Latest news with #SenateBill287
Chicago Tribune
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Gov. Braun signs partisan school boards into law
Gov. Mike Braun signed the partisan school board bill, which passed out of the Senate for the final time by one vote, into law Tuesday. Senate bill 287, which will require school board candidates to declare a political party when running in a general election, passed 26-24 on April 24, which was the final day of session. Bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said in a statement Wednesday that he authored the bill because 'voters should know where candidates for office stand on the issues' of stewarding taxpayer dollars and setting educational policies. 'While the initial version of the bill included a provision for a primary process to ensure that vote-splitting did not lead to voters being effectively disenfranchised in a general election, I was thankful to see the governor sign the bill into law because it is an important step forward in increasing transparency for voters while ensuring running for local office remains accessible for Hoosiers,' Byrne said in the statement. During the Senate's final discussion of the bill, Byrne said school boards should be partisan because school board races see lower voter turnout because voters don't know the political party of the candidates. Further, school boards are already partisan, Byrne said. 'Like it or not, this is something that voters want to know about the candidate,' Byrne said. 'Some people who are against this bill say school boards shouldn't be partisan. I don't think this bill makes them partisan, I think that they already are partisan.' Senate Bill 287 was amended in the House Elections and Apportionment committee to reflect House Bill 1230, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which removed the primary election requirement and states that in the general election a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan. When the bill was heard by the House, it was amended further to state that if a candidate chooses to be nonpartisan, then a blank space will appear on the ballot where party affiliation would be listed. If the board member who leaves the board was a Republican or Democrat, then a caucus should be held to replace that member, but independent or nonpartisan candidates can be replaced by the sitting school board members, according to the bill. Under the bill, board members would see a pay increase from $2,000 to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher working in the district. Initially, the Senate filed a motion to dissent from the House amendments to the bill, but the dissent was rescinded two days before the end of session and a concurrence was filed. That allowed the bill, as amended by the House, to advance for final consideration by the Senate. A concern with the bill, Byrne said, has been that it would trigger the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents federal employees from running in a partisan election. But, Byrne said the Hatch Act already impacts school board candidates because once a candidate includes political language on campaign literature or is endorsed by a political party then the race becomes partisan. Further, Byrne said the House amendment allows for nonpartisan candidates to be placed on the ballot. Byrne suggested that it could help federal employees running in a school board race. According to the Hatch Act, even if a federal employee ran as a nonpartisan candidate, if other candidates declare a party then the race becomes partisan and the federal employee couldn't run. Mark Sperling, Indiana University Northwest interim dean of the School of Education, said he was 'very disappointed' that the partisan school board bill has become law. 'I don't think school boards should be partisan. School boards represent an entire community not sections of a community,' Sperling said. Sperling, who previously worked in the K-12 education systems in Indiana and Michigan, said education shouldn't be political, and it's 'unfortunate' that school boards will now become political. Under the new law, Sperling said it's likely that qualified candidates won't run for school board because they won't want to enter a political race. It's his hope, Sperling said, that the majority of school board candidates run as independents to keep politics out of the school board. 'To have a political party attached to you, I think adds pressure, adds a different level of responsibility than it would if you were a nonpartisan school board member whose only concern is the welfare of the children in the school corporation,' Sperling said. Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, who has spent decades as an educator, said making school board races partisan will be 'detrimental to the public school system.' The goal of the law is for public schools to become more like the Republican party, which includes banning books and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as well as micromanaging educators, Smith said. 'They are trying to get their beliefs imposed on public schools,' Smith said. 'The focus ought to be on excellence in education.' GlenEva Dunham, president of the Gary Teachers Union, Local 4 and president of American Federation of Teachers Indiana, said school boards should be focused on the students, not politics. 'Even though they declare what party they are for, we hope that they continue to listen to the community, to listen to the parents whose children are in those districts and do what is best for the children,' Dunham said.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 bills Indiana lawmakers approved in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session
