When Cindy Baney’s mother and father-in-law died five days apart in late January, she took 10 bereavement days from Hamilton Southeastern Schools, where she is the choral director for Fishers Junior High School.
Prior to her leave, Baney had sent several emails to state legislators opposing House Bill 1134, which placed stricter regulations on curriculum. She received few responses from legislators and said she felt it wasn’t right for lawmakers to write bills about education without experience in the classroom. She then felt those legislators should see some of the challenges a teacher faces each day, so she requested their help after she learned she would have to move her school classroom in limited time due to construction at her school.
Upon returning to work Feb. 28, Baney was approached by a construction worker as she walked to her classroom. FJHS is under construction, and Baney originally was told to move her classroom to a different location in the building by the end of March, but the construction worker told her that she would have to be out of her class at the end of that week. That only gave her five days to move. Baney burst into tears.
“He said, ‘We’ve moved the renovation date up and need you out in five days,’” Baney said. “They’re renovating the whole building and it’s a five- or six-phase process, and I was supposed to be in Phase 5 at the end of (March). Instead, they needed me out March 5. I literally cried. I was so overwhelmed. We were now caring for my mother-in-law.”
Moreover, Baney’s choir was preparing for a concert that was less than a week away.
Baney was responsible for finding her own boxes to move her classroom, so she sent an email to teachers asking if they had any. At the same time, Baney sent a note to legislators informing them of her predicament as an example of the challenges teachers face. She thought it would be a good opportunity for lawmakers to have a better understanding when voting on education-related bills.
Baney had previously reached out to the General Assembly when she submitted comments on why she opposed House Bill 1134, so she emailed State Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Democrat who represents Monroe County, about her own situation.
“I said, ‘You’re trying to make decisions about education, and I don’t think one of you has been in a classroom,’” Baney said. “I said, ‘If you’re not volunteering, if you’re not in a school, you’re not in a place to be making decisions.’”
Baney received a response from Yoder. She did offer to help Baney move classrooms, but when Baney tried to schedule a time, Yoder called the wrong number and they never got in touch. However, one of Yoder’s staff members contacted Fishers City Council member Jocelyn Vare and informed her of the situation.
“The staffer put two and two together and kindly sent me (Baney’s) note and said, ‘You need to know this is one of your city’s teachers who needs a hand,’” Vare said. “I responded back and said, ‘Put us to work.’”
Baney said Vare, who showed up the Sunday before Baney was required to be out of her classroom, was a lifesaver. Vare brought four other people to help.
“I was in awe,” Baney said. “I left and my heart was full. I felt more supported by the community than I had in a long time.”
After spending five years in a classroom, music teachers accumulate lots of items.
“You can imagine there’s so much equipment, music and books,” Vare said.
Despite the vast size of Baney’s classroom and the equipment, the team completed the move in a few hours. One of the friends Vare brought was a musician, so he and Baney performed on the piano for the movers while they worked.
“My mom used to say, ‘Many hands make light work,’” Baney said.
Vare, whose son Nick Vare is an Indianapolis Public Schools teacher, said legislators should support educators.
“The past several months, things have been incredibly difficult for teachers,” Vare said. (Baney) was treated with a surprise as soon as she walked in the building. I think, for me, this was a simple ask. It was easy to step up and it was the right thing to do.”
Nick Vare is a former FJHS student and joined his mother in helping Baney move her classroom.
“It was a little homecoming for him,” Vare said.
A need for substitutes
Cindy Baney took 10 days of bereavement leave after her mother and father-in-law died five days apart, but because of a shortage of substitute teachers, she couldn’t take the leave all at once.
“We’re in dire straits as teachers,” said Baney, who said it’s not uncommon for teachers to have to cover other classes during their prep period because of the substitute teacher shortage. “There are not enough subs. People are not comfortable subbing, and COVID changed that. There was already a sub shortage. It’s only $75 a day to spend seven hours in a building. Teachers are already pushed to the limit. I have plenty of sick days but I can’t take them because I wouldn’t do that to the secretary or my colleagues.”
