Education System

Amending the State Constitution: Vote NO in November!

By: Angela Bean, Fayetteville, Georgia

SchoolBoards_Councils

When voting, my number one rule is to always vote NO to any question on the ballot asking to amend our Georgia IF the question is new to me and I don’t understand the issue.    The reason to vote NO is simple: repealing a bad amendment to the state constitution is much more difficult than repealing bad law.    Take the 16th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution as an example.

In November, voters will be asked to amend our constitution to “allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance.”  This is about Governor Deal’s program called “Opportunity School Districts” to rescue failing schools.

Due to the secular curriculum teaching anti-American and anti-Christian values (teaching created by the federal Supreme Court in 1962 when they told us we couldn’t pray in public schools) most conservatives support publicly funded “school choice.”  This taxpayer funded “choice” was created 20 years ago by the federal government in the form of charter schools.     At one time these parent/community controlled charters were the answer for many children.  But in the last few years the federal government has co-opted charters which are mandated to follow the same federal standards.  Unfortunately most haven’t caught onto this fact yet.

In 2015 the Georgia General Assembly passed SB133 laying out the Opportunity School District (OSD) program.    SR287 was passed to allow for a constitutional amendment to be placed on our November ballot because this program is currently UNCONSTITUTIONAL and only “we the people” can change our constitution via a vote to allow it.

Like most amendments to our constitution that government wants to implement in order to give them more control, the ballot language of this amendment is deceptive.

Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended
to allow the state to intervene in chronically
failing public schools in order to improve student performance?
( ) YES
( ) NO

This amendment isn’t about helping students achieve.  This amendment is about a shift in our form of government with elected representation to appointed councils. If this passes in November our state will establish a NON-ELECTED council to oversee how our tax dollars are spent on state/federal run charter schools.   A state created criteria to determine if a school is failing will be used and “qualifying schools” will be “transferred” from under local control to control by this council.   The state can “take over” up to 20 schools a year from the locally ELECTED school boards and place them under NON-ELECTED school councils and a new OSD state school superintendent that will also be appointed by the executive branch.

Currently our U.S. Constitution guarantees us a of government which is one that allows the people to elect representatives, who are accountable to the people, to make decisions on how our tax dollars are spent.   With our elected school boards, “we the people” have access to all board meetings and votes and can request to see the records of how our school board is spending our tax dollars at any time under the “Freedom of Information Act.”   We also have access to review all curriculum to include textbooks, online programs, videos, etc. that are taught in our schools.

Opportunity School Districts will go against this republican form of government with accountability to the people.    And, worse, according to legislation that has already been passed, these schools can be turned over to PRIVATE companies called EDUCATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS (EMO) to manage the tax dollars that the state will be giving the schools for each student enrolled.  (Local tax dollars from property taxes will not be used, our state tax dollars will make up the difference.) The EMO of each school can appoint a board of advisors for the school and, according to HB797 passed in 2012 which governs how charter schools can be run, none of the advisors need be a parent.      Are you getting the picture yet?    Does it make you uncomfortable to have the state and federal governments assume full control of a school, and our children, and give the tax funds (over $7000 per student) to their cronies to manage?

Barak Obama has supported the federal funding of state run charter schools.   Isn’t this enough to raise alarm bells as to the real agenda for our children being removed from local control into state/federal run charters?   NOTE: according to HB 797 these public charters MUST comply with the same Common Core standards and student testing system that the traditional public schools are under.    What these state/federal charter students are taught without community oversight should concern us.

If that isn’t enough to make you concerned about this shift from parent controlled charter schools to state and federal controlled charters, please read this article about the Gülen Movement, a mysterious Islamic group operating over 100 charter schools in the U.S., with over $500 million tax dollars, including two charters in Fulton County, Ga.

Vote NO on this one and let’s work towards finding a better solution to our education problem.


Angela Bean is a an active citizen watchdog of government at the federal, state, and local levels.  Angela has a proven track record of working for good government as an activist traveling the state promoting federal reforms such as the FairTax, and pushing back against the federal overreach of the Affordable Care Act and Common Core state standards in Georgia.  Angela is a dedicated constitutionalist who works with other like-minded organizations including The Eagle Forum, The Madison Forum, and The Restore & Preserve the Constitution coalition.

