The new Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jennifer McCormick, is responding to concerns about layoffs and resignations at the Indiana Department of Education.
“This is the part of transitioning that nobody enjoys,” said McCormick. “Obviously they’re good people that are in just a situation where we want to make some changes.”
Call 6 Investigates has confirmed 34 people have been pink-slipped and an additional 26 people have resigned, for a total of 60 workers.
That’s approximately a quarter of IDOE’s entire 250 person workforce.
As the office changes from Democrat to Republican leadership, some of the layoffs were expected, especially among Glenda Ritz’s cabinet, such as chief of staff and government affairs.
However, among those pink slipped also included outreach coordinators who worked with children and teachers in struggling schools.
Several laid off IDOE workers spoke with Call 6 Investigates on condition of anonymity.
“Many school personnel are very concerned about what this means for their students,” said one fired worker.
The fired worker said McCormick’s transition team did interviews with some, but not all state education workers, before they announced layoffs.
“I think there were a lot of surprises,” said a former IDOE employee.
McCormick said she and her transition team were diligent in evaluating the Indiana Department of Education.
“We kept some really great people, and we made some changes at the department,” said McCormick.
Some have also questioned the number of people who were laid off and stepped down once McCormick took office.
Sources tell Call 6 Investigates when Glenda Ritz took office four years ago, fewer than 20 people were fired or resigned.
Wednesday, the Indiana Board of Education voted unanimously to elect McCormick its new chairperson.
Call 6 Investigates Kara Kenney caught up with McCormick at the meeting to ask about the layoffs and its impact on education, who said the positions will be filled.
“No eliminations at this point, no eliminations of programs,” said McCormick. “We looked at what do we want to get accomplished and who are those folks who can get that accomplished. We had to take a hard look at that.”
Call 6 Investigates asked McCormick about the disparity in the number of layoffs under her administration versus the Ritz administration.
“"They had a lot of resignations that went into effect before Superintendent Ritz went into office,” said McCormick. “We didn't have as many resignations. So, we went with a layoff."
McCormick denied politics were at play when it came to layoffs.
“It wasn't a political activity,” said McCormick. “We looked at job performance and where we want to go with programming."
McCormick’s plan for the Indiana Department of Education calls for better assessment of student achievement, better ways to attract and retain quality teachers, and to adequately prepare children for kindergarten.
“We are going to have the best department of education in the nation,” said McCormick.
Call 6 Investigates also checked with other elected offices, such as the Indiana Attorney General’s office and the Governor’s office, but they did not provide any layoff or resignation figures.
