Rep. Dana Layton yesterday unveiled a substitute version of HB 342. Here’s a link:
http://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0342.html
Unbelievably, she turned to the UEA, state school board, superintendent, and Governor’s office, and rather than return to us for any clarifications we wanted to add, went ahead and rewrote her bill. The original bill was going to have a big fight on its hands because the USOE had said it would cost $2 million to write new standards and that Common Core was free since they came to the state without our cost (Gates Foundation and other sources paid for them). Unfortunately this was a lie. Utah could have the very best standards and they would be free. Utah adopted Common Core solely because of the chance to get Race to the Top money from the Feds.
Listen to her statements in the hearing here:
http://utahlegislature.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=16939&meta_id=498318
Quick and not fully quoted comments from her statement:
If I look like I have a little jet lag it’s because I’ve traveled back and forth between universes.
One side everything is rosy
The other CC is a federal takeover
My concern is Utah having control over its ed system
My first bill was drafted when I was under the impression that we’d ceded control
I went to the UEA, local school boards, principal, state board, superintendent Menlove
I came to a different approach
Parents who are alarmed are mostly alarmed by perception that we have let go of control and we are now in lock step with other states that adopted CC
We haven’t let go of the wheel. Not only can we steer, we will.
In speaking with the Governor’s office and others, lets formalize parental involvement in reviewing standards
If we want to spend tens of millions of dollars in Utah promoting STEM careers, perhaps our math standards need to be better suited for engineering careers.
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A couple brief comments while I wrap my head in duct tape…
1) If Utah is concerned about STEM careers, it will be BECAUSE of Common Core, not from our prior decent math standards
2) Even though we had spoken with Rep. Layton, it is obvious she didn’t get as deep into the source documents as she should have. When we have a retired Utah appellate judge review the contracts Utah signed onto and side with us, you know there are some serious issues to wrestle with.
3) There is still a chance for House members to amend this bill back to its original form. Please write your House Representative and ask him/her to either amend the bill back to it’s original form so Utah gets on it’s own superior standards by 2016, or else kill the bill. Saying in this bill that parents should have a review committee for the standards is dangerous because statute already provides for all parents to have a voice in the standards. The USOE just completely failed to do that with Common Core because of the crisis created by the feds to sign up for RTTT money.
UT code says:
The state recognizes that parents currently hold the right to direct the education of their children.
(i) a parent has the right, obligation, responsibility, and authority to raise, manage, train, educate, provide for, and reasonably discipline the parent’s children; and
(ii) the state’s role is secondary and supportive to the primary role of a parent.
http://le.utah.gov/code/TITLE62A/htm/62A04a020100.htm
Also according to state statute:
(1) In establishing minimum standards related to curriculum and instruction requirements under Section 53A-1-402, the State Board of Education shall, in consultation with local school boards, school superintendents, teachers, employers, and parents implement core curriculum standards which will enable students to, among other objectives:
Please email your House member now and ask him/her to either amend the bill back to it’s original form so Utah gets on it’s own superior standards by 2016, or else kill the bill. Find your rep here:
http://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp
When citizens were desperately seeking an advocate for our concerns in the legislature, Representative Layton was the one of the only ones to respond with concrete action. I anticipated that the push back from the State Board, Governor, and USOE would be intense. Perhaps she didn’t, and her weariness was evident yesterday. I’m grateful that she was willing to listen and to try to make some progress. I am stunned that this pressure was enough to gut the bill before it even had a hearing and I can’t hide my disappointment. I want to thank Representative Layton for her efforts. Sadly, once again the voice of the parent was drowned out by the top-down educrats. We did make progress in getting a more accountable State Board as Representative Greene’s bill made it out of committee. It’s clear that if we want to have influence on education in this state we have to change the people who are controlling it. I hope this disappointment will serve as motivation for parents to take their complaints to the election booths.
I was told that some felt the move to take Tami Pyfer from the State School Board to advisor for Governor Herbert would be to reduce the harm she could do. Well there she is intimidating and strong arming legislators. I’m thinking she is just as if not more powerful in her new role.