Alabama Nov 6, 2012 Ballot---Perspective on How To Vote and Why on Certain Amendments

Alabama Nov 6, 2012 Ballot---print also link (from Liberty Council) on backside-right to share information in churches-Amendments 3 and 5 left off (county)

Amendment 1  Vote NO        "Let the truth be known, Forever Wild is not financed with tax dollars, however the money used to acquire these lands are in fact OUR dollars from OUR Alabama Trust Fund and should be used for the benefit of our citizens... Hunting is purported to be a major attraction to Forever Wild land, however, most people do not know of Forever Wild and hunting is severely restricted. Mulberry Fork Wildlife Management Area offers a deer hunt only on January 27 and 28" --please read more on website notforeverwild.com

Amendment 2    Vote NO                 This gives tax incentives not available to in-state companies --unfair
Amendment 4    Vote Yes                Takes out old language (it doesn't add taxes)

Here's opinion of Mrs. B Moore :The Alabama Constitution Article XIV, Section 256, The Legislature shall establish, organize, and maintain a liberal system of public chools throughout the State for the benefit of the children thereof between the ages of seven and twenty-one years. I'm voting yes on the proposed amendment # 4 on the Nov. 6th ballot.

Amendment 6   Vote YES                Prevents Alabama from being compelled to be part of Obamacare  
OBamacare will mean:  $529 billion in cuts to Medicare; 569 billion in higher taxes; swelling of the ranks of Medicaid by 16 million-go to galen.org to find out more.

• It creates an unelected, unaccountable board —the Independent Payment Advisory Board — with powers to limit payment and access to health care for seniors and which will become Medicare’s rationing board.
• Doctors are already threatening to drop out of the program in large numbers if the Obamacare payment cuts go into effect!
• Medicare actuaries predict that more than 40% of Medicare providers eventually will either go out of business or stop seeing Medicare patients altogether if the law’s cuts take effect!
Amendment 7    Vote Yes               Allows for Secret Ballots In Union Votes!
Amendment 8    Vote Yes               Legislators will not give themselves a pay raise during their term
Amendment 9    Vote No                No to More Taxes
Amendment 10  Vote NO               Deal with authority of state legislature and banking in the state. A major change to Constitution doing away with Alabama's ability to establish a state bank and removes God and Silver standard.
Amendment 11  Vote Yes               Prevents Decatur from overpowering Lawrence County

Henry Burke and Common Core Standards--States Price Tags

States' Taxpayers Cannot Afford Common Core Standards

by Henry W. Burke

10.15.12

INTRODUCTION

The total nationwide cost for 7 years of the Common Core Standards Initiative is $15.8 billion.  This includes the cost to states of CCS Testing, Professional Development, Textbooks, and Technology.  (Other costs not shown in this report would be the cost to set up and administer a nationalized teacher evaluation system and a national student/educator database.)

The taxpayers in each of the 45 states (and D. C.) that have committed to the Common Core Standards Initiative (CCSI) will be left "holding the bag" because our federal government with a national debt of $16 trillion cannot come in and alleviate the cost to the states.

Because it will cost California $2.2 billion to implement the Common Core Standards but California only received $104 million ($0.1 billion) from the federal government for competitive Stimulus awards, the taxpayers of California will have to come up with $2.1 billion out of their state coffers.

With California on the brink of bankruptcy, where would their taxpayers come up with $2.1 billion?  (Please see Table 1 at the end of this report for a complete listing of CCS losses per state.)

Where would other states such as the ones listed below find the extra funding to implement the Common Core Standards? 

Illinois  -- $733 million

Pennsylvania  -- $647 million

Michigan -- $569 million

As a block, the states will spend $16 billion and get only $5 billion in federal grants.  Why would the states change to a system that costs several times what they will receive in return?  That does not sound like a very good deal to me. 

The cost for CCS does not suddenly end at Year 7.  The ongoing cost for Year 8 and after will be $801 million per year.

The up-front, one-time cost for CCS implementation is two-thirds (67%) of the Total Cost for 7 years. 

This report will focus primarily on the cost of implementing the Common Core Standards in each of the 46 states (45 states plus D.C.).

*A very helpful compilation of Anti-CCSI Resources has recently been posted at:   

http://educationviews.org/list-of-anti-common-core-resources/

Background on Common Core Standards and RTTT

Picture this scenario: You are the CEO of a large company.  An outside company offered your company an incentive to persuade you to convert to their system.  Would you change the main system in your company if you knew it would cost more money to convert than the amount of the incentive? 

That is what 45 states (and the District of Columbia) did in adopting the Common Core Standards Initiative (CCSI).  Under the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program (RTTT), states competed for $4.35 Billion in federal grants. 

In exchange for the potential funds, states had to drop their own state education standards and adopt the Common Core Standards Initiative  (a.k.a., CCS) -- nationalized curriculum standards, nationalized curriculum, nationalized assessments, a nationalized teacher evaluation system, and a nationalized database.  

Under the $787 billion Stimulus measure, money was set aside for RTTT funding.  About $3.9 billion was awarded in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of RTTT in 2010; since then, an additional $1.5 billion has been granted.  This brings the total competitive awards to $5.4 billion.

Cost to Implement CCS

How about the costs?  One reliable estimate places the nationwide cost of implementing CCS at $15.8 billion.  Another estimate pegs the total CCS cost at $30 billion.

As a block, the states will spend $16 billion and get $5 billion in federal grants.  Why would the states change to a system that costs several times what they will receive in return?  That does not sound like a very good deal to me. 

When the states were competing for those coveted federal dollars, they were not calculating realistic costs for the conversion.  Theodor Rebarber, CEO and founder of AccountabilityWorks, explained: “States did almost no costs analysis” when they signed on to adopt the Common Core standards.  They sorely needed the money and viewed CCS through the proverbial "rose-colored glasses." 

If the RTTT grant money were the chief reason that states adopted the Common Core Standards Initiative (the nationalization of the public schools), would they drop out of CCS if the conversion costs were significantly higher than the RTTT funds received from the federal government?  That is a good question.

