By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The adoption of Common Core Standards by the Alabama State Board of Education is the most controversial decision made by any elected body in Alabama over the last four years. Persons on both sides of the debate have strong opinions and there is no middle ground between the two sides.
Alabama State Senator Scott Beason (R) from Gardendale has introduced legislation to repeal the controversial national education standards. Sen. Beason told an estimated crowd of 70 Rainy Day Patriots on Thursday, February 20 that he suspected that the legislature will not actually allow his repeal Common Core bill to be voted on the floor because he said that a lot of the other legislators have promised both sides of the Common Core debate their support.
In 2013 the Alabama Republican Executive Committee endorsed repealing the unpopular education standards. On Saturday, February 22 the Committee followed that up with a resolution urging the legislature to have an up or down vote on the issue.
Rainy Day Patriots activist Ann Eubank said, “Today the NEA (National Education Association) came out against Common Core. I can’t figure out why the Alabama legislature is still for Common Core.”
Senator Beason (R) said that the NEA’s rejection of the controversial proposal is important because it encourages more teachers and educators to come out and publicly oppose the standards. Beason said that he talks to teachers all the time, who almost whisper, “We agree with you.” Senator Beason is leaving his seat in the Senate to run for the United States Congress representing Alabama’s Sixth District.
Alabama Legislative Watchdogs Director, Deanna Frankowski said, “We are two years behind everybody else. The testing start this September. Once the testing starts you are full blown Common Core and you have to teach whatever they put in front of you.”
Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R) from Anniston has said that he will not let the State Senate vote on repealing the controversial standards during this session. Frankowski said, “It is not the right of Del Marsh to determine what comes to the floor. It may get voted down but we are asking that it be voted on.”
Then API President and current candidate for Congress Gary Palmer (R) wrote in August, “At this point, the best course of action for the Alabama State Board of Education is to join other states that have reevaluated tying themselves to the federal education bureaucracy, formally break all federal government ties to Common Core, and adopt their own standards.”
Frankowski announced that the Rainy Day Patriots will be holding a meeting at the state house to talk to legislators about Common Core on March 12. The group will hold a rally at 11:00 am on the statehouse steps. Speakers will include: state Senator Scott Beason, state school board candidate Mike Parsons, state Senate candidate Steve Guede, and state school board candidate Patricia McGriff.
Frankowski said that Common Core opponents are done talking. We don’t want 50 people we want 300 people. “We are losing Scott in the Senate. Who is going to carry this when he is gone.” Mary Scott Hunter has two opponents. Del Marsh has an opponent in Calhoun County. We don’t endorse candidates, but several of us will be spending our own time helping out those opponents in those districts.
Eubank asked that everyone come out and stand with them.
State Senator Paul L. Sanford (R) wrote on Facebook, “How many people are aware that the Federal Government mandated that Alabama Adopt & Implement the Common Core State Standards in order to receive a waiver from the unattainable “No Child Left Behind?”
Repealing Common Core will be difficult given that the School Board and State School Superintendent Tommy Bice have become entrenched in their positions.