Indiana lawmakers closed the books on the 2025 legislative session in the early hours of April 25, approving some of the most controversial bills of the session and the state budget on the last day. It's also the time of year where lawmakers in the House and the Senate make last-minute adds and eliminations to some bills and resurrect once-dead language in others before the final versions of legislation head to the governor's desk. The biggest lift was the two-year state budget. Lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun on April 23 announced a deal on a slimmed down version of the bill following a dismal forecast last week that required more than $2 billion in cuts from what was originally proposed. But bills making school board elections partisan and reining in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government entities saw tense debate before lawmakers gave their final approvals. Here are some of the efforts state lawmakers squeezed into the last day of the session. A tight budget year got even tighter with a surprise $2 billion revenue shortfall unveiled last week. The version of House Bill 1001, the two-year budget, that the House passed 66-27 and the Senate passed 39-1, was only a little more than a day old when those votes happened. In that time span, lawmakers added a cigarette tax hike, cut public health and public media funding, and enacted a litany of policies affecting universities and faculty that never saw the light of public testimony. Some of the most tense debate toward the early morning hours of April 25 centered around that process. Now Gov. Mike Braun will get to sign his first budget as governor. Senate Bill 287, a controversial plan to make school board elections partisan races narrowly passed the Indiana Senate by a vote of 26-24 on April 24. It's now on the way to Braun's desk. It was a rare close vote for the chamber with a Republican supermajority. Fourteen Senate Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill, with some GOP senators pleading with their colleagues to reject it Some Senate Democrats appeared surprised SB 287 squeaked through and following the vote said they expected the bill to fail. Sen. JD Ford, D-Indianapolis, urged Republicans who voted against SB 287 to call on Braun to veto the legislation. Opponents of SB 287 throughout the legislative session said they worried partisan school board races would continue to politicize the offices, while supporters said that's already the case. House lawmakers made it optional for school board members to disclose their affiliation, not mandatory, when running for office. Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, who authored the bill said partisan identifiers provide increased transparency for Hoosiers at the ballot box. "If we think the work of the sheriff, the judges, the coroners is partisan," Byrne said on the Senate floor on April 24. "Than I would say school boards are more partisan than that." After executive orders in January from President Donald Trump and Braun, Indiana lawmakers on April 24 signed off on a bill aiming to rein in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI. The House voted 64-26 and the Senate voted 34-16 to send the bill to Braun. Senate Bill 289, prohibits publicly-funded entities from taking actions based on a person's "personal characteristics," such as race, religion and sex. It also allows individuals to bring legal actions over alleged violations, but plaintiffs would only be able to receive court and attorney fees and actual damages if a court rules in their favor. More: Lawmakers send anti-DEI bill to Gov. Braun. Here's what it does The version of SB 289 on its way to Braun is a slimmed down version of the bill that passed the Senate earlier this year. The session's landmark DEI bill began as a blanket ban on DEI concepts, trainings and even offices within state institutions, including colleges. Earlier this year, some state colleges began shutting down DEI-related offices and trainings due to what was proposed in the Senate. The key piece of legislation that attempts to add some controls on the prices nonprofit hospitals charge is now on its way to Braun, for whom the cost of health care is a top issue. House Bill 1004 passed the House 67-23 and the Senate 37-13. HB 1004 came out swinging at the start of the session, but was watered down significantly as it traveled through the Senate. What started as financial penalties and the revocation of their nonprofit status if hospitals charge prices above a certain threshold, ended as a bill asking for a study of these hospitals' average prices, and then have the nonprofit-status threat take effect in 2029. It also restructures the hospital assessment fee to allow hospitals to draw down more federal dollars, and requires insurance agents to publicize their commissions in quotes they give customers as well as the all payer claims database. Senate Bill 140, the main bill taking a crack at the powerful pharmacy benefit manager industry ― the middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies ― is now heading to Braun. The House voted 84-1 and the Senate voted 39-10 on the final version of the bill. The bill requires PBMs to provide adequate coverage networks, prohibits them from steering business to their own affiliated pharmacies, and requires PBMs to reimburse independent pharmacies at cost, plus a dispensing fee. (The dispensing fee is what the PBMs liken to a "pill tax.") The final version of the bill exempted out Medicaid, managed care and state employee health plan from the provisions. When lawmakers approved a House bill with directions for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on April 24, they also signed off on a ban on advertising of marijuana products 'by any medium' within the state. More: Marijuana isn't legal in Indiana. So should advertising be legal here? Lawmakers say no The language hopped around in different bills in the final weeks of April before landing in House Bill 1390. The ban applies to signs on the interstate and flyers sent to mailboxes, which had started appearing in Indiana as companies in neighboring states try to entice Hoosiers to spend their money across state lines. (All of the states bordering Indiana have some form of legalized marijuana.) Advertising bill proposals appeared in three different bills at the start of the legislative session, which all died without receiving a hearing in legislative committees. Other controversial language lawmakers approved after it bill-hopped in the final days: a ban on local governments hosting or funding 'obscene' performances and the ability for 'anyone' to sue a local entity they believe violates the language. Democrats and LGBTQ advocates said the provision targets drag shows and other performances someone might not like. The original language was added in the House to Senate Bill 326, a bill clarifying language about 'child sex abuse materials.' It was removed in a conference committee and then added to House Bill 1014 on April 24, a bill about the terms of imprisonment for misdemeanors. The bill passed the House 78-13 and the Senate 42-8. It now heads to Braun's desk. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 7 bills Indiana lawmakers approved in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
