For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Contact: John Rhoad, jlrhoad@yahoo.com
Fayette County Republican Central Committee Opposes Common Core
At a recent meeting, The Fayette County Republican Central Committee unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the use of Common Core State Standards in the education of K – 12 students. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of academic standards, promoted and supported by two private membership organizations, the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) as a method of conforming American students to uniform (“one size fits all”) achievement goals. The NGA and CCSSO also own the copyright to CCSS.
John Rhoad, who introduced the resolution, said “Our action is not intended to be a criticism of teachers, school boards, or administrators. We believe they are doing the best that they can under the current circumstances. We also believe that schools need to continue to improve, but Common Core is not the way forward.”
Fayette County joins six other Ohio Central Committees in adopting the Republican National Committee resolution opposing Common Core. Four states (Texas, Virginia, Nebraska and Alaska) never adopted Common Core. And five other states (Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Louisiana) are in various stages of rejecting it.
Jim Ward, Central Committee Chairman, said “I believe that citizens need to express their opinions to our elected officials. In this case we believe Common Core is an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children. We need to regain local control of our schools.”
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently sued the federal government over federal intrusion into state education policy. His suit claims the federal grant program tied to Common Core “effectively forces the states down a path toward a national curriculum.” And Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Chair of the National Governor’s Association, signed the strongest repeal bill in the country after it was passed overwhelmingly in that state’s House and Senate.
Ohio now has a smart exit strategy from the Common Core standards. HB 597 was recently introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives by Andrew Thompson, R – Marietta and Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Huffman, R – Lima. After extensive hearings in Rules Committee in August, the bill is moving toward a committee vote. The bill includes requiring the use of phonics and development of special programs for children with disabilities as well as gifted children.
HB 597 proposes replacing Common Core by the adoption of Massachusetts standards as an interim step for two years – a great framework that Ohioans will need to adapt to make it their own starting with the third year. The Massachusetts standards produced the highest test scores in the nation.
http://www.gop.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/Resolution_Concerning_Common_Core_Education_Standards.pdf
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