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Glenda Ritz
Glenda Ritz (b. Lafayette, Indiana) is a former Democratic Indiana superintendent of public instruction. She served in the position from January 19, 2013, to January 9, 2017.[1] She was unseated by Jennifer McCormick (R) in the November 8, 2016, general election.
Ritz announced her candidacy for Governor of Indiana on June 4, 2015, in the 2016 election. She cited the need for improved public education in the state as a primary reason for her campaign. Click here to learn more about her confrontations with Gov. Mike Pence over education.[2] However, in August 2015, Ritz dropped her bid for governor and ran for re-election as superintendent of public instruction instead.[3]
Ritz was first elected superintendent in 2012. Democrats officially selected her as their nominee at the state party convention on June 16.[4] She went on to face Republican incumbent Tony Bennett in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[1]
Biography
Ritz is a licensed teacher in elementary education and special education. Prior to her election as superintendent, Ritz worked as a library media specialist at Crooked Creek Elementary School in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, Indianapolis.[5]
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Ball State University
- Master's degree, Ball State University
- M.S., in library science, IUPUI[5]
Political career
Superintendent of Public Instruction (2013-2017)
Ritz won election as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 6, 2012. She took office on January 19, 2013.[1] After a hotly contested race, Ritz managed to narrowly oust predecessor Tony Bennett (R). He was subsequently approved for appointment as Florida Commissioner of Education on December 12, 2012. Bennett assumed office as commissioner the same day Ritz succeeded him as Indiana superintendent.[6][1] Bennett resigned as Florida's education chief on August 1, 2013, amid revelations that, while he was still superintendent in Indiana, he tampered with a charter school's grading system in order to protect his relationship with a powerful Republican campaign donor.[7][8]
Ritz lost her re-election bid on November 8, 2016.
Issues
Common Core
- See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative
Indiana was among the first states to adopt Common Core standards under Ritz's predecessor, Republican Tony Bennett. Ritz unseated Bennett as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2012 elections, thanks in part to her stance against Common Core. Before he left office, Bennett helped Indiana obtain a waiver from No Child Left Behind that allowed the state to control 20 percent of federal education funding; this was conditional upon the state's adoption of national academic standards like Common Core and teacher evaluations. Bennett was a staunch supporter of the reforms tied to the waiver, but it was Ritz who ultimately had to comply with their implementation.[9]
Months after Ritz took over as superintendent, Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) signed a law delaying the implementation of Common Core in Indiana for one year.[10] By May 2014, Indiana became the first state in the country to withdraw from Common Core.[11] The Indiana State Board of Education, chaired by Ritz, then approved its own set of standards, which blended together some of the Common Core standards with previous Indiana standards while incorporating recommendations by experts in relevant subjects. An extension to the 2012 No Child Left Behind waiver was submitted by Ritz and the Board of Education on June 30, 2014, after much disagreement over proposed amendments to Indiana's new standardized exam. The waiver was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in August 2014, allowing Indiana to maintain the current level of autonomy over its education standards and spending decisions.[12][13] "I believe that Hoosier schools will have much needed flexibility over how they use some of their federal funding; Most importantly, this flexibility will improve education for our students," Ritz stated.[14]
About the office
As state superintendent, Ritz is the director of the Indiana Department of Education and chairs the Indiana Board of Education. The superintendent has additional authority over school lunch programs and the distribution of surplus agricultural commodities.[15] The job requires the superintendent to ensure the department's compliance with statutory duties and policies as determined by the Indiana Board of Education, which the superintendent chairs. Department duties include conducting education policy research and compiling basic statistics about the ethnicity, gender and disability status of Indiana public school students.[16]
Noteworthy events
Conflict with Gov. Pence and State Board
Ritz abruptly left a meeting with the State Board of Education on November 13, 2013. Her behavior was provoked by a motion to advance a proposal that would expand the role of the Center for Education and Career Innovation, an education agency created by Gov. Mike Pence (R) in August 2013. "Truly, an improper motion means the motion itself interferes with statutory obligations," Ritz said of the plan to increase the new agency's say in the shaping of state education policy.[17]