7 bills Indiana lawmakers approved in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session
Indiana lawmakers closed the books on the 2025 legislative session in the early hours of April 25, approving some of the most controversial bills of the session and the state budget on the last day. It's also the time of year where lawmakers in the House and the Senate make last-minute adds and eliminations to some bills and resurrect once-dead language in others before the final versions of legislation head to the governor's desk. The biggest lift was the two-year state budget. Lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun on April 23 announced a deal on a slimmed down version of the bill following a dismal forecast last week that required more than $2 billion in cuts from what was originally proposed. But bills making school board elections partisan and reining in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government entities saw tense debate before lawmakers gave their final approvals. Here are some of the efforts state lawmakers squeezed into the last day of the session. State budget passes primarily along party lines A tight budget year got even tighter with a surprise $2 billion revenue shortfall unveiled last week. The version of House Bill 1001, the two-year budget, that the House passed 66-27 and the Senate passed 39-1, was only a little more than a day old when those votes happened. In that time span, lawmakers added a cigarette tax hike, cut public health and public media funding, and enacted a litany of policies affecting universities and faculty that never saw the light of public testimony. Some of the most tense debate toward the early morning hours of April 25 centered around that process. Now Gov. Mike Braun will get to sign his first budget as governor. Partisan school boards narrowly approved Senate Bill 287, a controversial plan to make school board elections partisan races narrowly passed the Indiana Senate by a vote of 26-24 on April 24. It's now on the way to Braun's desk. It was a rare close vote for the chamber with a Republican supermajority. Fourteen Senate Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill, with some GOP senators pleading with their colleagues to reject it Some Senate Democrats appeared surprised SB 287 squeaked through and following the vote said they expected the bill to fail. Sen. JD Ford, D-Indianapolis, urged Republicans who voted against SB 287 to call on Braun to veto the legislation. Opponents of SB 287 throughout the legislative session said they worried partisan school board races would continue to politicize the offices, while supporters said that's already the case. House lawmakers made it optional for school board members to disclose their affiliation, not mandatory, when running for office. Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, who authored the bill said partisan identifiers provide increased transparency for Hoosiers at the ballot box. "If we think the work of the sheriff, the judges, the coroners is partisan," Byrne said on the Senate floor on April 24. "Than I would say school boards are more partisan than that." Anti-DEI bill After executive orders in January from President Donald Trump and Braun, Indiana lawmakers on April 24 signed off on a bill aiming to rein in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI. The House voted 64-26 and the Senate voted 34-16 to send the bill to Braun. Senate Bill 289, prohibits publicly-funded entities from taking actions based on a person's "personal characteristics," such as race, religion and sex. It also allows individuals to bring legal actions over alleged violations, but plaintiffs would only be able to receive court and attorney fees and actual damages if a court rules in their favor. More: Lawmakers send anti-DEI bill to Gov. Braun. Here's what it does The version of SB 289 on its way to Braun is a slimmed down version of the bill that passed the Senate earlier this year. The session's landmark DEI bill began as a blanket ban on DEI concepts, trainings and even offices within state institutions, including colleges. Earlier this year, some state colleges began shutting down DEI-related offices and trainings due to what was proposed in the Senate. Nonprofit hospital pricing The key piece of legislation that attempts to add some controls on the prices nonprofit hospitals charge is now on its way to Braun, for whom the cost of health care is a top issue. House Bill 1004 passed the House 67-23 and the Senate 37-13. HB 1004 came out swinging at the start of the session, but was watered down significantly as it traveled through the Senate. What started as financial penalties and the revocation of their nonprofit status if hospitals charge prices above a certain threshold, ended as a bill asking for a study of these hospitals' average prices, and then have the nonprofit-status threat take effect in 2029. It also restructures the hospital assessment fee to allow hospitals to draw down more federal dollars, and requires insurance agents to publicize their commissions in quotes they give customers as well as the all payer claims database. Pharmacy benefit managers Senate Bill 140, the main bill taking a crack at the powerful pharmacy benefit manager industry ― the middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies ― is now heading to Braun. The House voted 84-1 and the Senate voted 39-10 on the final version of the bill. The bill requires PBMs to provide adequate coverage networks, prohibits them from steering business to their own affiliated pharmacies, and requires PBMs to reimburse independent pharmacies at cost, plus a dispensing fee. (The dispensing fee is what the PBMs liken to a "pill tax.") The final version of the bill exempted out Medicaid, managed care and state employee health plan from the provisions. Marijuana advertising ban When lawmakers approved a House bill with directions for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on April 24, they also signed off on a ban on advertising of marijuana products 'by any medium' within the state. The language hopped around in different bills in the final weeks of April before landing in House Bill 1390. The ban applies to signs on the interstate and flyers sent to mailboxes, which had started appearing in Indiana as companies in neighboring