Articles and activities 

from the 2011-2012 school year.

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SB 198 (voucher expansion to current private school students who qualify financially) is in appropriations. It could easily stop there. 

It would be great if our parents would write the to the members listed below, as well as their own representatives, in support of this legislation. 

Here is a link to the text of the bill: elobbyist.com/gaits/text/507616

Senate Appropriations Chair: Senator Kenley 

Members: Sen. Charbonneau R.M., Sen. Boots, Sen. Hershman, Sen. Lawson, Sen. Miller, Sen. Mishler, Sen. Waltz, Sen. Wyss, 

Sen. Broden R.M.M., Sen. Hume, Sen. Rogers, Sen. Tallian 

Some important email addresses. 

CHAIRMAN LUKE KENLEY s20@in.gov 

SEN. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE DAVID LONG s16@in.gov 

HOUSE SPEAKER BRIAN BOSMA h88@in.gov 

CHAIRMAN PHIL BOOTS s23@in.gov 

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School Spelling Bee

Friday, Jan 13

Congratulations to fifth grader, Lwin Moe Aung, who won 

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Drum Major, Jennifer Reynolds, daughter of Natalie (Kindergarten teacher at Lutheran South Unity) and Doug (Director of Family Life and Music at Mt. Calvary), was a pivotal member of Concordia Lutheran High School's Marching Band that finished 4th in State competition this year. 

Jennifer played a trumpet solo in the inspirational presentation, "Three in One".  She was joined by her brother, Micah, a sophomore, who also plays trumpet in the Marching Band.   Next year, her youngest brother, Aaron,  an 8th grader at Lutheran South Unity, looks forward to marching for the Cadets.  Aaron, naturally, plays the trumpet.  

Jennifer wants to be a music/band  teacher and is currently undecided between Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska and Concordia University, Chicago, Illinois.

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  Lutheran South Unity School conducted its 2nd annual “Let The Children Come” banquet in the Appleseed Room of the Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night, October 2.  Unique to this year’s banquet was the performance of forty members of the LSUS Choirs from grades three to eight.  Co-directed by Natalie Reynolds and Susan Mittelstaedt, these young singers kicked off the evening with three numbers that touched the hearts of the sixty-eight attendees.  We are grateful for the dozen parents who car-pooled the students from Lutheran South Unity to the Coliseum for this festive event.  Thanks to Mr. Ren Frank for playing the piano for this segment. 

    

                      

  The purpose of the LTCC event was to support the Tuition Assistance Fund of Lutheran South Unity School.  Last year, nearly $35,000 was pledged and given.  This year’s goal was $40,000.  These monies are used to offset the cost of tuition for many of our 177 students in grades kindergarten through eight.

           

                    Small-talk before the banquet                    Thanks to our LSUS Choir

After a delicious meal of Chicken or Pork Loin, the supporters from all four congregations in our Association heard a brief presentation from principal, Mrs. Mary Ann Oberholtzer.  

Mary Ann and Tom Oberholtzer

She pointed out the valuable contributions that Zion, Mt. Calvary, Peace and Bethlehem congregations make on behalf of our school.  Included in past accomplishments was the NLSA Accreditation earned by the school last May and the status of Exemplary School given to us by the state of Indiana for the improvement on our ISTEP+ scores earlier this Spring.  Mrs. Oberholtzer introduced and thanked the faithful members of her faculty and Board of Directors for their dedication.        

The entertainment for the banquet came from Mrs. Barbara LeMay, a graduate of Peace preschool, Unity Lutheran School, and Concordia Lutheran High School.  Barbara, an accomplished mezzo-soprano Opera singer, charmed the audience with selections from Broadway musicals.  She concluded the evening with a very moving rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer”.  Mike Hollman of Zion Lutheran Church, served as her able accompanist.

The Request for Gifts was made by Pastor Douglas Punke from Zion.  After reminding the group of the history and necessity for quality, Christian education, he encouraged them to give “not hospitably, but philanthropically, and even evangelically.”  It was pointed out that the cost to educate one student at LSUS is close to $5,300.  Students who are members of Lutheran congregations, pay $2,400 towards that amount while non-members pay only $2,800.  The balance is supported by the four congregations.  That is why our efforts for Tuition Assistance are so important.

ClarAnn and Bill Bengs

         

            Linda and John Stafford                    Donna and Dave Volmerding

Many thanks to the Planning Committee who did such a fine job with all the details.  Members included: Eunice and Cliff Dietrich; ClarAnn and Bill Bengs; Linda and John Stafford; Marty and Phil Habegger; Sheila and Tom Nehrenz; Donna and Dave Volmerding; and Sue and Phil Amt.

             

                                   Tom and Sheila Nehrenz                        Sue and Phil Amt

Phil and Marty Habegger

May God continue to bless our efforts to make Lutheran South Unity School an excellent source for quality Christian education on the south side of Fort Wayne.

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

“Voucher ruling means thousands of Hoosier students 

will get the education they deserve. 

Union's self-centered lawsuit seems to have no merit.”

By Victor Skinner

EAG Communications

August 17, 2011

Thousands of Hoosiers who are relying on new state vouchers to send their children to private schools this year can breathe a sigh of relief after a 

Marion County judge Monday rejected the Indiana State Teachers Associations attempt to halt the program.