This report will briefly cover the federal RTTT awards; however, the major emphasis will be on the cost side of the equation.  I think many states will "get off the national standards train" once the real costs are known.

When I was searching for reliable cost estimates on implementing the Common Core Standards, I found an excellent White Paper report published by the Pioneer Institute entitled National Cost of Aligning States and Localities to the Common Core Standards by AccountabilityWorks, No. 82 - February 2012.

http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/120222_CCSSICost.pdf

My report is based almost entirely on this outstanding Pioneer Institute White Paper.

Quality of the Standards

I think it is obvious that money was the chief reason that the states gave up their own state standards and adopted the Common Core Standards (CCS). 

People might try to argue that the national standards are an improvement over the states' standards.  Numerous education experts certainly do not think the Common Core Standards are an improvement over the state standards.

Two of these experts are Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Ze'ev Wurman.  The Pioneer Institute included these statements on page 4 of the report:

            Pioneer Institute retained experts with knowledge of the subject matter to develop a series of white papers that provided specific recommendations for improvement and, ultimately, questioned whether states with highly regarded standards (e.g., Massachusetts and California) would benefit from replacing their current standards with the new Common Core standards.

            Ze’ev Wurman and Sandra Stotsky questioned the academic rigor, as well as a perceived lack of transparency and the accelerated nature of the development process, charging that it didn't permit sufficient time for public or other expert review and comment.

http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/120222_CCSSICost.pdf

On 5.20.10, The Pacific Research Institute released its report on the national standards:

'These proposed national standards are vague and lack the academic rigor of the standards in Massachusetts and a number of other states,' said Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios. ‘The new report shows that these weak standards will result in weak assessments.  After so much progress and the investment of billions of tax dollars, it amounts to snatching mediocrity from the jaws of excellence.’

 http://pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/100520_emperors_new_clothes.pdf

Dr. R. James Milgram and Dr. Sandra Stotsky issued another report on the national standards for math and English.  The title best captures their overall sentiments: Fair to Middling: A National Standards Progress Report.  Stotsky determined that the elements were too broadly worded, and explicit goals were not established.  Also the literature standards were deemed to be very weak.  Dr. Milgram made these comments about the Mathematics standards:

            The proposed standards are, however, very uneven in quality and do not match up well either with the best state standards or with international expectations.

http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/100402_fair_to_middling.pdf 

Texas wisely shunned the national standards movement and devoted considerable energy into writing its own standards.  The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted excellent standards documents during the last four years for English / Language Arts / Reading (ELAR), Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics.  Many experts deem these four standards documents to be the best in the country!

Pioneer Institute White Paper Report

National Cost of Aligning States and Localities to the Common Core Standards, A Pioneer Institute and American Principles Project White Paper, No. 82 - February 2012

http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/120222_CCSSICost.pdf

The Pioneer white paper provides a thorough analysis of the cost of implementing the Common Core Standards.  The report states: 

            The goal of this analysis  was to develop a 'middle of the road' estimate of the 'incremental' (i.e., additional) cost of implementing the Common Core standards based, as much as possible, on actual state or local experience implementing similar initiatives.

Please note that the Pioneer Institute report gives the incremental or additional expenses borne by the states for implementing CCS during the 7-year period.

I strongly urge the readers to study the Pioneer Institute report.  Also, a wealth of information is included in the Appendices to the Pioneer white paper.  The Appendices provide enrollment numbers and detailed cost breakdowns for every state. 

http://www.accountabilityworks.org/photos/Appendices.Common_Core_Cost.AW.pdf 

Analysis of the Pioneer CCS Information

My goal has been to utilize the research done by the Pioneer Institute but to go one step further by calculating (1) the cost for each CCS category in each state, and (2) the total CCS cost for each state.

The Pioneer Institute white paper includes costs for four categories: Testing, Professional Development, Textbooks, and Technology.  The Appendices to the Pioneer Institute report provide dollar figures for Textbooks and Technology for each state.  I derived the Testing costs and Professional Development costs for each state from the Pioneer white paper Figure 2B (Table 5) and the Pioneer report's assumptions.

http://www.accountabilityworks.org/photos/Appendices.Common_Core_Cost.AW.pdf

Highlights from CCS Tables

CCS Loss Per State  (Please refer to Table 1)

1.  California will lose $2,084 million ($2.084 billion) on CCS implementation.  (Translation: California taxpayers will have to take $2.1 billion from their state coffers to pay for CCS.)

2.  Illinois will lose $733 million on CCS implementation.

(Translation: Illinois taxpayers will have to take $733 million out of their state coffers to pay for CCS.)

3.  Pennsylvania will lose $647 million on CCS implementation.

4.  Michigan will lose $569 million on CCS implementation.

5.  New Jersey will lose $564 million on CCS implementation.

6.  Indiana will lose $387 million on CCS implementation.

7.  Arizona will lose $349 million on CCS implementation.

8.  Missouri will lose $336 million on CCS implementation.

9.  Washington will lose $331 million on CCS implementation.

10.  Wisconsin will lose $313 million on CCS implementation.

11.  Six states show a gain (the federal awards are more than the expenditures for CCS implementation and administration). 

12.  Tennessee has the largest CCS gain, with $145 million; the District of Columbia has the second largest gain, at $76 million. 

13.  Maryland has the smallest gain, with $7 million.

CCS Cost Per Student  (Please refer to Table 2)

1.  In Vermont, the cost per student to implement and administer CCS will be $433.

2.  In the District of Columbia, the CCS Cost per Student will be $425.

3.  In North Dakota, the CCS Cost per Student will be $424.

4.  In New Jersey, the CCS Cost per Student will be $419.

5.  In Maine, the CCS Cost per Student will be $418.

6.  In New York, the CCS Cost per Student will be $411.

7.  In Wyoming, the CCS Cost per Student will be $410.

8.  In Rhode Island, the CCS Cost per Student will be $406.

9.  In New Hampshire, the CCS Cost per Student will be $404.

10.  In Arkansas, the CCS Cost per Student will be $403.

11.  The CCS Cost per Student varies from $337 (in Utah) to $433 (in Vermont); the average CCS Cost per Student for the 46 states is $379.

