History lessons don’t play much of a role in education reform efforts that emphasize reading, math and science. That’s unfortunate – an Indiana history lesson would have served former state Superintendent Tony Bennett and his staff of young reformers well.
The lesson is important, nonetheless, for the public officers charged with upholding Indiana election law. Evidence of political activity undertaken while on duty and use of state resources for political purposes by Bennett’s administration must be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, it is only a history lesson, not a lesson for our times.
The year was 1985 and Republicans ruled the Statehouse. They held the governor’s office, as well as majorities in both the House and Senate. Republican Harold Negley had been superintendent of public instruction since 1973.
But Negley’s tight hold on the office was revealed to have as much to do with political machinations as with public support for his school policies. A grand jury investigation of ghost employment charges in the Indiana Department of Education resulted in the indictment of a top education adviser to Gov. Robert Orr and an education department auditor. Paul Krohne, the assistant to Orr, was indicted on two counts of ghost employment and one of conspiracy to commit ghost employment. The indictment alleged that as Negley’s deputy superintendent, Krohne assigned department employees to work during state time on the superintendent’s re-election campaign.
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