REMINDER: Public Comment Deadline on APUSH is Feb. 28

Posted on February 26, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

Action ButtonJust a reminder, the deadline is approaching for sending public comments on the controversial new AP U.S. History framework:

U.S. History Curriculum Framework Public Comment Form

If you wish to propose evidence-based changes to the AP US History Curriculum Framework, please do so from October 1, 2014 through February 28, 2015. After that time, all collected feedback will be reviewed and considered by the AP U.S. History Course and Exam Development Committee. If you have any additional questions, please email apcourses@collegeboard.org.

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Rep. Foxx Is Dead Wrong on H.R. 5 (Update: So Is The Blaze)

Posted on February 26, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

Yesterday, while a Twitter rally to #StopHR5 took place, an op-ed by Rep. Virginia Foxx showed up at Breitbart about H.R. 5 “The Student Success Act”.

Her op-ed contains all the same talking points as other co-sponsors of this bill and she’s facing criticism for it on her Facebook page.

Many of the claims Rep. Foxx has made about the bill appear to be false and the main premise of the article was that the bill reduces the ‘federal footprint’ and  that “The Student Success Act gets Washington out of the business of running schools.”

No, it doesn’t.  In fact, it does the opposite.  This bill does not ‘reduce Washington’s federal footprint’, it turns Washington into Bigfoot.

This bill is a trap, as Steve MacDonald at Watchdog Arena notes:

HR5 is being sold as legislation that will “support State and local accountability for public education, protect State and local authority, inform parents of the performance of their children’s schools, and for other purposes.”  But if this bill becomes law and your state legislature accepts the money, state and local authority are sacrificed to the diktats of the Department of Education.

Much of the power grabs in this bill hinge on the states accepting the federal money.

The only way for states to opt out of federal mandates is if the states are willing to forego all federal NCLB funding.

This over 600 page bill acts as a reauthorization of the failed No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but on steroids. This bill reauthorizes NCLB until 2021.

One of the bigger claims proponents are making is that it ends Common Core. As you may have guessed, that’s false. HR 5 prevents future federal government intrusion like Common Core.

Heritage Action Sentinel has broken down some of the claims being made versus the reality of what is in the bill, many of which are claims Rep. Foxx makes in the article.

Rep. Foxx is just dead wrong on this one.

For those wishing to reach out to Rep. Foxx and other North Carolina Representatives, their contact information can be found at GovTrack.

One final note, a resolution related to 529 accounts was added to HR 5 yesterday. See: H.Res. 121: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 529) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve 529 plans

UPDATE: The Blaze has the story wrong – HR5 needs to GO. I’ve tweeted to them and to Mr. Beck. Let’s hope they get it fixed.

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Common Core Supporters Come Full Circle on ‘Politicizing’ Talking Point

Posted on February 25, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

And the common core supporters have come full circle​ with their “politicizing” talking point.

“People are receiving bad information,” said Blair Mann, a spokeswoman for the Collaborative for Student Success, a pro-Common Core group that is funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which donated hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the new standards. “There are a million different Web sites that you can go to that have the ‘truth’ about the Common Core that are just perpetuating these myths.”

– Washington Post, Poll: Widespread misperceptions about the Common Core standards​

Who were these people that were polled? Clearly not those engaged daily in the fight.

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core | 1 Comment

Sen. Tillman Was For Vouchers Before He Was Against Them?

Posted on February 24, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

Senator Tillman today, 2015 : “I’ve never been for school vouchers.” (Policy Watch)

“They [private schools] are not regulated and we don’t know what they teach there, do we? Do you know?” said Tillman at the conclusion of Tuesday’s joint education appropriations meeting. A proponent of “school choice,” Tillman said he prefers the charter school model over private school vouchers.

“And do you know who’s the biggest recipient of school vouchers? A Muslim school,” said Tillman. “The Muslim schools are leading the pack. I’m not in favor of that.”

