The MISREPRESENTATIONS That Heads of Education Departments in so many states are making just staggers the mind. For example this week in Alabama, citizens were introduced to damaging documents that shows it again but this time it is so clear that you would either have to be stupid or just willing to go along if you don't call it what it is!
Proof Tommy Bice already knew earlier this year (from a letter dated February 2013) from General Counsel that Memorandum of Agreement was already superseded by the State Board's Adoption of the College and Career Ready Standards.
Adoption of the College and Career Ready Standards as in the ESEA Flexibility Application(No Child Left Behind Waiver Application).
3 weeks ago
The Alabama Board of Education has created a byzantine maze surrounding Common Core standards when it should be focusing on common sense.
Confused yet? State School Superintendent Tommy Bice said his department would continue to work with NGA and CCSSO – the entities with which the school board hopes to end a four-year-old agreement – and would continue to work toward implementing the Alabama version of Common Core.
Confused yet? Betty Peters, District 2’s representative on the state school board, sees the resolution to rescind as a meaningless smokescreen designed to make the federalized standards look like something they’re not.
If you can’t dazzle ‘em, then baffle ‘em. We wonder how all this will help teach the children to read.
Resolution is A Ruse per Betty Peters and Stephanie Bell
Dear Friends,
We have put considerable effort into preserving Alabama's freedom under the Tenth Amendment to decide what children in Alabama will study in school and how it will be taught. We have made a dramatic difference! This freedom is one more freedom that will be lost to Alabamians under the Obama administration if Alabama politicians don't change course and stop Common Core THIS legislative session. Unfortunately, Alabama House and Senate Republican leaders have stated that they will NOT allow their members to vote to repeal Common Core, but would instead work with the State Superintendent of Education to address concerns people have with Common Core. Thursday of this week (November 14), Superintendent Bice will ask Board Members to rescind the 2009 agreement with the NGA/CCSSO to implement Common Core Standards. The problem is this resolution to rescind the Memorandum of Agreement is "a ruse, an attempt to deceive good people and make it appear the board has done something to correct the common core disaster. In reality, the board is reaffirming its commitment to common core ....", according to a press release submitted by Board Members Stephanie Bell and Betty Peters today.
To support their statement, they reference a February memorandum written by the ASDOE General Counsel who stated that "the 2009 Memorandum of Agreement contains no legal obligations and has been superseded in practice at the state level by the state board of education's adoption of AL College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts."
Betty Peters explained that State Superintendent Bice’s proposed resolution to drop an agreement with two private trade organizations does not reverse Alabama's commitments to the federal government to use the federally incentivized standards, the federally funded assessment contractor (ACT), or the largely federally funded curricula aligned with the common core standards. AL’s No Child Left Behind waiver, which further solidified Alabama’s commitment to the Common Core Standards.Initiative, underscores the emptiness of the proposed resolution."
This is the second attempt to deceive Alabama voters by the State Superintendent and House and Senate leaders. Last month a resolution was submitted by Dr. Bice to supposedly protect the privacy of students when in fact it took away the privacy protections for students and their parents. Apparently, they either think we are uninformed or stupid.
It's up to US to convince our legislators to do their due diligence under the Alabama Constitution and stop Common Core this legislative session and preserve parent's fundamental rights to decide how their children will be educated. We trust our Republican legislators to do the right thing if they have full information. We have been providing them information and will continue to do so. One way to make our voice heard and retain our state's rights and individual liberties to control education in Alabama is to personally sign a petition to legislators, which explains the issue; and to get our friends and families to do the same. This petition explains what's wrong with what the State Superintendent is doing and how the problems can be resolved.
The petition can be read and signed by clicking http://www.voiceforvoters.com/?p=449. OR you can email me your name and county of residence at eloisz@hotmail.com.
We've worked so hard to protect our children's education, their privacy, and parents' constitutional rights to determine what their children will learn in school and how it will be taught. Common Core takes this away and gives it to the Obama Administration which is working closely with the two private entities who own and have copyright the Common Core standards. This petition may be the single best tool to repeal Common Core and to ensure that the State Superintendent cannot force private, church and home schools under his oversight as he tried to do in July so that there is little or no competition between what is taught in public schools versus private, church and home schools. Your signature will help convince legislators how widespread support is to restore parental control and state's rights and how we will not be deceived by false promise that are not based in fact but instead are a "ruse".
Thanks so much!