Building the Machine: A Movie about the Common Core


 

The Film

Building the Machine introduces the public to the Common Core States Standards Initiative (CCSSI) and its effects on our children’s education. The documentary compiles interviews from leading educational experts, including members of the Common Core Validation Committee. Parents, officials, and the American public should be involved in this national decision regardless of their political persuasion.

What is the common core?

The Common Core is the largest systemic reform of American public education in recent history. What started as a collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to reevaluate and nationalize America’s education standards has become one of the most controversial—and yet, unheard of—issues in the American public. In 2010, 45 states adopted the Common Core, but according to a May 2013 Gallup Poll, 62% of Americans said they had never heard of the Common Core. Prominent groups and public figures have broken traditional party lines over the issue, leaving many wondering where they should stand.

Find out more about the Common Core: www.hslda.org/commoncore – See more at: http://commoncoremovie.com/about#sthash.2RmLW5VV.dpuf

Children for Sale

by Alyson Williams

No more decisions behind closed doors! Let’s get everyone talking about Common Core.

In the spring of 2011 I received a receipt for the sale of my children. It came in the form of a flyer that simply notified me that my state and thereby my children’s school would comply with the Common Core. No other details of the transaction were included. The transaction was complete, and I had no say. In fact, it was the very first time I’d heard about it.

I know what you’re thinking. That’s outrageous! Common Core has nothing to do with selling things, especially not children!

Okay, so the idea that the State School Board and Governor who’d made this decision could be described as “selling” my children is hyperbole. It is an exaggeration intended to convey an emotion regarding who, in this land of the free, has ultimate authority over decisions that directly affect my children’s intellectual development, privacy, and future opportunities. It is not even an accurate representation of my initial reaction to the flyer. I say it to make a point that I didn’t realize until much, much later… this isn’t just an issue of education, but of money and control. Please allow me to explain.

That first day my husband picked up the flyer and asked me, “What is Common Core?” To be honest, I had no idea. We looked it up online. We read that they were standards for each grade that would be consistent across a number of states. They were described as higher standards, internationally benchmarked, state-led, and inclusive of parent and teacher in-put. It didn’t sound like a bad thing, but why hadn’t we ever heard about it before? Again, did I miss the parent in-put meeting or questionnaire… the vote in our legislature? Who from my state had helped to write the standards? In consideration of the decades of disagreement on education trends that I’ve observed regarding education, how in the world did that many states settle all their differences enough to agree on the same standards? It must have taken years, right? How could I have missed it?

At first it was really difficult to get answers to all my questions. I started by asking the people who were in charge of implementing the standards at the school district office, and later talked with my representative on the local school board. I made phone calls and I went to public meetings. We talked a lot about the standards themselves. No one seemed to know the answers to, or wanted to talk about my questions about how the decision was made, the cost, or how it influenced my ability as a parent to advocate for my children regarding curriculum. I even had the chance to ask the Governor himself at a couple of local political meetings. I was always given a similar response. It usually went something like this:

Question: “How much will this cost?”
Answer: “These are really good standards.”

Question: “I read that the Algebra that was offered in 8th grade, will now not be offered until 9th grade. How is this a higher standard?”
Answer: “These are better standards. They go deeper into concepts.”

Question: “Was there a public meeting that I missed?”
Answer: “You should really read the standards. This is a good thing.”

Question: “Isn’t it against the Constitution and the law of the land to have a national curriculum under the control of the federal government?’
Answer: “Don’t you want your kids to have the best curriculum?”

It got to the point where I felt like I was talking to Jedi masters who, instead of actually answering my questions, would wave their hand in my face and say, “You will like these standards.”

I stopped asking. I started reading.

I read the standards. I read about who wrote the standards. I read about the timeline of how we adopted the standards (before the standards were written.) I read my state’s Race to the Top grant application, in which we said we were going to adopt the standards. I read the rejection of that grant application and why we wouldn’t be given additional funding to pay for this commitment. I read how standardized national test scores are measured and how states are ranked. I read news articles, blogs, technical documents, legislation, speeches given by the US Education Secretary and other principle players, and even a few international resolutions regarding education.