states try to entice Hoosiers to spend their money across state lines. (All of the states bordering Indiana have some form of legalized marijuana.) Advertising bill proposals appeared in three different bills at the start of the legislative session, which all died without receiving a hearing in legislative committees. "Obscene" performance ban Other controversial language lawmakers approved after it bill-hopped in the final days: a ban on local governments hosting or funding 'obscene' performances and the ability for 'anyone' to sue a local entity they believe violates the language. Democrats and LGBTQ advocates said the provision targets drag shows and other performances someone might not like. The original language was added in the House to Senate Bill 326, a bill clarifying language about 'child sex abuse materials.' It was removed in a conference committee and then added to House Bill 1014 on April 24, a bill about the terms of imprisonment for misdemeanors. The bill passed the House 78-13 and the Senate 42-8. It now heads to Braun's desk.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Partisan school board bill passes out of Indiana Senate, heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk
The partisan school board bill passed the Senate by one vote and heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The Senate voted 26-24 on Thursday to give final legislative approval to Senate Bill 287, which will require school board candidates to declare a political party when running in a general election. Bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said Thursday school boards should be partisan because school board races see lower voter turnout because voters don't know the political party of the candidates. Further, school boards are already partisan, Byrne said. 'Like it or not, this is something that voters want to know about the candidate,' Byrne said. 'Some people who are against this bill say school boards shouldn't be partisan. I don't think this bill makes them partisan, I think that they already are partisan.' Senate Bill 287 was amended in the House Elections and Apportionment committee to reflect House Bill 1230, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which removed the primary election requirement and states that in the general election a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan. When the bill was heard by the House, it was amended further to state that if a candidate chooses to be nonpartisan, then a blank space will appear on the ballot where party affiliation would be listed. If the board member who leaves the board was a Republican or Democrat, then a caucus should be held to replace that member. Independent or nonpartisan candidates can be replaced by the sitting school board members, according to the bill. Under the bill, board members would see a pay increase from $2,000 to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher working in the district. Initially, the Senate filed a motion to dissent from the House amendments to the bill, but the dissent was rescinded Tuesday and a concurrence was filed. That allowed the bill, as amended by the House, to advance for final consideration by the Senate. A concern with the bill, Byrne said, has been that it would trigger the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents federal employees from running in a partisan election. But, Byrne said the Hatch Act already impacts school board candidates because once a candidate includes political language on campaign literature or is endorsed by a political party then the race becomes partisan. Further, Byrne said the House amendment allows for nonpartisan candidates to be placed on the ballot. Byrne suggested that it could help federal employees running in a school board race. According to the Hatch Act, even if a federal employee ran as a nonpartisan candidate, if other candidates declare a party then the race becomes partisan and the federal employee couldn't run. Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, said assuming all the school board candidates run as a nonpartisan candidate then a federal employee could run in the school board race. But, once one candidate declares a party, then a federal employee couldn't run, he said. Bassler said the legislature should want federal employees to run for school boards because they have expertise in engineering, science, finance, management and leadership. 'I would hope that we would be begging these kinds of people to run for our school boards,' Bassler said. 'This bill does a significant disservice to our young people. We should be striving to have the best people run for school board not eliminating some of the best people from running for school board.' Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, asked Byrne if the Hatch Act has impacted school board races under current law, and Byrne said he hadn't heard of such an impact. Brown said the Hatch Act will have a greater impact under Senate Bill 287 because it will make all school board races partisan on the ballot. Brown said she was concerned about the loss of talented school board members if the bill becomes law. In her district, Brown said a school board member's political beliefs aren't an issue because they 'focus on the policy and how to get our K-12 kids to where they need to be to be successful citizens of the world.' 'I can't support this bill because it unnecessarily eliminates so many candidates, so many current school board members quite frankly, that we need because of the expertise to stay on these boards,' Brown said. Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said 'wokeness' on school boards 'harms our kids,' and he pointed to student test scores as an example of the harm done. 'Do nonpartisan school board elections hurt us? Yeah, it does. We don't know who the best people are with the best philosophy,' Young said. Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he voted against the bill because he didn't like that it removed the primary process. Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said after the vote that she strongly opposed the bill because it 'doesn't help a single child learn to read; it won't solve the teacher shortage; it won't fix the crumbling facilities or raise wages for our bus drivers or cafeteria workers.' 'This bill directly injects politics into one place that it absolutely does not belong, and that is in our public schools. We heard the quiet part out loud. This bill is about fear of difference, fear of diversity, fear of diversity of thought, fear of challenging the status quo,' Yoder said. Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said 'today is a sad day in the history of the state of Indiana' with the passage of the bill. 'Today, we placed politics above students, above parents and above our educational system,' Qaddoura said. 'It's extremely disappointing that today we decided to do what is politically expedient over what is courageously right.' akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Partisan school board bill passes out of Indiana Senate, heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk
