Yesterday, the North Carolina House passed the conference committee version of SB 812. Within hours, Governor McCrory was out making a statement about how he’ll sign it but it doesn’t change anything. The NC Chamber of Commerce’s Gary Salamido had a similar message.  They both talk about this ‘backdoor’ to keep what they like and I’ve addressed this before but will revisit it after we take a look at what was said.

Here’s the relevant bits from the Daily Caller:

However, one option for the advisory committee would be to make very few changes or retain the status quo entirely. Under an original version of the bill considered in the state House, the commission would have been forbidden from selecting Common Core as an option, but following resistance in the Senate, the final compromise bill keeps the controversial standards in play.

This backdoor possibility for Common Core’s retention allowed McCrory, a defender of Common Core who has sharply criticized efforts to repeal it, to claim in a statement that his signature did nothing to undo his past support.

“I will sign this bill because it does not change any of North Carolina’s education standards,” McCrory said. “It does initiate a much-needed, comprehensive and thorough review of standards. No standards will change without the approval of the State Board of Education.”

Similarly, the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, which has consistently supported Common Core against its detractors, has also assented to the bill. The group’s vice president of government affairs Gary Salmaido told The Washington Post that he believed the bill did not undermine the standards.

“This is not a repeal of the Common Core State Standards,” he said. The commission, he believes, will almost certainly keep huge portions of the curriculum in place, and where they don’t, he said he thinks the new standards will be more rigorous.

1. Has no one read the Copyright and it’s terms of use and license agreement?
Apparently not. If they did, there are possibly two reasons, not mutually exclusive mind you, to make
statements like the above.  One, these two want to stoke the ire of the public who is already pretty unhappy with the both of them. Hardly a wise move given the elections coming up this Fall.  Two, they know the standards will have to be re-written but are so invested down the Common Core road they need a way to show some consistency and need save face a bit.
Governor McCrory maybe should be looking at why he’s in this position in the first place. Listening to the wrong people has consequences. Same goes for Mr. Salamido, you bought a bad bill of goods from someone.

2. The point is to replace Common Core with real high reaching standards that are also age and developmentally appropriate. That means a re-write because Common Core is not the answer and yes, I’ve read the standards. I’ve focused more on the K-3 as it impacts my own family. They are largely age and developmentally inappropriate and I’ve given pretty clear examples of that.

3. Mr. Salamido — yes, this is a repeal of Common Core.
It is being removed from our state statutes and likewise North Carolina will not be supporting the Common Core State Standards Initiative. That’s a repeal, sir.  Next time, try talking about students as children and not as workers.

If this commission is not made up of people who truly want our children to get a solid and strong education using a framework that is proven, tested and makes sense for the given grade levels we could be in trouble. If this commission is loaded with Common Core believers, that can happen.

There are 11 people to be on this commission and they have to turn their findings over to the State Board of Education, who then reports back to the legislature’s oversight committee.  Those appointing the commission and the final 11 people who are selected should know the public is watching.  Bottom line: Common Core is an unproven set of fundamentally flawed and experimental standards which are unwelcome and unwanted.  Moreover, the Common Core imposes a loss of our state’s sovereignty and control over its own educational system.

Make no mistake, those of us fighting this thing have not put down our swords. An attempt to rebrand is what we’re watching for. 

Recommended White Papers:

• Common Core Claims and Facts
• Road To A National Curriculum
• National Standards Don’t Make The Grade
• Cogs in the Machine
• Controlling Education From The Top
• National Cost of Aligning States and Localities to Common Core