Let’s take a walk back in time, shall we?

As you read, ask yourself: Does Senator Tillman believe in all school choice or just the choice of schools he deems worthy?

June 2014 on Opportunity Scholarships (vouchers):

Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph, the Senate’s chief education budget writer, said he also wants to find room in the final spending plan to cover the program’s extra seats.

“I feel obligated to try to work towards that,” Tillman said. “I don’t know where it’s going to come from yet, but I’m pledging to do what I can to help with that.”

Opposes vouchers, yet that same year ( June 2014) Tillman wanted Public Charter application rules eased:

“I want to be frank with you – we have a very newly established charter advisory board,” Tillman, R-Randolph, told the committee in explaining Senate Bill 793, which would ease the application rules. “The process was flawed, and many mistakes have been made in that process.”

October 2014:

Though he is right on some issues (for instance, he opposes school vouchers and expresses open dissatisfaction with DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos), we think he is wrong on other key ones.

September 2013:

“People say it’s great that vouchers can go to some of these Christian schools,” he said. “But I ask them, do you want to see money go to a Catholic school? Do you want to see it go to a Muslim school, one that teaches Islam? The way the law is written now, it can.” 

2012:

However, overall the demand is real, and school choice is proving its worth, state Sen. Jerry Tillman (R-Randolph) said. “We’re on the cusp of changing education and the public schools.” He went on to say that while he will be fully supporting school choice, as a 40-year public school employee he will also be working just as hard to improve traditional public education. He said that competition will improve education for everyone.

Related:

 

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SAS’s “Wake Ed Partnership” Rebrands (UPDATED)

Posted on February 24, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

News and Observer WakeEd Blog:  Wake Education Partnership rebrands itself as ‘WakeEd’

Snippet:

Make room for two WakeEd’s in Wake County, but please don’t confuse the two.

The Wake Education Partnership announced Monday that it’s rebranding itself as “WakeEd.” As loyal readers of this blog know, we’re also called “WakeEd.”

The rebrand is the latest effort by the WakeEd Partnership, which is backed by the business community to boost the Wake County school system, to try to boost its visibility. Throughout its 32-year history, most Wake County residents have said in surveys that they’ve never heard of the non-profit organization.

Read the comments section.

“The board of directors is the governing body for Wake Education Partnership. It is primarily made up of members who are often deeply involved in public education and leaders in the business community and community at-large.”

Emphasis on Business. The same ones pushing Common Core.

Wake Ed Partnership has changed its name before when Tony Habit was running it. Go rifle through their profile and document filings (ID # 0157059 under Wake Education Partnership) at the NC Secretary of State.

Related Read: A Blitz Of Influence And Money In NC Education

Related Financial Materials:

 

UPDATE:

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION | Tagged | 1 Comment

Times News: ABSS superintendent among state’s highest paid

Posted on February 24, 2015 by A.P. Dillon

He’s not just “among the highest paid“, I believe the $330k total makes him THE highest paid in the state of North Carolina.

Excerpt:

According to The (Raleigh) News & Observer’s WakeEd blog, in October the highest-paid district superintendent in North Carolina was Heath Morrison at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the state’s second-largest district with more than 142,000 students. He made $288,000 and left CMS under a cloud last fall.

ABSS, the state’s 16th-largest district with about 22,500 students, is closer in size to 17th-largest Iredell-Statesville Schools, which pays Superintendent Brady Johnson $179,700 per year.

A superintendent’s tenure also has something to do with pay. Robeson County Schools, the 15th-largest district with more than 23,000 students, pays Johnny Hunt $228,000, including about $8,500 per year in longevity pay. Hunt has been superintendent since 2006. 

Neighboring Guilford County Schools, the third-largest district with nearly 72,000 students, pays Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green $250,000 per year. Green just turned down a 3 percent raise for the sixth time, according to GCS.

Related: Alamance Burlington Schools Keep Harrison As Supt. for $245k plus

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