We have several calls to action and items to update so please read the entire post. Thanks!
Despite the persistent rhetoric of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, ESSA did NOT do away with Common Core.
DeVos and education reformers are working overtime to move away from any discussion Common Core. DeVos is still going strong with her lie that ESSA does away with Common Core.This is news to us and many others who are fighting to get Common Core repealed and replaced in Michigan with HB 4192. Why Republicans in this state who ran on a platform against Common Core refuse to call out DeVos and take a stand for students is a demonstration of just how much power she still wields in Michigan. “Don’t cross DeVos” is their battle cry for re-election. Trump ran on the idea that he would repeal Common Core. If ESSA, which passed in 2015, did away with Common Core then his campaign pledge would be ridiculous but that was one of his biggest applause lines at rallies. Her appointment to Sec. of Education continues to be a major disappointment.Karen Braun was privileged to go on WJR with Frank Beckmann and refute her claims. You can listen to the broadcast here
HB 4192 to Repeal and Replace Common Core, science, social studies and assessments with pre-Common Core Massachusetts
After two hearings, it appears that HB 4192 has stalled in the Michigan Competitiveness Committee chaired by Rep. Lee Chatfield. We are told Rep. Vaupel is on the fence about the bill. We are encouraging all parents, especially those in District 47 (Howell/Fowlerville), to call and tell him to vote YES on HB 4192.Rep. Hank Vaupel (517) 373-8835
STEM endorsement redux in SB 343 and SB 344.
After defeating the STEM credential endorsement in 2015, the Senate has reintroduced the bills. The STEM bill SB 343 and 344 will be discussed in the Senate Education Committee tomorrow May 16. These are bills necessary to provide education based on the “workforce” needs not the dreams of the child. SB 343 requires schools to give students “career outlook” information provided by the Bureau of Labor. SB 344 provides for the a STEM endorsement from the MDE Both measures strip parents and local districts of their authority to determine what should be taught and weaken their authority over graduation requirements.Call the office of
Senator John Proos (517) 373-6960
Senator Patrick Colbeck (517) 373-7350
And tell them you OPPOSE credentialing students for career pathways chosen as early as MIDDLE SCHOOL. Parents your children are being treated as a commodity and it is being pushed by CONSERVATIVE lawmakers. Tell them NO to SB 343 and 344.
The Race for Governor 2018
The candidates for Governor in 2018 will begin announcing soon. On the Republican side there are rumors Attorney General Bill Shuette, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, and Senator Patrick Colbeck are all interested in the job. All three of them are a disappointment to us when it comes to their position on education reform.With Secretary of Education DeVos as an influential player in Michigan politics it will be interesting to see if any Republican candidate will cross DeVos. A good start would be to publicly challenge DeVos’s recent statements that Common Core is no more .Devos and Trump support the idea of federal dollars “following the child” to private and non-profit schools. With federal dollars comes federal control. If you thought federal coercion of states was fierce to adopt Common Core just imagine the coercive control they can wield upon individual students. We plan to watch the campaign rhetoric closely. Those that say they are against Common Core but support “school choice” and/or vouchers either are willfully misleading or do not understand the issue well enough to be the Governor of Michigan.
We plan to use the primary to continue to educate the candidates and voters to the serious concerns with P-20 competency based education presented to us as so called “school choice” or vouchers. Money and data are driving education reforms. Governor Snyder is a huge proponent of the P20 competency based system. None of the current Republican candidates have deviated to any great degree from his proposals.
On the Democrat side we are still researching. It is our hope that Democrats will push the issue of school choice and vouchers to the forefront. It is also our hope that they will understand that public sentiment is against Common Core and speak out strongly against it not just with words but with actions and help rally parents to help repeal and replace Common Core through HB 4192. Repealing the Common Core is the best way to allow teachers to continue to teach and students to continue to learn free from the meddling of Lansing or Washington, D.C.
Please make the calls and share this post.
Thanks for standing with us and taking action to retain educational freedom here in Michigan!