The single-party control Indiana Republicans enjoy at the Statehouse could clear the way for school vouchers, merit pay and other so-called education reforms. Sen. Dennis Kruse, as chairman of the Senate’s Education and Career Development Committee, will exercise more than usual influence on K-12 legislation – and that should be reassuring to observers worried about public schools.

A staunch conservative, the Auburn Republican is supportive of the direction Gov. Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett are moving. But he’s also one of the legislature’s most thoughtful, deliberate and reasonable members.

He almost certainly will give the same studied approach to controversial reform measures as he gave to the vexing issue of unemployment insurance as chairman of the Pensions and Labor Committee. And Kruse knows that – what’s different from the unemployment insurance deficit – everyone has an opinion on how to improve education because everyone went to school.

But look for Kruse to depend on more than the loudest voices in guiding his committee’s work. The senator will demand research, evidence and ideas that are affordable and cost-effective.

In Kruse, the education community will find a leader eager to learn, to listen and to reach across the aisle in including Democratic voices. His decade-long tenure in the General Assembly – first as a state representative and, since 2004, as a state senator – has demonstrated an approach that has won him respect.

Chancellor Michael Wartell of IPFW is a fan.

“I’ve been completely impressed with him,” Wartell said. “When Dennis takes on an issue in the legislature, he learns everything about it.”

Indeed, one of Kruse’s first steps when Senate President Pro Tem David Long appointed him to be the chair of the education committee in August 2009 was to set up a website, www.indianaeducationforum.com. Its primary topic is the school-year calendar, but Kruse’s explanation of his position is indicative of the approach he takes.

“Most know I have long been a supporter of a later school start date for Indiana public schools. … Similar laws have produced good results in other states, and I feel the issue deserves a full debate,” he wrote.

“But, my role as (chairman) isn’t to promote any set agenda. It is to carry out the thoughtful study of issues assigned by the Senate and House leadership. It is my job to do my best to make sure that both sides of the issue have an opportunity to present their research, data and thoughts.”

Alan Middleton, superintendent of Prairie Heights Community School Corp. in LaGrange, has known Kruse for many years. When Middleton was superintendent of Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community Schools in DeKalb County, the legislator made an effort to learn about the quality improvement initiative the district was undertaking.

“He’s a very intellectual senator who grasps the complexities of the intricate issues around our public education challenges,” Middleton said. “He has a good understanding of the political profile that has been created by our governor and state superintendent. I believe that he has the desire to see public schools succeed and perform better.”

Kruse also has made a good impression on education leaders unfamiliar with his work.

“Dennis is a really good chairman,” said John Ellis, director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents. “The day he was to be appointed, he called all of the education groups and set up meetings to get to know everyone. He shared his top 20 priorities and he asked for our top 20 priorities. That’s what I appreciate most about him – his willingness to listen.”

Experienced educator

At first glance, Kruse seems an unlikely choice to lead the Senate education panel. An auctioneer, appraiser and real estate broker, his first elected office wasn’t a school board seat, but a township trustee post. In fact, his education background is broader than many of the professional educators in the General Assembly. Kruse earned an education degree at IPFW and held a teaching license for five years. There was a glut of education majors when he graduated, so job prospects were dim even as he worked as a substitute at DeKalb High School for two years.

Kruse said he might well have ended up in public education, but he had made a commitment to join the family’s auctioneering and real estate business by the time the offers came. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been teaching since then.

“I’m actually in the education business as my livelihood,” he said. “Outside of being a senator, that’s the main thing that I do – I own and operate the Reppert School of Auctioneering, so I’m in the proprietary education business as my job.”

He and his wife, Kay, also spent 25 years home-schooling their four sons.

“A dedicated home-school parent is heavily involved a lot more than a normal public school parent,” he said. “Some people say, ‘Well, you didn’t send your kids to public school, so you shouldn’t be able to have this job.’ We had a real interest in making sure we wanted our kids educated in what we thought was best for our sons. So we took the path that meant a lot of time and dedication on our part. I think it actually helped me become more knowledgeable in education.”

The home-schooling movement was just getting started when the Kruses taught their sons.

“We were the pioneers,” he said. “We were some of the first members in forming the Fort Wayne Area Home- school Association.”

The experience strongly shaped his views, particularly on the subject of parent involvement.

“The parents need to be in charge of their children’s education, and not the government,” Kruse said. “That’s why I think it’s healthy for the system to have some alternatives and some different paths for parents to choose for their kids. … A poor kid, an underperforming child, a special-needs child and a high-performing child – those are the four categories that really need the extra alternatives out there. I think some of our tax dollars can go to opportunity scholarships to help some of them take a different path than they are in now.”

Kruse’s education views largely reflect the rural and small-community issues in his northeast Indiana district, but he’s eagerly learning about urban districts, including Fort Wayne Community Schools.

“(FWCS Superintendent) Wendy Robinson does an excellent job in just about every area of education – she is really on top of the game, and their school board is, too,” he said.

Personal agenda

Kruse has created a list of “20 Indiana education issues in 2010.” Encouraging parental involvement tops the list, while his own favorite issue – the school-year starting date – ranks 20th. That’s because Kruse is a political pragmatist – he knows most House Republicans believe the school calendar should be left to local school officials. But his continued effort to persuade educators that August is not a good month for Indiana students to be in classrooms is an example of his quiet, studied persistence. He continues to gather research on school-year configuration and student achievement and is now interested in year-round schooling.

That “show-me-the-proof” approach will be beneficial in the coming session. Kruse’s list of education issues includes merit pay and mandatory third-grade retention for students reading below grade level, both issues with substantive research behind them. Much of it is research that should cause him to question their effectiveness.

Those concerned about eroding local control of schools also should be encouraged. Kruse’s experience as a trustee shaped his strongly held views on the need for township-level government, which he argues is best because it’s closest to the people. He expresses a similar view on local school board leadership.

Another Kruse priority is reducing regulations on schools. He said he wants to set up a study committee with a goal of cutting school regulations in half by 2012.

The governor and state superintendent unveiled an education agenda last week that is more ambitious and more contentious than seen in recent history. Don’t expect it to go unchecked in the Senate, however. The legislation will undoubtedly benefit from thorough discussion when it comes before the chairman of the Education and Career Development Committee.