Big challenge ahead for Ritz

The biggest political challenge of 2013 — aside from avoiding the fiscal cliff — may belong to Glenda Ritz.
Last week, in the biggest surprise of the November election, Ritz unseated Republican Tony Bennett as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction.
But, big as it was, the victory came with a few problems.
Chief among those is the fact that the top spot in the Indiana Department of Education is largely one that involves    implementing and administering policy.
And the policies are set by the Indiana General Assembly, which is controlled more than ever by Bennett’s Republican Party.
Ritz, who opposed many of the changes put in place by the legislature with Bennett’s blessing or leadership, now has to deal with administering policies she fundamentally disagrees with.
That’s an odd position for any officeholder. But it’s not an impossible job.
Our guess is that, first of all, Ritz will surround herself with a team that shares her vision of public education in Indiana rather than Tony Bennett’s.
She’ll then do everything within her power to mitigate the things that she — and the public school teacher community that helped her get elected — find wrong-headed, irresponsible, or unproven.
Look for the A-to-F school grading system to be junked or significantly revised.
Beyond that, she’ll have the bully pulpit of being the state’s top educator.
She’ll be Indiana’s leading advocate for public education, while dealing with a legislature and political party that appear to have lost faith in public education.
That’s not going to be an easy chore, and it’s likely to be frustrating much of the time.
The levers of power still rest with the governor and lawmakers.
But if Glenda Ritz is going to prove herself worthy of the votes she received last week, it’s a chore she’s going to have to take on. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]