Ritz to bow out of school voucher lawsuit

INDIANAPOLIS (AP/WISH) - Incoming state school Superintendent Glenda Ritz says she intends to remove herself as a plaintiff in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the state' school voucher program.

Ritz, a school librarian, told The Associated Press Tuesday that she would drop out of the legal challenge after a state Supreme Court hearing set for Wednesday and before she takes office Jan. 14.

The Democrat defeated Republican Superintendent Tony Bennett in the Nov. 6 election after campaigning against policies including the school voucher program, which opponents say undermines public education.

Ritz says she is pledged to uphold state law as the new state superintendent and remaining part of the suit would present a conflict of interest.

But she says she still believes the current program – which could become the nation’s largest school choice program - is unconstitutional.

Proponents of the program, however, disagree.

"The Choice Scholarship Program isn't just great educational policy. It's also fully consistent with the federal and Indiana constitutions, which allow states to provide parents with scholarships that empower them to pick the school that bests fits their children's educational needs. The unions' argument to the contrary is grasping at legal straws," said Institute for Justice senior attorney Bert Gall, who alongside Indiana Solicitor General Tom Fisher will argue the case in defense of school choice in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.