Nationwide CCS Costs and Percentages  (Please refer to Table 4)

1.  The largest category is Technology, at $6.9 billion; this is 43% of the $15.8 billion Total Cost.

2.  The second largest category is Professional Development, at $5.3 billion; this is 33% of the Total Cost.

3.  The third largest category is Textbooks, at $2.5 billion; this is 16% of the Total Cost.

4. The smallest category is Testing, at $1.2 billion; this is 8% of the Total Cost.

Nationwide CCS Cost  (Please refer to Table 5)

1.  The Total Nationwide Cost for 7 years of CCS implementation is $15.835 billion.

2.  The up-front, one-time cost for CCS implementation is $10.5 billion; this is two-thirds (67%) of the Total Cost of $15.8 billion for 7 years.

3.  The cost for Year 1 operations is $503 million.

4.  The ongoing annual operational costs for Years 2-7 are $801.5 million.  [$801.5 million  x  6 years = $4.809 billion]

5.  The cost for CCS does not suddenly end at Year 7.  The ongoing cost for Year 8 and after will be $801 million per year.

Competitive Stimulus Awards  (Please refer to Table 8)

1.  Average Grant per State (51 States) = $105,430,332

2.  Average Grant per State (First 41 States) = $131,145,047

3.  Average Grant per Student (51 States) = $109

4.  Average Grant per Student (First 41 States) = $121

5.  Median Grant per Student (51 States) = $24

6.  Median Grant per Student (First 41 States) = $33

Description                             Total Awarded          Enrollment     Grant Per Student

Total for 51 States                 $5,376,946,918           49,181,237                  $109

Total for First 41 States        $5,376,946,918           44,522,237                  $121

CONCLUSION

The main reason that the states gave up their standards and adopted the Common Core Standards was the potential money offered under the Race to the Top program.  Unfortunately, that federal ploy of the "carrot and stick" has worked wonderfully; 45 states (plus D. C.) have signed on to the national standards.

The quality of the national standards is questionable and unproven.  The Common Core Standards have not been piloted under controlled research standards and have not been internationally benchmarked.  No one knows whether or not students will actually increase their academic achievement by being taught the CCS. 

The 45 states (and D. C.) committed to adopt the CCS before the standards documents (English and Math) were even completed and made public.  Several states blindly dropped their stellar standards in favor of the mediocre national standards.

The Pioneer Institute published a commendable breakdown of the cost to implement CCS.  

I expanded upon Pioneer's work to produce detailed CCS costs for every state.

Most states will lose money when they fully implement the national standards in their state.  California stands to lose a whopping $2 billion on CCS!  Illinois will lose $733 million; and Pennsylvania will lose $647 million.  Those states' taxpayers will have to make up for the differences from their state coffers.

The average cost per student for the implementation of CCS in the 45 CCS states (plus D. C.) is $379.  The costs varied from a low of $337 to a high of $433 per student.

However, the average amount of federal funding granted to the states was $109 per student. 

The decision by these 45 states (and D. C.) to adopt CCS will be terribly expensive indeed!

The Conclusion to the Pioneer Institute white paper provides these insights:

            While a handful of states have begun to analyze these costs, most states have signed on to the initiative without a thorough, public vetting of the costs and benefits.

            In particular, there has been very little attention to the potential technology infrastructure costs that currently cash-strapped districts may face in order to implement the Common Core assessments within a reasonable testing window.

I believe that when the states become aware of the high cost of implementing the Common Core Standards, they will seriously want to consider their options.  If a state is truly concerned about protecting the taxpayers, the state will opt out of the costly national standards.

===========================================

TABLES

Table No.                 Description

Table 1                      CCS Loss Per State

Table 2                      CCS Cost Per Student

Table 3                      Total CCS Cost

Table 4                      Nationwide CCS Costs and Percentages

Table 5                      Nationwide CCS Cost (Pioneer Figure 2B)

Table 6                      Students and Teachers (CCS States)

Table 7                      Students and Teachers (Non-CCS States)

Table 8                      Competitive Stimulus Awards

Table 1-- CCS Loss Per State

($ Millions)

The following table (in millions of dollars) shows the difference between the amount of RTTT grant funds a state received and the total cost of implementation of CCS.  The states with the plus signs have a "gain" on cost minus awards.  All of the other states have a loss and will have to make up the difference out of their state coffers.

State Abr.	State	Total Cost	Federal Competitive Awards	State Loss (Cost - Awards) (+ = Gain)
AL	Alabama	281.693	0	281.693
AZ	Arizona	374.704	25.263	349.441
AR	Arkansas	193.529	9.833	183.696
CA	California	2,188.494	104.208	2,084.286
CO	Colorado	304.494	73.779	230.715
CT	Connecticut	226.215	4.473	221.742
DE	Delaware	48.892	119.122	+ 70.230
DC	District of Columbia	29.331	105.253	+ 75.922
FL	Florida	1,024.163	905.838	118.325
GA	Georgia	646.622	404.691	241.931
HI	Hawaii	67.556	74.935	+ 7.379
ID	Idaho	99.246	3.700	95.546
IL	Illinois	799.021	65.610	733.411
IN	Indiana	386.623	0	386.623
IA	Iowa	192.565	9.035	183.530
KS	Kansas	185.515	11.180	174.335
KY	Kentucky	256.754	4.999	251.755
LA	Louisiana	270.086	30.072	240.014
ME	Maine	79.189	7.315	71.874
MD	Maryland	327.234	334.284	+ 7.050
MA	Massachusetts	377.294	310.588	66.706
MI	Michigan	591.593	22.730	568.863
MS	Mississippi	187.300	7.570	179.730
MO	Missouri	362.058	26.531	335.527
MT	Montana	56.208	0.520	55.688
NV	Nevada	151.051	0	151.051
NH	New Hampshire	79.715	0	79.715
NJ	New Jersey	563.657	0	563.657
NM	New Mexico	128.751	10.727	118.024
NY	New York	1,088.436	845.659	242.777
NC	North Carolina	576.903	427.081	149.822
ND	North Dakota	40.281	0	40.281
OH	Ohio	662.048	468.320	193.728
OK	Oklahoma	246.387	15.466	230.921
OR	Oregon	201.964	19.937	182.027
PA	Pennsylvania	705.985	58.840	647.145
RI	Rhode Island	58.883	75.000	+ 16.117
SC	South Carolina	273.045	22.122	250.923
SD	South Dakota	49.301	19.684	29.617
TN	Tennessee	373.326	518.492	+ 145.166
UT	Utah	196.306	24.900	171.406
VT	Vermont	39.995	0	39.995
WA	Washington	365.092	34.330	330.762
WV	West Virginia	109.957	0	109.957
WI	Wisconsin	331.092	17.952	313.140
WY	Wyoming	36.163	0	36.163
	Totals	15,834.717	5,220.039	10,614.678