"I am thrilled with the court's ruling, which will ensure that I and other parents all over Indiana will have true educational choice this school year," 

Heather Coffy, an Indianapolis parent whose three children use vouchers to attend Roman Catholic schools, told the Huffington Post.

Judge Michael Keeles decision not to grant a temporary injunction to stop the voucher program this year is the first step in what’s expected to be a lengthy legal battle brought on by the ISTA over the state constitutionality of the program. The union argues that vouchers violate the separation of church and state, as well as a constitutional provision which directs the General Assembly to provide a public education through a general and uniform system of Common Schools that are equally open to all, according to court records.

The judge disagreed.  Keele ruled that the new voucher law "is religion-neutral and was enacted 'for the benefit' of students, not religious institutions or activities. It permits taxpayer funds to be paid to religious schools only upon the private individual choices of parents," Keele wrote in his ruling.  That point - that vouchers are designed to benefit parents and not religious institutions - is one that school choice advocates have made repeatedly. We believe that it’s also the point that will ultimately crumble the unions attempt to kill vouchers in Indiana.

But the voucher lawsuit is far from over.  Keeles ruling simply denied the plaintiffs motion to stop the program before it starts, and the merits of the lawsuit still must be weighed in court. We suspect that the ISTA, in its attempt to preserve its monopoly on public education in Indiana, will pursue the voucher issue to the states highest court or beyond. 

 

Keeles ruling on the injunction, however, may foreshadow an uphill legal battle for the ISTA in the Indiana Supreme Court. The state constitution allows lawmakers to “use all suitable means for intellectual development”, voucher advocates will argue.

 

Keele wrote:  “The Indiana Supreme Court has long understood the all suitable means clause to permit the General Assembly, not courts, taxpayers or corporations, to decide what means are suitable for intellectual (and other) improvement, even if the legislature goes beyond creating a general and uniform system of common schools.”  

In other words, the ISTAs legal argument doesn’t hold much water. 

Keeles decision this week means a lot to the roughly 3,000 Hoosier students who have been granted vouchers so far. They will be able to begin classes at their new schools this year as scheduled.  But the decision is equally as big for the ISTA, because fewer students in traditional public schools will eventually translate into fewer dollars flowing to its coffers.

The reaction

Union leaders were predictably upset by the judges ruling and plan to take a little time to discuss the next steps we will take in this process, ISTA 

Executive Director Brenda Pike said in a press release yesterday. Its clear, despite this single ruling, that this voucher program clearly violates 

provisions of the Indiana Constitution.  We believe that its clear that the ISTAs voucher argument is clearly a loser in both the legal sense and in the court of public opinion. School choice advocates have pointed to strong enrollment figures for the voucher program, despite a late rollout in the first year, as evidence that Indiana families strongly favor more educational options for their children.  

“We applaud the court for affirming the right of Indiana families to send their children to the schools that are best for them”, said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, which has worked tirelessly for decades to make school choice a reality. 

“Indiana’s Constitution clearly gives all parents that freedom, and the overwhelming demand we’ve seen for these vouchers in barely a month confirms its a freedom Indiana parents strongly desire”, Enlow said.  “To date, about 3,000 students have received vouchers to attend private schools and about 255 schools have been accepted to participate in the program. The numbers have been steadily growing in recent weeks. And those figures are impressive, especially considering that the state didnt start accepting applications until late June.” 

 

But Indiana families weren’t the only ones interested in Monday’s ruling. A story on the decision distributed by the Associated Press was picked up by dozens of media outlets across the country including major publications in Hawaii, Oklahoma, Colorado, and other states. Stories appeared in the Huffington Post, Business Week, the American Independent, the Washington Post, and aired on CBS News and the Christian Broadcasting Network, as well as other major media.

The intense focus on Indiana likely is due to the interest in launching or greatly expanding similar voucher programs in other states. The momentum is building for vouchers because American families, particularly those with lower incomes, are tired of being forced to send their children to unsafe and failing public schools simply because the government says they must. The idea that public schools are the only option is dead, and in its place is a better idea, one that was first put into simple terms by the grandfather of the school choice movement, Milton Friedman:  "Education spending will be most effective if it relies on parental choice and private initiative - the building blocks of success throughout our society."

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 Mrs.  Oberholtzer  Accepts  Principal  Position 

 BOD  Sets  2011 / 2012  Faculty 

May 27, 2011

Dear Parents,

Mr. Michael Oldenburg of Hartland, WI had been sent a call to be our principal beginning with the 2011-12 school year. The Lord led him to decline our call. Our Board of Directors will continue its search to find a permanent principal, but because of the time of year, that effort will not begin again until later this summer.

The Board has asked Mrs. Mary Ann Oberholtzer to serve us as principal until we are able to have a permanent principal in place. She has agreed, and we are confident she will serve well in that capacity.

The Board also has set the faculty for the 2011-12 school year. Besides Mrs. Oberholtzer the faculty members will be:

Mrs. Natalie Reynolds - Kindergarten                                                         

Mrs. Judith Sabel - 1st Grade

Mrs. Sheila Nehrenz - 

2nd Grade