Schools Superintendent Reed to join government bond firm

Well, perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising.  Outgoing Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed will become the Indiana Vice-President of Business Development of a financial firm that advises schools on issuing property tax debt. She will begin her duties upon leaving office in January of 2009; never too early, it seems, to get the business cards printed and ready to go.

It was the intent of the Governor and the Indiana legislature to slow down the issuance of such debt earlier this year with the passage of House Bill 1001.

It can be presumed the firm of Ross, Sinclaire & Associates has hired Dr. Reed with the hope that her contacts will allow them to get their foot in the door to local school systems to make their pitch for services. That Dr. Reed would be swimming upstream from the direction the Governor is pointed could be considered characteristic of her.

Such firms get paid in the "soft costs" associated with the issuance of debt.

Republican candidate Dr. Tony Bennett, presumptive Democratic nominee Dr. Richard Wood, and Libertarian Sam Goldstein are vying to become Dr. Reed's successor as Superintendent of Public Instruction.