Table 2 -- CCS Cost Per Student

(Total Cost in $ Millions)  [Cost per Student in dollars as shown]

State Abr.	State	Total Cost	Students	Cost per Student
AL	Alabama	281.693	748,889	$376
AZ	Arizona	374.704	1,077,660	348
AR	Arkansas	193.529	480,088	403
CA	California	2,188.494	6,257,082	350
CO	Colorado	304.494	832,368	366
CT	Connecticut	226.215	563,985	401
DE	Delaware	48.892	126,801	386
DC	District of Columbia	29.331	68,984	425
FL	Florida	1,024.163	2,634,522	389
GA	Georgia	646.622	1,667,685	388
HI	Hawaii	67.556	180,008	375
ID	Idaho	99.246	276,299	359
IL	Illinois	799.021	2,104,175	380
IN	Indiana	386.623	1,046,661	369
IA	Iowa	192.565	491,842	392
KS	Kansas	185.515	470,057	395
KY	Kentucky	256.754	679,717	378
LA	Louisiana	270.086	690,915	391
ME	Maine	79.189	189,225	418
MD	Maryland	327.234	848,412	386
MA	Massachusetts	377.294	956,231	395
MI	Michigan	591.593	1,634,151	362
MS	Mississippi	187.300	484,467	387
MO	Missouri	362.058	917,982	394
MT	Montana	56.208	141,807	396
NV	Nevada	151.051	428,469	353
NH	New Hampshire	79.715	197,140	404
NJ	New Jersey	563.657	1,344,785	419
NM	New Mexico	128.751	334,419	385
NY	New York	1,088.436	2,650,201	411
NC	North Carolina	576.903	1,482,859	389
ND	North Dakota	40.281	95,073	424
OH	Ohio	662.048	1,764,297	375
OK	Oklahoma	246.387	653,118	377
OR	Oregon	201.964	582,839	347
PA	Pennsylvania	705.985	1,783,502	396
RI	Rhode Island	58.883	145,118	406
SC	South Carolina	273.045	723,143	378
SD	South Dakota	49.301	123,713	399
TN	Tennessee	373.326	972,549	384
UT	Utah	196.306	582,793	337
VT	Vermont	39.995	92,431	433
WA	Washington	365.092	1,035,347	353
WV	West Virginia	109.957	282,662	389
WI	Wisconsin	331.092	872,436	380
WY	Wyoming	36.163	88,155	410
	Totals	15,834.717	41,805,062	$379

Table 3 -- Total CCS Cost

($ Millions)

The column that is particularly significant is the far-right column -- Total Cost. This is the Total Cost (in millions of dollars) that each state will have to bear to implement the CCS.

State Abr.	Testing Cost	Prof. Dev. Cost	Textbook Cost	Technology Cost	Total Cost
AL	22.225	91.707	44.643	123.118	281.693
AZ	31.982	100.310	64.482	177.930	374.704
AR	14.247	71.910	28.151	79.221	193.529
CA	185.690	605.938	374.295	1,022.571	2,188.494
CO	24.702	94.735	48.476	136.581	304.494
CT	16.737	84.178	33.132	92.168	226.215
DE	3.763	16.684	7.608	20.837	48.892
DC	2.047	12.300	3.647	11.337	29.331
FL	78.184	354.970	155.810	435.199	1,024.163
GA	49.492	223.838	97.932	275.360	646.622
HI	5.342	22.021	10.784	29.409	67.556
ID	8.200	29.353	16.515	45.178	99.246
IL	62.445	267.411	121.910	347.255	799.021
IN	31.062	120.220	62.427	172.914	386.623
IA	14.596	69.211	28.483	80.275	192.565
KS	13.950	67.006	27.758	76.801	185.515
KY	20.172	85.680	39.328	111.574	256.754
LA	20.504	95.866	39.771	113.945	270.086
ME	5.616	31.427	11.221	30.925	79.189
MD	25.178	112.452	49.594	140.010	327.234
MA	28.378	134.994	56.056	157.866	377.294
MI	48.496	178.986	97.181	266.930	591.593
MS	14.377	63.922	28.961	80.040	187.300
MO	27.243	130.914	53.930	149.971	362.058
MT	4.208	20.316	8.502	23.182	56.208
NV	12.716	42.683	25.557	70.095	151.051
NH	5.850	29.913	11.717	32.235	79.715
NJ	39.909	222.544	79.168	222.036	563.657
NM	9.924	43.880	19.729	55.218	128.751
NY	78.650	414.787	157.198	437.801	1,088.436
NC	44.007	202.844	87.607	242.445	576.903
ND	2.821	16.155	5.689	15.616	40.281
OH	52.359	215.071	104.702	289.916	662.048
OK	19.382	82.411	37.024	107.570	246.387
OR	17.297	55.518	33.932	95.217	201.964
PA	52.929	252.930	106.979	293.147	705.985
RI	4.307	21.946	8.655	23.975	58.883
SC	21.461	90.718	42.110	118.756	273.045
SD	3.671	18.009	7.409	20.212	49.301
TN	28.862	126.212	57.696	160.556	373.326
UT	17.295	49.190	34.563	95.258	196.306
VT	2.743	16.865	5.302	15.085	39.995
WA	30.726	103.208	61.909	169.249	365.092
WV	8.389	39.197	16.233	46.138	109.957
WI	25.891	112.821	50.023	142.357	331.092
WY	2.616	13.838	5.299	14.410	36.163
Totals	1,240.641	5,257.089	2,469.098	6,867.889	15,834.717