I learned a lot.

I learned that most other parents didn’t know what the Common Core was either.

I learned that the standards were state accepted, but definitely not “state led.”

I learned that the international benchmark claim is a pretty shaky one and doesn’t mean they are better than or even equal to international standards that are considered high.

I learned that there was NO public input before the standards were adopted. State-level decision makers had very little time themselves and had to agree to them in principle as the actual standards were not yet complete.

I learned that the only content experts on the panel to review the standards had refused to sign off on them, and why they thought the standards were flawed.

I learned that much of the specific standards are not supported by research but are considered experimental.

I learned that in addition to national standards we agreed to new national tests that are funded and controlled by the federal government.

I learned that in my state, a portion of teacher pay is dependent on student test performance.

I learned that not only test scores, but additional personal information about my children and our family would be tracked in a state-wide data collection project for the express purpose of making decisions about their educational path and “aligning” them with the workforce.

I learned that there are fields for tracking home-schooled children in this database too.

I learned that the first step toward getting pre-school age children into this data project is currently underway with new legislation that would start a new state preschool program.

I learned that this data project was federally funded with a stipulation that it be compatible with other state’s data projects. Wouldn’t this feature create a de facto national database of children?

I learned that my parental rights to deny the collection of this data or restrict who has access to it have been changed at the federal level through executive regulation, not the legislative process.

I learned that these rights as protected under state law are currently under review and could also be changed.

I learned that the financing, writing, evaluation, and promotion of the standards had all been done by non-governmental special interest groups with a common agenda.

I learned that their agenda was in direct conflict with what I consider to be the best interests of my children, my family, and even my country.

Yes, I had concerns about the standards themselves, but suddenly that issue seemed small in comparison to the legal, financial, constitutional and representative issues hiding behind the standards and any good intentions to improve the educational experience of my children.

If it was really about the best standards, why did we adopt them before they were even written?

If they are so wonderful that all, or even a majority of parents would jump for joy to have them implemented, why wasn’t there any forum for parental input?

What about the part where I said I felt my children had been sold? I learned that the U.S. market for education is one of the most lucrative – bigger than energy or technology by one account – especially in light of these new national standards that not only create economy of scale for education vendors, but require schools to purchase all new materials, tests and related technology. Almost everything the schools had was suddenly outdated.

When I discovered that the vendors with the biggest market share and in the position to profit the most from this new regulation had actually helped write or finance the standards, the mama bear inside me ROARED!

Could it be that the new standards had more to do with profit than what was best for students? Good thing for their shareholders they were able to avoid a messy process involving parents or their legislative representatives.

As I kept note of the vast sums of money exchanging hands in connection with these standards with none of it going to address the critical needs of my local school – I felt cheated.

When I was told that the end would justify the means, that it was for the common good of our children and our society, and to sit back and trust that they had my children’s best interests at heart – they lost my trust.

As I listened to the Governor and education policy makers on a state and national level speak about my children and their education in terms of tracking, alignment, workforce, and human capital – I was offended.

When I was told that this is a done deal, and there was nothing as a parent or citizen that I could do about it – I was motivated.

Finally, I learned one more very important thing. I am not the only one who feels this way.
Across the nation parents grandparents and other concerned citizens are educating themselves, sharing what they have learned and coming together. The problem is, it is not happening fast enough. Digging through all the evidence, as I have done, takes a lot of time – far more time than the most people are able to spend. In order to help, I summarized what I thought was some of the most important information into a flowchart so that others could see at a glance what I was talking about.

I am not asking you to take my word for it. I want people to check the references and question the sources. I am not asking for a vote or for money. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I do believe with all my heart that a decision that affects the children of almost every state in the country should not be made without a much broader discussion, validated research, and much greater input from parents and citizens than it was originally afforded.

If you agree I encourage you to share this information. Post it, pin it, email it, tweet it.

