Indiana Deals Major Blow to National Education Standards
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Late last night, the Indiana General Assembly passed HB1427 and, in so doing, dealt a major blow to the controversial national Common Core Standards program. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Mike Pence. Senator Scott Schneider and Representative Rhonda Rhoads are the chief sponsors of the bill, which orders a qualitative review of the Common Core Standards and a cost analysis on its implementation. "Sen. Schneider and Rep. Rhoads are true heroes," said Emmett McGroarty, Executive Director of the Preserve Innocence Initiative at American Principles in Action (APIA). "In the face of special interests, a $500 billion a year industry, and an onslaught of attacks, they showed courage and never wavered in their support of the people and their right to direct Indiana’s education decisions." Heather Crossin of Hoosiers against the Common Core said they are hopeful that Gov. Pence will sign the bill into law. “Our hope going forward is that the interest of the children can be put first, before corporate or special interest groups,” said Crossin. “They are the ones with the smallest voices yet have the most to lose. We look forward to a full review on Common Core and remain hopeful that Governor Pence will lead Indiana out of the Common Core, and will restore local control of education to Indiana.” Senator Scott Schneider said that education is done best when managed locally. "Today, Indiana took a step forward in fixing our education system by bringing it back to the local level,” said Sen. Schneider. “Our local communities, not special interests and unelected bureaucrats, should manage the education of our students. I will continue to fight to protect the education of our students." Rep. Rhonda Rhoads said that once the citizens of Indiana see the review and costs of the national standards, they will have a much clearer picture of how bad the Common Core is for our education system. "The people of Indiana deserve to know how these national standards will affect them," said Rep. Rhoads. "Once they see how much it will cost and how poor the standards actually are, Hoosiers will understand the reasons why this thing called Common Core must be stopped. There is no way a federalized set of standards will be acceptable as a replacement for the high standards we have already set for our children." McGroarty said that special interest groups have tried to stop the grassroots movement. “Parents and other citizens cannot compete with the federally subsidized education industry in terms of financial influence,” said Mr. McGroarty. “Although special interests certainly have the right to express themselves in the public square, they cannot convey the love and passion of citizens and parents. Politicians should never lose sight of that fact. This legislation in Indiana, along with the legislation passed this week by the Michigan House, marks a revival of citizen-directed government.” At one time seen as inevitable, Common Core is beginning to come under siege across the country. Recently, in a Washington Post article, Valerie Strauss noted that the Common Core is coming under fire by both Democrats and Republicans: “It is now both Republicans and Democrats who are questioning the Core, though the Republican voice is louder and more official: The Republican National Committee just passed an anti-Common Core resolution, saying that the initiative is a federal intrusion on states’ rights, and Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa just started a bid to eliminate federal funding for the core effort.” In recent weeks, the push-back against the federal government has accelerated into a major nationwide grassroots movement, with efforts formed or being formed in Indiana, Utah, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Idaho, among others. In recently dueling Twitter events, 1.9 million people weighed in against the Common Core versus only 260,000 who favored it. In addition to American Principles in Action, major figures and groups engaged in the push-back include: Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America, Home School Legal Defense Association, FreedomWorks, American Association of Christian Schools, the Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Campaign for Liberty, Heartland Institute, David Barton, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Phyllis Schlafly, American Values, Pioneer Institute, Pacific Research Institute, Goldwater Institute, and Washington Policy Center. Erin Tuttle of Hoosiers against the Common Core noted that the grassroots support has been impressive. “We are overwhelmed with the amount of grassroots support this effort has gotten from the people of Indiana,” said Tuttle. “Over 54 Indiana based grassroots organizations and thousands of Indiana citizens have helped fight against the Common Core. Their support was critical in achieving today’s victory. They should be proud of their work.” American Principles in Action is a 501 c(4) advocacy group associated with American Principles Project, a 501 c (3) nonprofit dedicated to returning the United States to its founding principles. | |
| For more information, please contact Jameson Cunningham with Shirley & Banister Public Affairs atjcunningham@sbpublicaffairs. |