Notes on Table 3:

1.  Testing -- The Testing cost for each state was determined by multiplying the number of students in the state by $29.6768 per student.  My total Testing cost of $1,240.641 million is identical to Table 5 (Pioneer's Figure 2B).

2.  Professional Development -- The Professional Development cost for each state was determined by multiplying the number of teachers in the state by $1,931 per teacher.  My total cost for Professional Development is consistent with the total number of teachers in the 46 CCS states (2,722,470 teachers).  My total Professional Development cost of $5,257.089 million is slightly under the Table 5 amount (Pioneer Figure 2B). 

3.  Textbooks -- The Textbook costs for each state were taken directly from the Pioneer report Appendix.  My total Textbook cost of $2,469.098 million is identical to Table 5 (Pioneer Figure 2B).

4.  Technology -- The Technology costs for each state were obtained directly from the Pioneer Appendix.  My total Technology cost of $6,867.889 million is identical to Table 5 (Pioneer Figure 2B). 

Table 4 -- Nationwide CCS Costs and Percentages

Cost Category	Cost ($ Millions)	Percentage
Testing	$1,240.641	8 %
Professional Development	$5,257.089	33 %
Textbooks	$2,469.098	16 %
Technology	$6,867.889	43 %
Totals	$15,834.717	100 %

Table 5 -- Nationwide CCS Cost (Pioneer Figure 2B)

Overview of Projected Costs to Implement Common Core Standards

Cost Category	One-Time	Year 1 Operations	Years 2-7 Ongoing Operations (Annual)	Total of One-Time & 7 Operational Years
Testing	$0	$177,234,471	$177,234,471	$1,240,641,297
Profess. Dev.	$5,257,492,417	$0	$0	$5,257,492,417
Textbooks	$2,469,098,464	$0	$0	$2,469,098,464
Technology	$2,796,294,147	$326,042,312	$624,258,785	$6,867,889,169
Total Costs	$10,522,885,028	$503,276,783	$801,493,256	$15,835,121,347

Source:  Pioneer Institute report (page 2)

Table 6-- Students and Teachers  (CCS States)

State Abr.	State	Student Enrollment	Total Teachers	Students per Teacher
AL	Alabama	748,889	47,492	15.8
AZ	Arizona	1,077,660	51,947	20.7
AR	Arkansas	480,088	37,240	12.9
CA	California	6,257,082	313,795	19.9
CO	Colorado	832,368	49,060	17.0
CT	Connecticut	563,985	43,593	12.9
DE	Delaware	126,801	8,640	14.7
DC	District of Columbia	68,984	6,370	10.8
FL	Florida	2,634,522	183,827	14.3
GA	Georgia	1,667,685	115,918	14.4
HI	Hawaii	180,008	11,404	15.8
ID	Idaho	276,299	15,201	18.2
IL	Illinois	2,104,175	138,483	15.2
IN	Indiana	1,046,661	62,258	16.8
IA	Iowa	491,842	35,842	13.7
KS	Kansas	470,057	34,700	13.5
KY	Kentucky	679,717	44,371	15.3
LA	Louisiana	690,915	49,646	13.9
ME	Maine	189,225	16,275	11.6
MD	Maryland	848,412	58,235	14.6
MA	Massachusetts	956,231	69,909	13.7
MI	Michigan	1,634,151	92,691	17.6
MS	Mississippi	484,467	33,103	14.6
MO	Missouri	917,982	67,796	13.5
MT	Montana	141,807	10,521	13.5
NV	Nevada	428,469	22,104	19.4
NH	New Hampshire	197,140	15,491	12.7
NJ	New Jersey	1,344,785	115,248	11.7
NM	New Mexico	334,419	22,724	14.7
NY	New York	2,650,201	214,804	12.3
NC	North Carolina	1,482,859	105,046	14.1
ND	North Dakota	95,073	8,366	11.4
OH	Ohio	1,764,297	111,378	15.8
OK	Oklahoma	653,118	42,678	15.3
OR	Oregon	582,839	28,751	20.3
PA	Pennsylvania	1,783,502	130,984	13.6
RI	Rhode Island	145,118	11,365	12.8
SC	South Carolina	723,143	46,980	15.4
SD	South Dakota	123,713	9,326	13.3
TN	Tennessee	972,549	65,361	14.9
UT	Utah	582,793	25,474	22.9
VT	Vermont	92,431	8,734	10.6
WA	Washington	1,035,347	53,448	19.4
WV	West Virginia	282,662	20,299	13.9
WI	Wisconsin	872,436	58,426	14.9
WY	Wyoming	88,155	7,166	12.3
	Totals	41,805,062	2,722,470	15.4

Notes on Table 6:

1.  The Pioneer Institute report Appendix includes a table on student enrollment in each state.  The information was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); figures are for the 2009 - 2010 School Year. 

2.  The figures in Table 6 were taken from the Pioneer Appendix.  The Appendix lists the Student enrollment for each grade and the total for all grades.  The Appendix table also shows the number of teachers and the students-per-teacher ratio for each state.

Table 7-- Students and Teachers  (Non-CCS States)

To date, 45 states plus the District of Columbia have officially committed to follow the CCSI.  The following states have not committed to the CCSI: Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia.