No more decisions behind closed doors! Let’s get everyone talking about Common Core.
_________________________________
Thanks to Alyson Williams for permission to publish her story.

http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/a-mother-speaks-out-children-for-sale-guest-post-by-alyson-williams/

Additional Resources:
Common Core Double-Down

Stop Common Core Curriculum


 
About the Stop the National Common Core Power Grab: Reclaim Local Control of Education DVD video.

The video:
•Explains the origin of the Common Core – its genesis with private, progressive education interests in Washington, DC – and how the federal government imposed it on the states by tying its adoption to a chance at Race to the Top grants.
•Demonstrates that by adopting the Common Core, a state relinquishes its control over what is taught in its schools and paves the way for a national curriculum designed by unaccountable entities in Washington.
•Explains that the standards not only lack “rigor,” but in fact will diminish the education our children receive in English language arts and mathematics.
•Outlines the problems with the national tests that are being designed – behind closed doors – to align with the Common Core.
•Shows why the costs of implementing the Common Core will dwarf any federal grants received as a reward for adopting the standards.
•Reveals the federal dictates to build massive student-data systems so that students can be individually tracked from preschool through career – all in the name of producing “workers” who can “compete in the global economy.”

Simply put, the Common Core is designed to replace local and parental control over education with centralized, top-down control. The purpose is to train students for jobs, not educate them to be full, thoughtful citizens in our democratic republic. If we do not take action now to prevent this destructive experiment on our children, it will be too late.

Charlotte Iserbyt: The Miseducation of America

 

Charlotte Thompson Iserbyt served as the head of policy at the Department of Education during the first administration of Ronald Reagan. While working there she discovered a long term strategic plan by the tax exempt foundations to transform America from a nation of rugged individualists and problem solvers to a country of servile, brainwashed minions who simply regurgitate whatever they’re told.

Download Charlotte Iserbyt’s book: Deliberate Dumbing Down of America.  Or, order a hardcopy here: http://deliberatedumbingdown.com/

Also, her son, has put together a site http://www.americandeception.com/ with hundreds of original documents exposing the deceptively hidden truths that have brought America, and the world as a whole, to the present situation, where individual freedom is becoming a thing of the past. Little of what has occurred throughout history has been by mistake, yet there is a wide belief amongst the majority of people that “bad things just happen for no reason at all”. Seen as more of a faulty and clumsy political dance, it is easier for many people to believe that most unfortunate happenings are a result of misjudgments or error.

 

UN Agenda 21, US Education Goal: Dumbing Down America

Tom DeWeese of the American Policy Center ( http://www.americanpolicy.org/ ) introduces Michael Chapman of Ed Watch ( http://www.edwatch.org / ) who gives a detailed account of the brain-washing happening throughout our nations school systems, the revision of history, and the programming of our children in group think, consensus building, and allowing students to define their own truths through “Constructivism”. Does 2 + 2 really equal 4? Ed Watch is shedding light on the cancerous educational curriculum birthed from the United Nations UNESCO being implemented in every school across America. From history revision to misrepresenting the US Constitution there is a purposeful dumbing down of our children under the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Initiative of UNESCO. From ‘Goals 2000’ to ‘No Child Left Behind’ our children are cleverly manipulated to reject God-given rights and American free market principles in favor of government-granted rights while living in the “global village”. Beware of terms such as School-To-Work, Competitive Economic Marketplace, Outcome Based Education, Workforce Investment, and Lifelong Learning. These programs were modeled after the Polytechnical System that came straight out of the old communist eastern block nations where children have their careers already picked out by the ruling elite. ESD aims to help facilitate business labor needs with a “less” knowledgeable workforce. Knowledge and truth are two powerful attributes they wish to bury. The subject matter is not hidden as it is available in the ESD curriculum. I will paraphrase…. “Less knowledge is more favorable for sustainability as more ‘highly’ educated people tend to use more resources”. This is all rooted in the United Nations Agenda 21/Sustainable Development program. It is a complex and far reaching agenda for global governance under the pretense of “saving mother earth” where the youth have to be conditioned for the trampling of the US Constitution. Where the wealthy are subject to lose property rights in the name of social justice or social equity. Here is a link to the UNESCO ESD page – http://www.unesco.org/en/esd/

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