Indiana Professional Educators, Inc.
"Educators by Calling, Professionals by Choice"
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don't find the answer to your question here, please contact us !
1
Are we a teacher union?
No, we are not a union. We do not support special interest groups, contribute to political fund raising, support candidates in elections, hold our members captive, intimidate those who aren't "with the program", support controversial issues in school curriculum or force an agenda onto our students. We are a Professional Association supporting effective teachers and staff in their passion to provide the best education possible in the best environment possible for our students.
2
Why should I become a member here instead of my teacher union?
Aside from the answer to #1 above, the cost for an Indiana teacher to join their local union in Indiana is often between $800 - $1200 and more a year. This includes their local dues, ISTA (state) dues and NEA (national) dues. You, as a teacher, have no say in how these political machines spend your money. You pay for all of their activities from the salaries of your local representatives to state and national conventions activities to supporting candidates on all levels of government to funding politically motivated contributions on the national level to special interest groups. This often causes an ethical conflict because your personal values and beliefs may not agree with the funding the NEA gives to other organizations. And the sad part is, because of their special tax filing, they don't have to disclose to you how they spend your money.
IPE is only $107.00 a year. We use every dime to support our members and our members only in their quest to prepare the leaders of tomorrow. We provide the same protection coverage that the union does without the hassles, grievances, arbitration and politics.
3
I need a union rep at school if I have a problem, don't I?
No, you don't need a union rep if you have a problem. Indiana has been very pro-active with protecting teachers and has enacted many laws to allow teachers to safely and effectively practice their craft. If you are called in for a meeting, get as much information in advance as possible. Even though the union at your school may have a bargaining agreement there, you are not required to use them as representation. Use another IPE member there or a friend of your choosing. Administration cannot and should not force union representation on you. Indiana Law is very clear on this. For more information on handling disciplinary or exploratory meetings with administration, contact us.
4
How do I understand teacher evaluations?
Indiana joined the education reform movement several years ago and along becoming a Right-to-Work state is giving good teachers a chance to shine and finally holding ineffective teachers accountable - just like any business in America does. And before you charge that schools are not businesses, they are. They are in the education business and provide a service to customers. The cost of this service is borne by the taxpayers and as employees, we need to ensure that we produce quality education to our students and return the investment to our stakeholders.
Each school system has chosen its evaluation model (Rise, Marzano, etc.) and is in full effect. Indiana Law mandates rewarding teachers based upon their personal performance in ratings of "Highly effective", "Effective", "Needs Improvement" and "Ineffective". No longer do we rely on a union contract giving the best teachers the same amount of salary increase as the worst peforming teachers. When ineffective administrators are given evaluation privileges, they may try using it to their advantage if their school is not performing well and it can be a wild ride. Administrators looking to protect themselves may try and shift the blame to the good teachers, especially those they perceive as vulnerable because they're not in the union. Don't let this happen. If you find yourself in this situation, contact us.
5
Why won't they let me be on school committees?
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You CAN be on school committees without being a union member. Committees CANNOT be exclusive union representation anymore. This is not only an unethical practice but it is illegal in Indiana. If your school system is deeply ingrained with the union, they may only allow a percentage on non-union members on committees but that number has to be aligned with the percentage of all teachers in your district not in the union. So for example, if 20% of teachers in your district are not in the union, the minimum number of non-union teachers on committees has to equal at least 20% of that committee membership as well.