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Sunday, October 6, 2019

Indiana was the 2nd state to pass an emergency manager law and 2nd state to realize it doesn't solve their problems | Eclectablog

Indiana was the 2nd state to pass an emergency manager law and 2nd state to realize it doesn't solve their problems | Eclectablog

Indiana was the 2nd state to pass an emergency manager law and 2nd state to realize it doesn’t solve their problems

Back in 2012, Indiana became the second state after Michigan to pass an emergency manager law that allows the state to take control from locally, democratically elected leaders and put it into the hands of an appointed bureaucrat. The law covers any “distressed political subdivision” which, like in Michigan, includes municipalities or school districts. Furthermore, Indiana’s Emergency Managers have the power to, among other things:
  • Review existing labor contracts
  • Renegotiate existing labor contracts and act as an agent of the political subdivision in collective bargaining.
  • Reduce or suspend salaries of the political subdivision’s employees.
  • Enter into agreements with other political subdivisions for the provision of services.
Fast forward to today and, just like in Michigan, Indiana is finding that trying to fix systemic and intractable problems by cutting and gutting doesn’t actually work:
Indiana State Board of Education (ISBOE) member Tony Walker says he is frustrated with the lack of progress in the Gary Community School Corporation since the takeover by the state two years ago.
On July 31, 2017, the State of Indiana hired MGT Consulting to provide emergency CONTINUE READING: Indiana was the 2nd state to pass an emergency manager law and 2nd state to realize it doesn't solve their problems | Eclectablog