Who is in Control of Utah’s Children’s Education? Why are a growing number of Utahans concerned for the future of our children while others are comfortable and excited about the changes that are coming with Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI)?
At Republican Party County Conventions this April, concerned citizens handed out pamphlets to the delegates detailing concerns they have with Utah being committed to Common Core - referring to it as Nationalized Education. The pamphlet contains quotes from several Utah law makers: Congressman Rob Bishop -- “Common Core could highly impact a parent’s control of their child’s education and really cripple the role of local school districts. One technique in education we have yet to use, having tried all others, is Freedom.” State Senator Margaret Dayton is quoted as saying “Common Core is too common for Utah. We do not need regulations from outside of Utah directing our local education efforts. It is imperative that we maintain state supremacy and control of our most important resource - the children of Utah.” State Senator Mark B. Madsen said, “Common Core has been hijacked by Obama’s Dept. of Education and is robbing Utah of its sovereign right to control education.” View a video clip of concerned parents/teachers at a Wasatch County School Board meeting at (http://commoncorefacts.blogspot.com/) . Other information provided by opponents of Common Core is available at http://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/ .
Texas Governor Rick Perry refused the $700 million in grants that were available for his state. He was reported in 2010 to have said “I am not prepared to sell control of our state’s education system for any price” ( New York Times - 09/04/2011).
A Fact Vs. Fiction pamphlet produced by The Utah State Board of Education dealing with concerns over Common Core (www.schools.utah.gov/core/DOCS/coreStandardsPamphlet.aspx) favors Common Core and includes the quote, “From the beginning, we have made clear that whatever we do in public education, we must ensure the preservation of state sovereignty and control over standards testing, curriculum, or textbooks. Based on input from parents, Utah , not the federal government, will be the final arbiter in determining what is in the best interests of Utah’s children” (Governor Gary Herbert April 2012).
Utah PTA’s Education Commissioner Deon Turley has an online letter accompanied by a 3-page essay telling of the history of Common Core and its implications. Her conclusion is that Utah should not, and will not with Common Core, lose control of education to the Federal Government and that the new standards are very good (http://www.utahpta.org/letter-regarding-core-standards-deon-turley-education-commissioner). Information that was given out at the Green Acres General PTA meeting on May 3, 2012 included these web sites which are all in support of Common Core: www.schools.utah.gov/core/default.aspx, www.uen.org/commoncore/ and www.corestandards.org/ .
"Several citizens, including concerned mothers and teachers who have done their homework have concluded that documents signed by the State of Utah grant control of Common Core Standards and Implementation to the Federal Government, namely the United States Department of Education. Based on my examination of these documents, I concur with the citizens' conclusion."
- Norman H. Jackson, Judge, Utah Court of Appeals, Retired.
The Road to a National Curriculum, a 32 page paper written by Robert S. Eitel and Kent D. Talbert, co-founders of Talbert & Eitel, PLLC, an education and employment law firm in Washington D.C., both of whom served in the U.S. Department of Education from 2006-2009, concludes that though Common Core began as a voluntary state led initiative, it is definitely a huge step toward a national curriculum.
Perhaps the question as to why the Common Core issue is so controversial has to do with how vital many citizens feel our children’s education is, and the fact that there are many different resources and opinions on the subject. Those in favor feel it’s time to move on. Those opposed feel it’s worth the price for Utah to back out, and the best time is now!
