Published: October 04, 2008 09:21 pm            

Democrat Richard Wood hoping to beat the odds in Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction race

Indiana is traditionally a “red” state, even when it comes to voting for the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The last Democrat, John J. Loughlin, was elected in 1970 and served from 1971-1973.

Richard Wood isn’t letting that deter him, nor the fact that he’s raised only a portion of what his competitor has for his campaign at more than $23,000 and $107,700 respectively, according to the candidates and Indiana Campaign Finance’s Web site.

“There are historical challenges in running for this job,” Wood said. “I hope there is enough interest in the election that people will look at the issues.”

Those issues include the graduation rate, full-day kindergarten, making sure all children can read by third grade and helping schools look for ways to save money.



INCREASING THE GRADUATION RATE

“For many years, Indiana was not a place where you necessarily had to graduate or go beyond high school. You could go out and get a pretty good job that would pay a fair wage, but those days are long gone,” Wood said. “So, the cost of not finishing high school is much greater not only to the individual, but to our society as a whole.

“I think we’ve got to address that and that’s going to require us to do some things differently than we’ve done in the past.”

He said the graduation rate effects the community because those students who don’t get a high school diploma/G.E.D. are statistically more likely to be on welfare, incarcerated or using funds in other social services.

Wood said to make positive change, people need to look outside the box. Wood said some of his ideas include redesigning the curriculum to engage more students, offer more dual credit options with Ivy Tech Community College and credit for job training.

Wood said alternative programs and charter schools can also help with this issue.



INCREASING LITERACY

As for his other ideas, Wood hopes to recommit to Indiana’s Project PRIME TIME — a program that has been around for more than 20 years and focuses on increasing literacy in young children. However, Wood said it is no longer fully funded, which is something he hopes to change.



HELPING WITH BUDGETS

Wood also hopes to help schools work together to limit money spent on daily costs and service agreements, such as gas and food supplies. Wood said the Indiana Department of Education can help bridge that communication between the communities.



STATEWIDE TESTING

Another thing Wood said Indiana needs to work on is the process after statewide testing.

“We need to have some steps in place to make use of the information, beyond just publishing it in the paper every year,” he said. “You’ve got to commit to bring them [those who don’t pass] up to acceptable levels of performance.”

He said reviewing that information can allow schools to modify curriculum to make sure all students have mastered the subject matter.

“Though that in itself will not ensure that a school is successful,” Wood added. “You know, you’re not only teaching kids the concepts that they are trying to master through the test, you’re trying to teach them responsibility, you’re trying to teach them respect, citizenship.

“There’s a lot of things a standardized test can’t measure, but they’re extremely important for schools to work toward.”



TAX CAPS

A common question with voters is property tax caps, something Wood said he is against.

“There are times that you can’t be locked in on an arbitrary number set in Indianapolis, because you may have very specific infrastructure needs in your community that have to be addressed immediately,” he said. “Caps sometimes aren’t conducive to doing what has to be done.”

He said the taxing rate should be a decision left to local officials.

“If they don’t do the right thing, you have the option at the ballot box to remove them,” Wood said. “I still think, again, you can not have one size fits all for the entire state of Indiana.”



WHY RUNNING FOR ELECTION

Wood — who recently retired after working 36 years in education — said he is running for the position to maintain an active role in Indiana’s educational system.

More than being superintendent, Wood has worked in the classroom as young as 19, which is when he graduated from college with his degree in teaching.

Since he’s been on both sides for so long, he said he has a good understanding of the demands of the jobs of teachers and administrators.

He has also sat on both sides of the table in the collective bargaining process. Wood said he believes the key to setting contracts is to engage in win-win negotiations and to be honest and upfront with the corporation’s budget situation. He said bargaining that doesn’t lead anywhere hurts the whole community.

He said it is his experience as a teacher and administrator that makes him the best candidate for the job.

“There are many good things to be said about what our schools have done and you don’t want to lose sight of that,” Wood said. “Excellence, it is a chase. It’s not a station. You’ve got to keep working to maintain your edge.”



Richard Wood

• Retired in June after a 36-year career in public education.

• For the past 19 years served as superintendent of the Tippecanoe School Corp. in Lafayette/West Lafayette.

• Has an Education Specialist degree from Butler University and a doctorate in education from Indiana University.

• Completed his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s Degree at Indiana University

        

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