Ritz resisted the plan, believing it to be in violation of Indiana state law. One board member said in response, “You are not the attorney general...We are a public entity. We have the right to vote. No chair can stop us." With that, she adjourned the meeting, bringing discussion of the issue to a halt.[18] Another board member, Gordon Hendry (D), said Ritz's behavior was unprecedented for a chairperson and expressed disappointment in her actions. Despite the disapproval of some members, in light of Ritz's protestations and the public's consequent focus on the issue, they agreed to wait to vote on the motion.[19][20]
This dispute marked a continution of the power struggle between Ritz and Pence that began soon after Ritz took office. The centerpiece of the struggle was this debate over who controlled the State Board of Education. Often the conflicts were linked to the department of education's leadership structure: As superintendent, Ritz chairs the board; as governor, Pence appoints its members. This recent conflict, however, was the result of unfortunate timing. The day before Ritz walked out of the meeting, a number of media outlets printed an op-ed Ritz submitted in which she accused Pence of plotting to consolidate board authority under the governor's office to give himself unprecedented control over the setting of statewide education standards. In the op-ed, Ritz pointedly restated her commitment to "strengthen the Department of Education, not have it dismantled."[18] The previous week, a judge rejected a lawsuit Ritz had filed in which she claimed the board broke the law by convening without her permission while she was out of town. In Ritz's view, the proposal to increase the influence of Pence's nascent education agency represented yet another example of the board skirting state law and facilitating Pence's overreach on education.[19]
Elections
2016
See also: Indiana Superintendent of Schools election, 2016
Superintendent of public instruction
Ritz ran for re-election as superintendent of public instruction in 2016. She was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. She competed in the November 8 general election with Yorktown Community Schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormick (R), who won her party's nomination at the June 11 state party convention.
Jennifer McCormick defeated incumbent Glenda Ritz in the Indiana superintendent of schools election.
| Indiana Superintendent of Schools, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jennifer McCormick |
52.97% | 1,203,116 | |
| Democratic | Glenda Ritz Incumbent | 47.03% | 1,068,191 | |
| Total Votes | 2,271,307 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
Governor
- See also: Indiana gubernatorial election, 2016
Ritz announced her candidacy for Governor of Indiana on June 4, 2015, with the intention of replacing Gov. Mike Pence (R).[2] However, on August 7, 2014, Ritz withdrew from that race, stating that it was not the right time for her to run for governor. She instead elected to run for re-election as superintendent of public instruction.[3]
Noteworthy events
Alleged campaign finance violations
Ritz's short-lived gubernatorial campaign came under fire in mid-July 2015 after a Call 6 Investigates report found evidence the campaign had broken state election law. Under Indiana Code § 3-9-2-12, a candidate who holds statewide or legislative office or is running for statewide or legislative office is prohibited from conducting fundraising activity, including accepting campaign donations, while the general assembly is in session.[21] Ritz filed her first campaign finance report—covering the period of January 1 to June 30—with the Indiana Elections Division by the July 15 deadline.[22] The report initially showed over $8,000 in contributions received during the blackout period when the legislature was in session. The ill-timed donations came mostly from individuals and amounted to one-quarter of the total money raised by the campaign up to that point.[23] The Ritz campaign responded to the allegations by replacing the campaign treasurer and submitting a revised report, which contained adjusted dates for 21 of the 28 questionable contributions. According to a campaign official, a clerical error whereby date of possession was reported instead of date of deposit was mostly to blame. "The amended report makes several corrections to ensure full compliance with Indiana’s campaign finance law...We look forward to continuing to fully comply with all reporting requirements," a campaign spokesperson said in a statement.[24] If the state elections authority ordered Ritz to refund the contributions received during the blackout period, she would have lost a significant portion of her campaign coffer. As of late June, however, Ritz trailed Gov. Pence in fundraising by a staggering $4.2 million, making it unlikely that an $8,000 loss could have significantly downgraded to her already-disadvantageous position in the race.[25] By August, fundraising struggles and other issues led Ritz to cancel her gubernatorial campaign and endorse John Gregg for the nomination. She then announced her bid for re-election as superintendent.[3][26]
2012
Ritz won election as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2012. Democrats officially selected Ritz as their nominee at the state party convention on June 16.[27] She defeated incumbent Tony Bennett (R), who sought re-election on the Republican ticket, in the general election on November 6, 2012.
| Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Glenda Ritz |
52.8% | 1,332,755 | |
| Republican | Tony Bennett Incumbent | 47.2% | 1,190,716 | |
| Total Votes | 2,523,471 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Ritz's campaign website pointed to her teaching experience and to her successes in the superintendent's office, which she stated include higher graduation rates and more college and career programs. It also denounced the "privitiz[ation] of public schools through state takeover," and stated that she was "focused on student-centered accountability."[28]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ritz and her husband have two children, Brandon and Phillip.[5]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Glenda Ritz Indiana Education. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- State executive official elections, 2016
- Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Superintendent of Schools
- Indiana school districts
- Indiana Department of Education
External links
- Glenda Ritz for Superintendent 2012 Official campaign website
- Facebook campaign page
- Twitter campaign page
- Campaign contributions: 2012
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- LinkedIn profile
- Glenda Ritz Facebook page
- Glenda Ritz on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Courier Press, "Incoming education chief Glenda Ritz plans easy transition," January 13, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "itsglenda!" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Indianapolis Star, "Glenda Ritz calls education 'catalyst for improvement' in run for governor," June 4, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Journal Gazette, "Ritz drops out of race for governor," accessed Aug. 13, 2015
- ↑ WISHTV, "Ind. Democrats pick nominees for top jobs," June 17, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ritz 4 Ed, "Meet Glenda," accessed December 7, 2012
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Tony Bennett applied for Fl’s school job, Indiana office says," December 3, 2012
- ↑ Miami Herald Florida, "Amid grading controversy, Florida education chief Tony Bennett resigns," August 1, 2013
- ↑ Tallahassee.com, "New Fla. education commissioner followed Bush lead," January 14, 2013
- ↑ Hoosiers Against Common Core, "Indiana Superintendent-Elect Glenda Ritz on Common Core Standards and Testing," December 25, 2012
- ↑ StateImpact, "After Lawmakers Pause Common Core Implementation, Teachers Ask What's Next," May 17, 2013
- ↑ AP, "Indiana Withdrawing from Common Core Standards," March 24, 2014
- ↑ IndyStar, "Glenda Ritz, state education board clash over waiver," June 24, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Oklahoma loses, Indiana wins federal education waiver," August 28, 2014
- ↑ Nuvo.net, "State amends No Child Left Behind waiver, By The StateHouse File," July 1, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Code, "IC 20-19," accessed August 16, 2013
- ↑ Indiana Department of Education, " Superintendent," accessed July 5, 2013
- ↑ Chalkbeat Indiana, "Board tensions explode as Ritz walks out on meeting," November 13, 2013
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Indianapolis Star, "State Schools chief Glenda Ritz accuses Mike Pence of trying a 'complete takeover of education'," November 13, 2013
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Indiana Public Media, "What State Board Members Said After Glenda Ritz Walked Out of Wednesday's Meeting," November 14, 2013
- ↑ Indianapolis Star, "Editorial: Glenda Ritz's walkout ill serves state, students," November 13, 2013
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "2015 Legislative Session, Ind. Code § 3-9-2-12," accessed July 20, 2015
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Indiana Elections Division: Committee Detail, Ritz for Governor," accessed July 20, 2015
- ↑ The Indy Channel, "Glenda Ritz campaign ONLY ON 6: Sources say Ritz campaign violated state election law," July 16, 2015
- ↑ Indiana Public Media: State Impact, "Ritz Camp Corrects, Resubmits Erroneous Campaign Finance Report," July 18, 2015
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Indiana Elections Division: Committee Detail, Michael Richard Pence," accessed July 20, 2015
- ↑ Evansville Courier & Press, "Former governor candidate Ritz lends support to Gregg," August 10, 2015
- ↑ WISHTV, "Ind. Democrats pick nominees for top jobs," June 17, 2012
- ↑ Ritz 4 Education, "A Message from Superintendent Ritz," accessed April 10, 2016
| Political offices
{{succession box | before = Tony Bennett (R) | title = Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction | years = January 19, 2013 - Present | after = Jennifer McCormick (R)} |
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