the elimination of the publication requirement for a specific public notice or all public notices...

If you’re of “a certain age,” as they like to say, you undoubtedly carry a roundish scar on your upper arm, a souvenir of a long-ago smallpox vaccination. While smallpox was listed as officially declared eradicated in 1980, those of us born before 1972 had to endure the family physician poking around under the skin of our upper arm, seemingly scratching it repeatedly in applying the vaccine...

Students are in the process of signing up for classes next year at local high schools, while college and post-high school education option visits have been in full swing for many high school juniors. In 2020, a new program called Purdue Fast Start kicked off that provides a means of guaranteed admissions to Purdue University...

May I brag for a moment? I work with some of the most impressive young people; not just in Putnam County, but anywhere. These amazing young people are members of the Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Committee. You may have seen articles or social media posts about this group but are unsure what they are about...

The tone of the 2021 budget session of the Indiana General Assembly has been quite different from the last budget session in 2019 when K-12 public education leaders stood with legislative leaders to announce a state budget that devoted $763 million in new funding for K-12 public education...

Look around. We’ve got it pretty good here in Greencastle and Putnam County. Really. Unfortunately, we take a lot for granted. Always have. We’ve got a world-class university here that offers not only educational opportunities but also free access to music, lectures (think Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher) and sports of all kinds. Yet we grouse about students walking in the street or DePauw construction causing detours...

Over the years, I’ve come to describe my family background as Midwestern mutt. We don’t exactly know where our people came from. Jernagan isn’t a name that screams a particular nationality like, say, O’Malley or Van Dyke. A relative told me when I was young she thought it was German. But what did our people know? Mom’s maiden name was Van Hook and some of our ancestors lived in Pennsylvania. So naturally we were thought we were Pennsylvania Dutch...

Not being much of a pop drinker, I’ve nonetheless had a soft spot in my heart for Coca-Cola over the years. Partially because as a 14-year-old, my first real job was at Wisconsin Farms, a suburban Chicago delicatessen,where I spent about half my day in the bottle room, sorting glass bottles returned by consumers for two-cent deposits. ...

To the Editor: It is time to stop supporting the mindless Republicans who couldn’t care less about helping the people of Indiana. Tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 26) Representative Jim Baird will likely follow the lead of California Representative Kevin McCarthy and oppose President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package which will be put up for a vote in the House...

To the Editor: We’re all tired. It’s been a long year. We need our leaders to cut the crap and work on addressing the challenges Hoosiers face every day — a better economy, improved health care, education for our kids. The General Assembly should focus on these issues, but the GOP supermajority has a different agenda — they would rather fight culture wars and help their wealthy friends. The Republicans that we sent to represent us aren’t solving our problems; they’re creating new ones for us...

Open letter to the Indiana General Assembly: Thank you for your service and leadership representing the students and families of the State of Indiana. As leaders of Greencastle Community School Corporation, we are appreciative of your time and consideration regarding the drafting and development of sound, responsible legislation...

The Republican supermajority in the Indiana General Assembly is currently attempting to prioritize private education benefiting fewer than 10 percent of students, while underfunding its constitutional duty of providing a system of common school open and available to all...

To the Editor: Once again, Congressman James Baird has voted for his party over the people in Indiana. Baird began this trend in 2010, when he was elected State Representative in District 44. Baird consistently voted against public schools in District 44, by voting for a Republican budget that forgave $91 million in charter school debt and expanded virtual school funding, while funding our traditional public schools at 2008 levels. ...