Gordon Hendry Must Resign From The Indiana State Board of Education

First, we would like to congratulate Jennifer Wagner on her new position as Vice President of Communications for the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.  With that being said, the next move for this now power couple of “educational reform” is for her husband, Gordon Hendry, to resign his seat on the Indiana State Board of Education.  Why, you ask?  To remove any real or perceived conflicts of interest that may arise from her new role with the Friedman Faoundation for Educational Choice and her husband’s role in directing education policy for the state of Indiana as an appointed member of the Board of Education.

Do you see the issue now?

See Jennifer’s statement below:

I have job news. I think it’s pretty exciting news. I’m going to share it with you now.

On April 4, I will join the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice as Vice President of Communications.

Whaaaaaaaa, you say? But you’re a Democrat! You were the spokeswoman for the state party for more than half a decade! You send your kid to a public school!

All true. Allow me to explain.

Like so much of the work I’ve engaged in over the past five years, I do not see school choice as a political issue. I see it as an issue of fairness, freedom and equality.

Access to a quality education determines whether students will succeed or struggle for the rest of their lives. If you are stuck in a school that does not meet your needs, you are sentenced to a life less lived, and you can’t wait for two or five or 10 years for someone to change it.

My parents, both public school teachers, taught me that the parent is the primary teacher. I’m not a professional educator, but I spend more one-on-one time with my kids than anyone else. I know them best, and I should be empowered to make the best educational choices on their behalf.

After all, my parents did that when they chose to send me to Park Tudor, a school that was far beyond their financial means but aligned with my academic needs. We chose to buy a house near our daughter’s magnet school so we had a better chance of getting her enrolled. Choice is a positive thing that shouldn’t be reserved just for those in certain ZIP codes or with decent bank account balances.

For some of you, this announcement will come as a surprise.

For those of you who know me well, you’ll understand that nothing motivates me more than trying to make a positive difference in our world, even if it means giving up working most days in yoga pants.

I’m thrilled that I’ll be working alongside an incredible team of people who come at this issue with varying world views but who fundamentally believe that we must empower families if we’re going to connect more students with educational opportunities that meet their needs.

As I begin this new chapter, I promise always to address any differences we may have with respect, the same approach I repeatedly ask my kids to use when they disagree with each other or someone else.

I can’t wait to get started.