State Abr.	State	Student Enrollment	Teachers	Students per Teacher
AK	Alaska	131,661	8,083	16.3
MN	Minnesota	837,053	52,839	15.8
NE	Nebraska	295,368	22,256	13.3
TX	Texas	4,850,210	333,164	14.6
VA	Virginia	1,245,340	70,827	17.6
	Totals	7,359,632	487,169	15.1

Table 8 -- Competitive Stimulus Awards

(States Ranked by Total Grants Awarded, Per Student)

Table 8 emphasizes the Grant per Student.  Please notice how few dollars the states actually received per student; yet to receive the money, states completely aligned their education policies in accordance with the U. S. Department of Education's requirements.  In other words, for a pittance per student, states gave up control of their schools and put that control into the hands of the federal government.

Rank No.	State	Total Grants Awarded	Student Enrollment	Grant Per Student
1.	District of Colum.	$105,253,403	68,681	$1,533
2.	Delaware	$119,122,128	125,430	$950
3.	Tennessee	$518,492,264	971,950	$533
4.	Rhode Island	$75,000,000	145,342	$516
5.	Hawaii	$74,934,761	179,478	$418
6.	Maryland	$334,284,329	843,781	$396
7.	Florida	$905,838,204	2,631,020	$344
8.	Massachusetts	$310,588,393	958,910	$324
9.	New York	$845,659,232	2,740,805	$309
10.	North Carolina	$427,081,423	1,488,645	$287
11.	Ohio	$468,320,080	1,817,163	$258
12.	Georgia	$404,690,965	1,655,792	$244
13.	South Dakota	$19,683,676	126,624	$155
14.	Colorado	$73,778,692	818,443	$90
15.	Virginia	$81,070,962	1,235,795	$66
16.	Utah	$24,900,456	559,778	$44
17.	Louisiana	$30,072,268	684,873	$44
18.	Maine	$7,315,000	192,563	$38
19.	Oregon	$19,936,755	563,295	$35
20.	Pennsylvania	$58,840,473	1,769,789	$33
21.	Washington	$34,329,658	1,037,018	$33
22.	New Mexico	$10,727,264	330,245	$32
23.	Illinois	$65,609,983	2,119,707	$31
24.	South Carolina	$22,121,832	718,113	$31
25.	Missouri	$26,530,835	917,871	$29
26.	Oklahoma	$15,465,616	645,108	$24
27.	Kansas	$11,180,442	471,060	$24
28.	Arizona	$25,262,809	1,087,631	$23
29.	Minnesota	$17,411,488	836,048	$21
30.	Wisconsin	$17,952,005	873,750	$21
31.	Arkansas	$9,832,689	478,965	$21
32.	Iowa	$9,035,380	487,559	$19
33.	California	$104,207,642	6,252,031	$17
34.	Mississippi	$7,569,716	491,962	$15
35.	Michigan	$22,730,464	1,659,921	$14
36.	Idaho	$3,699,882	275,154	$13
37.	Texas	$57,586,897	4,752,148	$12
38.	Connecticut	$4,473,481	567,198	$8
39.	Kentucky	$4,999,458	670,030	$7
40.	Alaska	$835,470	130,662	$6
41.	Montana	$520,443	141,899	$4
42.	Wyoming	$0	91,000	$0
43.	West Virginia	$0	282,000	$0
44.	Vermont	$0	89,000	$0
45.	North Dakota	$0	93,000	$0
46.	New Jersey	$0	1,373,000	$0
47.	New Hampshire	$0	190,000	$0
48.	Nevada	$0	458,000	$0
49.	Nebraska	$0	298,000	$0
50.	Indiana	$0	1,044,000	$0
51.	Alabama	$0	741,000	$0

Sources for this report:  Education Week, "Competitive Stimulus Grants: Winners and Losers," September 21, 2012; and U.S. Department of Education.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/infographics/stimulus_competitive.html

Table taken from "Do Not Let the DOE Nationalize the Schools in Your State," by Henry W. Burke and Donna Garner, 9.23.12.

http://educationviews.org/do-not-let-the-doe-nationalize-the-schools-in-your-state-2/

============================

Bio for Henry W. Burke

Henry Burke is a Civil Engineer  with a B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E.  He has been a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) for 37 years and has worked as a Civil Engineer in construction for over 40 years. 

Mr. Burke had a successful 27-year career with a large construction contractor. 

Henry Burke serves as a full-time volunteer to oversee various construction projects. He has written numerous articles on education, engineering, construction, politics, taxes, and the economy.

Henry W. Burke

E-mail:  hwburke@cox.net

 _____________________________________

Food for thought for those who do not wish to vote:

An elderly German man who lived through the Holocaust tells the following story:

I always considered myself a Christian. I attended a church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews; but like most people in America today, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it?

A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we heard cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews.

Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more.

Years have passed, and no one talks about it much any more; but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.

Link to speech by Ronald Reagan in Bergen-Belsen about one of these youths cut down by the tyranny:

 http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3412

Ronald Reagan quotes these words from Anne Frank:

Just 3 weeks before her capture, young Anne wrote these words: "It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them because in spite of everything I still believe that people are good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness. I hear the ever approaching thunder which will destroy us too; I can feel the suffering of millions and yet, if I looked up into the heavens I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end and that peace and tranquility will return again."

Obama Policies Shows A Record of Destruction From Life All The Way to Economy, From The Physical All The Way To The Spiritual--Vision of His Promised Rosy Future Is In A Decadent Past--as the Record Speaks

This is an excerpt from Nevada Life:

Leo Alexander, who was consultant to the Secretary of War and on duty with the office of Chief Counselor for War Crimes in Nuremberg, says that what happened in Nazi Germany "all started with the acceptance of the attitude that there is such a thing as life not worthy to be lived."

An elderly German man who lived through the Holocaust tells the following story:

I always considered myself a Christian. I attended a church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews; but like most people in America today, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it?

A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we heard cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews.

Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more.

Years have passed, and no one talks about it much any more; but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.