The partisan school board bill passed the Senate by one vote and heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The Senate voted 26-24 on Thursday to give final legislative approval to Senate Bill 287, which will require school board candidates to declare a political party when running in a general election. Bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said Thursday school boards should be partisan because school board races see lower voter turnout because voters don't know the political party of the candidates. Further, school boards are already partisan, Byrne said. 'Like it or not, this is something that voters want to know about the candidate,' Byrne said. 'Some people who are against this bill say school boards shouldn't be partisan. I don't think this bill makes them partisan, I think that they already are partisan.' Senate Bill 287 was amended in the House Elections and Apportionment committee to reflect House Bill 1230, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which removed the primary election requirement and states that in the general election a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan. When the bill was heard by the House, it was amended further to state that if a candidate chooses to be nonpartisan, then a blank space will appear on the ballot where party affiliation would be listed. If the board member who leaves the board was a Republican or Democrat, then a caucus should be held to replace that member. Independent or nonpartisan candidates can be replaced by the sitting school board members, according to the bill. Under the bill, board members would see a pay increase from $2,000 to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher working in the district. Initially, the Senate filed a motion to dissent from the House amendments to the bill, but the dissent was rescinded Tuesday and a concurrence was filed. That allowed the bill, as amended by the House, to advance for final consideration by the Senate. A concern with the bill, Byrne said, has been that it would trigger the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents federal employees from running in a partisan election. But, Byrne said the Hatch Act already impacts school board candidates because once a candidate includes political language on campaign literature or is endorsed by a political party then the race becomes partisan. Further, Byrne said the House amendment allows for nonpartisan candidates to be placed on the ballot. Byrne suggested that it could help federal employees running in a school board race. According to the Hatch Act, even if a federal employee ran as a nonpartisan candidate, if other candidates declare a party then the race becomes partisan and the federal employee couldn't run. Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, said assuming all the school board candidates run as a nonpartisan candidate then a federal employee could run in the school board race. But, once one candidate declares a party, then a federal employee couldn't run, he said. Bassler said the legislature should want federal employees to run for school boards because they have expertise in engineering, science, finance, management and leadership. 'I would hope that we would be begging these kinds of people to run for our school boards,' Bassler said. 'This bill does a significant disservice to our young people. We should be striving to have the best people run for school board not eliminating some of the best people from running for school board.' Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, asked Byrne if the Hatch Act has impacted school board races under current law, and Byrne said he hadn't heard of such an impact. Brown said the Hatch Act will have a greater impact under Senate Bill 287 because it will make all school board races partisan on the ballot. Brown said she was concerned about the loss of talented school board members if the bill becomes law. In her district, Brown said a school board member's political beliefs aren't an issue because they 'focus on the policy and how to get our K-12 kids to where they need to be to be successful citizens of the world.' 'I can't support this bill because it unnecessarily eliminates so many candidates, so many current school board members quite frankly, that we need because of the expertise to stay on these boards,' Brown said. Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said 'wokeness' on school boards 'harms our kids,' and he pointed to student test scores as an example of the harm done. 'Do nonpartisan school board elections hurt us? Yeah, it does. We don't know who the best people are with the best philosophy,' Young said. Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he voted against the bill because he didn't like that it removed the primary process. Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said after the vote that she strongly opposed the bill because it 'doesn't help a single child learn to read; it won't solve the teacher shortage; it won't fix the crumbling facilities or raise wages for our bus drivers or cafeteria workers.' 'This bill directly injects politics into one place that it absolutely does not belong, and that is in our public schools. We heard the quiet part out loud. This bill is about fear of difference, fear of diversity, fear of diversity of thought, fear of challenging the status quo,' Yoder said. Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said 'today is a sad day in the history of the state of Indiana' with the passage of the bill. 'Today, we placed politics above students, above parents and above our educational system,' Qaddoura said. 'It's extremely disappointing that today we decided to do what is politically expedient over what is courageously right.'
