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Governor Daniels' Weekly Wrap-up: 10/15/07
A look at news and events in the Daniels Administration
Governor's Newsletter
October 8-14, 2007
National healthcare, pharmaceutical company selects
Oct. 10, 2007- Governor Mitch Daniels joined Arcadia HealthCare chief executive Marvin Richardson to announce the company's plans to relocate its national headquarters to
The provider of home healthcare and products will invest more than $3 million to relocate its suburban
"New jobs in
Tech firm to add 90 new jobs
Oct. 8, 2007- T2 Systems Inc., a leading international provider of unified parking management software, hardware and consulting services, announced that it will expand its headquarters in
The software developer is investing more than $1 million to upgrade its offices and equipment on the city's northwest side and has begun hiring additional customer service, information technology and business development professionals.
"T2 is creating the kinds of high-tech jobs that contribute to our economic comeback," said Governor Daniels. "We're glad to see this home-grown company continuing to invest in
Governor Daniels promotes flu vaccination
Oct. 10, 2007- In preparation for the upcoming flu season, Gov. Mitch Daniels and State Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe received their annual flu shots from registered nurse Judy Moon of the Visiting Nurse Service.
Gov. Daniels and Dr. Monroe used the opportunity to remind Hoosiers of the importance of getting the vaccination this fall.
Governor's schedule
Tuesday, October 16
- Governor Daniels will address attendees at the 6th Statewide Conference on Hispanic/Latino Issues.
12:15 p.m.
Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel
8787 Keystone Crossing
- The governor will make opening remarks to attendees of the Governor's Youth Council on Drugs and Alcohol conference.
3 p.m.
Indiana Government Center South (auditorium)
IN THE NEWS
October 13, 2007
The long beleaguered Bureau of Motor Vehicles has scored a hit with a privatization program that helps car buyers save a trip to license branches - and their accompanying lines.
BMV Commissioner Ron Stiver this week announced the pilot period has wrapped up successfully and the program will be expanded, welcome news for car-buying Hoosiers. In the five-month pilot program, 20 auto dealerships worked with buyers to handle the registration and title work of vehicles purchased at the dealership. The dealers, who have the option of doing the work for vehicles they didn't sell, processed 5,100 transactions, saving Hoosiers thousands of hours of waiting time in BMV lines.
Because of the success, 64 more dealerships have signed up to participate, a number BMV officials hope will grow.
Everyone wins:
-Customers: They are saved the hassle of making a time-consuming trip to a license branch.
-The BMV: Every customer who registers at a dealership is one less customer for the busy branches, increasing efficiency and decreasing waiting times.
The state pays the dealers nothing, and dealers also foot the start-up costs. The dealers are allowed to charge a transaction fee. Some are charging fees of about $20 to $30, while others have decided to perform the transaction as a customer service.
-The dealers: Auto sellers gain much goodwill from their buyers.
The BMV has gone to lengths to maintain the security of the computer network that handles the transactions, and the auto dealers do not have access to the BMV database.
"We've really had very few bumps in the road in terms of implementation," said BMV spokesman Dennis Rosebrough.
While the bureau moved deliberately and slowly to bring dealers online through the pilot program, it will now move more quickly to add the 64 new dealerships, a process expected to be completed in a few months.
During the pilot program, the dealers handled only cars and light trucks. Now, the bureau will move to allow dealerships to also process titles and registrations for motorcycles, trailers and RVs.
The BMV has deserved much of the criticism it's received over the past three years, but Stiver and his team have earned praise for this common-sense program that makes it easier for Hoosiers to title and register their newly purchased cars.
ISTEP+ move to spring is good first step
October 9, 2007
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After three years of forging ahead, regardless of public opinion, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels took a stand last week that's not only right, but also popular.
Daniels announced Friday that
Nearly two years ago, a scientific poll by
As a bonus to the timing change, Daniels said spring testing will save money. It will cost $28.5 million, compared to $31 million now, he said.
The savings will be welcome, but the educational benefits carry much more importance.
Current testing in mid-September forces teachers to spend the first four weeks of each school year reviewing the previous year's lessons.
New ISTEP+ tests will start in early March with writing examinations, which take longer for grading. Other tests will come between late April and early May.
Instead of four weeks, teachers will have all year to prepare students for ISTEP+. They won't have to "cram."
Teachers will receive results before the end of the school year, and can use them to select students for extra help during summer.
At the beginning of each new school year, teachers will have fresh test scores to help them meet the individual needs of students. Fall testing now provides those results halfway through the school year.
High school tests will come at the end of three key courses: Algebra I, Biology I and sophomore English. That's a big improvement on testing at the start of the sophomore year. We've always wondered how a test of ninth-grade material could be called a "Graduation Qualifying Exam."
In 2010, ISTEP+ results will be available to schools and families online only three weeks after the testing period. That's much better than the current three-month wait.
Even with the change to spring, critics will continue to attack ISTEP+. They're correct in complaining that we focus too much on average scores for schools, school districts and the entire state. The main point of testing should be to help teachers find the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student and track that student's growth.
To boost student achievement, a majority of school districts in
NWEA offers many advantages. It reports scores in 24 hours. Many educators believe NWEA results are easier for teachers and parents to understand. NWEA tests cost far less than ISTEP+, and they're gaining popularity nationwide.
Now that Daniels has overruled
THE BIG O: Gov. deserves re-election, did good job
The
October 15, 2007
Mitch Daniels deserves to be re-elected for his actions as governor in previous years. Recently, at the annual Delaware County Republicans' Lincoln-Reagan dinner, Daniels spoke about the progress of the state of
Daniels' transportation plan for
The benefits of the
The "lease" is only for 75 years, which in the lifespan of
The
Under the leadership and guidance of