Hopefully we are shedding our apathy in this nation--so much so that this issue has held up the health care reform that was being pushed down our throats.  But there is so much more to be done.  So I call out to you for help for the little ones whose cries can't be heard as they move inside their mother's womb from those that makes sure they are never heard.  Please pray for strength for this nation and each of us individually to do our part.

If you are a mother who made the mistake and want to help turn the tide--please go to Operation Outcry where you can with full confidentiality sign an affidavit (initials-if you wish) as the Supreme Court has acknowledged the harm done by abortion but they need a much larger number of testimonies--your help is very much needed.

Number of abortions per year--Worldwide: Approximately 42 Million 
                                                           USA:              1.37 Million (1996)

Obama's first act opened door to abortion on demand to be sponsored the world over by US and this death and destruction policy has set the course for this nation.  For every action there is an equal re-action and I wonder if heaven did not groan at his lack of care for the life of a child.  Four years later his first move of destruction has been repeated towards the US economy as his protection of environment has stifled jobs and raised unemployment and chaos in family finances as well as family relationships.  His plans to help the poor with Obamacare has backfired as more people are unable to get care due to lack of doctors.  His plans to educate students and make them college and career ready with his passage of common core standards (national standards) has so far produced more deficits in state coffers to the point that states are robbing their own trust funds such as in Alabama.  He has protected his contributors and championed their causes such that Planned Parenthood, Green Energy Companies are welcome guests at the White House along with the Moslem Brotherhood.   Throughout the nation crime, theft and depravity has increased---will America say enough is enough?  We will find out very soon..

Independents and Santorum Have in Common-Distrust of Obamacare

What do many independents and Santorum have in common?  Ironically the issue at the heart of Santorum--Obamacare.  He more than any candidate knows the reality of Obamacare will affect his family and in particular children like his little Bella.  God is gracious to let America see itself in the mirror. Santorum talked about euthanasia and what it has done in Europe.   Also a friend Luca who lives in that Socialism has this to say:

"Socialism always end in genocide. You have the silent massacre of unborn humans, that costed hundreds of millions of lives. Now you have the genocide of "not useful" people, old and sick, that would "burden" the Leviathan, the unholy, all knowing and all powerful government. Not surprised one bit. Theirs is a religion of hate, of death, of despair. There can be no peace with that kind of persons. Ours is not a time for shades of grey."

Indeed, these are the times when the stark contrast of what Obamacare pretends to offer you (government help) with what this article re: euthanasia in the Netherlands shows you.

In it is a quote "Schadenberg said the Netherlands does not collect information on how many people with disabilities die by euthanasia, nor was information provided in the government report on how many infants born with disabilities are euthanized based on the request of the parents and the agreement of the physician." Santorum was criticized about his euthanasia remarks but with Obamacare--the death panel will have various tools as apparently the Netherlands does.  So rise up America and get rid of Obamacare and with the right candidate that will make sure it protects you and his family.

The end of the article says:

"The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is wondering how many people with disabilities are coerced into death by euthanasia based on a false concept that living with a disability is a life of suffering,"..

Here is a link that lists people with disabilities--you decide is Obamacare worth keeping at the expense of others--that's what Socialism will do and the most ironic thing is like it or not--you will be paying for it.

Pray and act!

Schedule of Guests for Sept 2011 City On A Hill

Please remember show airs M-F at 1:30 pm ct (player is on home page of www.cityonahill.tv) and programs are recorded and available on player on home page (within 10 min after) and day later on podsite.

Sept 1- Hear an interview with Mr. Larry Sand of CTEN(California Teachers Empowerment Network) regarding how times have changed and what teachers are facing today.

Sept 2- Hear interview with Dawn Wildman and her Tea Party perspectives.  Why are the people that are wanting to move this nation back to the Constitution being called the villains? The ususal tool of the enemy is lies upon lies.

Sept 5- Hear re-airing of an earlier interview with Dawn Wildman, Sandra Stotsky and Jim Milgram about the common core standards which will lead to the end of parental rights over their children's education.  Putting Washington in charge of national standards is a dangerous thing--be warned and share.

Sept 6- Hear city on a hill perspectives on the state of our nation today.

Sept 7- Hear perspectives from one Kaylon Jones who sees the value of hard work and is issuing a cry for a new look at the bondage-- that welfare truly can become.

Sept 8- Hear historical perspectives from our two history teachers and learn in detail why Social Security is being called by Rick Perry as a Ponzi scheme.

Sept 9- Hear perspectives from Luca Bocci of Tea Party Italia on how socialism is crippling his nation and many others.

Sept 12- Hear perspectives from Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt(prayinjesusname.org) and our friend in Israel, Luden, about 9/11 and what is going on in the middle-east specially in Israel.

Sept 13- Hear perspectives from USMC SGT. (ret) John Bernard about 9/11 and the war on terror.  We are so grateful for his sacrifice and those of others such as his son Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard.  God has indeed blessed America.

Sept 14- Hear perspectives from Dan Fraley our teacher of Hebraic Roots as he talks about those living in the middle east.

Sept 15- Hear perspectives from Don Simmons, author of The Unborn Series as we remind America of the price of lack of knowledge--it has meant the death of innocents.  Please get informed and help the most beautiful of God's creation--innocent tiny human beings--receive what we have---"life"...

Sept 16- Hear perspectives from this nation's foremost expert on healthcare--Grace Marie Turner(Galen.org) and one of this nation's staunch defender of freedom--Dawn Wildman(California Tea Party). joined by Ala State Rep Michael Ball and Elois Zeanah, Pres of AFRW.

Sept 19- Hear perspectives from parents trying to raise godly children and hear one of these precious children sing about the God of love and from whom all our blessings flow--specially the childrlen.

Sept 20- Hear perspectives from Lou Campomenosi of Campaign on Common Sense and get excited about what is happening in the state that has ended 134 years of bondage.

Sept 21 - Hear perspectives Dr. Daniel Shayesteh (escapefromdarkness.org) and Pastor Tom Anderson and get inspired as you hear about the power that can overcome the darkness and lead all of us into light.  There is no one beyond the reach of Christ--as Dr. Shayesteh proves (I consider him Iran's modern day Paul--he helped oust the Shah of Iran).  Let us not forget to pray for those in darkness.  He will share with us how God used King Cyrus and King Darius.

Sept 22 Hear perspectives from Patriot Pastor Lear who helped turn his state of New Hampshire into a red state amidst the blue. 

Sept 23- Hear perspectives from Col. John Eidsmoe (Foundation for Moral Law), USMC Sgt (ret) John Bernard and Vickie Behenna (defendmichael.com) on what is going on in today's military and how we can help our defenders best.  Be sure to share as today's highly questionable strategy and rules of engagement must be studied by Congress--and that depends on you.  We will be studying an amendment recently passed HR 318.

Sept 26- Hear perspectives from Donna Garner a Texas Conservative Education Activist.  She is one of the leaders in the charge of exposing the truth about the behind the scenes manipulation of our children's minds through education.  A must hear for parents.

Sept 27- Hear perspectives from Ben Dupre (Foundation for Moral Law) on the latest in the culture wars.

Sept 28- TBA

Sept 29- TBA

Sept 30- Hear perspectives from Peyton Wolcott (peytonwolcott.com) and Dawn Wildman (California Tea Party and National Board Member of Tea Party Patriots) about what's going on in Congress.  These two are specialists in following the money trail.  Get informed.

Where Is The Hope For Italy's Economy? Tea Party Italia

Today we had an interview with someone who loves Italy and is very concerned for where his nation is headed.  His desire is to share truths that will  bring Italy back from the pit of destruction.  He believes it will require a getting back to basics.  He is very well founded and reminds me of one Alexander de Tocqueville of a long time ago.  He too wanted better for his country and he too saw the answer.  We saw the road taken by France and today so much at stake in Italy and the rest of Europe.  Will a brave band of brothers (and sisters) who have pledged to do their best to serve their nation at her hour of need--(Tea Party Italia) will their wisdom be heeded?

Just as Alexander de Tocqueville saw the key to America's greatness--so does our new found friend.  But in a world so complex, so modern, so technological  and with access to instant information can simple truths even be accepted?  Just like here in America, we are seeing the pitfalls of socialism.  Our own economy doesn't know where to go.  There is so much manipulation by leaders who have given cronyism more stature than patriotism and true public servants have become rare. 

Our guest shares how hard working Italians are being manipulated so well that they don't even know that in truth their income is diminished by about 70 per cent.  They have also failed to realize that the security that was set up for workers to keep jobs have stifled the tools for free market to the point their economy is dying under the weight of so much security for the future of the masses.  In reality it is what's going to end their future of a sovereign Italy as there is a call to give it up for the sake of a better future.  Our guests sends out a call himself for those with Italian heritage to come to their aid.  Listen to the interview and know his love for Italy and he hopes you will care about his Italy too.  Please visit their website teapartyitalia.it

May those who came here from that amazing country hear the call and answer.  Please don't forget to pray as it matters a lot--just remember George Washington and  his prayers--it made all lthe difference.

* *Please notice on top right is a google translator to help translate this in other languages such as Italian.

Disasters Looming Ahead As The Enemy Is Within--The Dangers of Common Core Standards, Islam and Their Charter Schools and Politicians Who Only Want To Buy Your Votes --All These With Taxpayer Money In Spite of America's Looming Bankruptcy

THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER YOU DID NOT KNOW!!!

Hear interviews about a humongous hurricane of various winding plans which unfortunately steals what used to be a sea of money (now almost dry) desperately needed by the citizenry for various agendas which ultimately will lead to weakening the foundation of America and could possibly destroy it.  Hurricane Irene painted a picture of what weakening the foundation by drops of rain that turns into torrents will do.  It will destroy everything in its path and no one is safe as citizens in Vermont can tell you. Unlike hurricane Irene--you can do something about them--share this and listen daily for more (1:30 PM CENTRAL)

Example in The Path They Have Implemented To Take Away Parental Input or Common Core (National) Standards:

Common Core Standards or what some say as the nationalizing of education is an attack on the constitutional right of parents to oversee their childrens education. 

Wall Street Journal article Nov 23, 2008-- See Mr. Lou Gerstner suggestion to the president elect Obama:

..."I’m going to suggest is that he convene the 50 governors, and the first thing they do is they abolish the 16,000 school districts we have in the United States. Sixteen thousand school districts are what we’re trying to cram this reform through...

Now, the governors could decide, we’ll keep them as advisory, we can keep them as community support, but they will not be involved in the fundamental direction of public education in America. Second, this group of governors will then select 50 school districts, plus I’d say 20 major cities, so we got 70 school districts. Seventy instead of 16,000.

 

They will within one year develop a national set of standards for math, science, reading and social studies. Twelve months after that they will develop a national testing regime, so that there’ll be one day in America where every third, sixth, ninth and twelfth grader will take a national test against a national curriculum."

Add this administrations mindset:

Obama's Sec. of  Ed Arne Duncan's speech at  2009 Governors Education Symposium  June 14, 2009 Cary, North Carolina

 "But if all we do is save jobs, we will miss this opportunity – which is why we are also using this recovery money to drive reform"

"There has never been this much money on the table and there may never be again"

"Once new standards are set and adopted you need to create new tests that measure whether students are meeting those standards. Tonight -- I am announcing that the Obama administration will help pay for the costs of developing those tests."*

Plans for younger children

Link to what Alabama is trying to do with common core standards--an example for some states

 (Parents--please be sure to visit this site for resource:  Truth In American Education.com

Link to Islam and Charter Schools(over 30 already in Texas)

Link To Obamacare that destroys Medicare for the elderly so votes can be bought with your money?

Link to COIN Strategy and ROE--why fight with a strategy set up by the enemy--listen to stories of what happens to America's best.

(Listen in at 1:30 pm central time M-F and share the podcasts--www.cityonahill.tv)

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was and never will be.  Jefferson