Please print this letter and bring to your next Board of Ed. meeting, and be sure to bring a copy for each member. An open letter to Boards of Education nationwide: The Washington central planners are at it again! Their latest move in public education may be the greatest power grab in our nation’s history and the most blatant attempt to eliminate local representation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The federal government is imposing the Curricula and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to all schools nationwide. While the federal officials claim this will elevate academic standards across the country, this mandate eliminates all local input and control over your children’s education. The CCSS tramples on our basic liberties and violates our constitutional rights. The attempt to remove local control is just one problem. The CCSS has not been tested by the government and no pilot programs have been implemented. Moreover, it has proven to be a financial fiasco in the states that have already accepted the federal funding for CCSS. In New Jersey, the Department of Education bought into this charade: In June 2010, the New Jersey State Board of Education (NJBOE) and the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) adopted the CCSS. The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce. When the NJBOE was questioned as to who the teachers, administrators and experts were that provided this analysis prior to adopting CCSS, no answer was given. Why should these faceless, unelected bureaucrats have the power to dictate what every child will learn or not learn and how they learn it? We have endured a number of well-meaning, but ill-conceived academic programs created by our government that are out of touch with the communities they impact. We have had No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, Goals 2000 and Outcome-Based Education - all extremely expensive academic disasters. Now the federal government wants to impose standards unilaterally across the nation - rendering our local BOEs totally powerless. One-size-fits-all programs have never been successful the USA. To make matters worse, the cost of implementing this program has not been built into the federal funding - that will have to be absorbed by the states and sending districts. Federal control over education does not work. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, ranked the United States 14th out of 34 (OECD) countries for reading skills, 17th for science and a below-average 25th for mathematics. Even more disappointing is the fact that between 1995 and 2008, the United States slipped from second in college graduation rates to 13th. Of 34 OECD countries, only 8 have a lower high school graduation rate. Additionally, CCSS violates the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, as well as the General Educational Provisions Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. These violations assure that CCSS will be challenged in court, which will result in costly lawsuits in addition to the high costs of implementing CCSS that are not being funded by the federal government. I served on a local Board of Education for a private secondary education school for nearly ten years. I believe that BOE members are dedicated to providing the best education possible to their students. They take their responsibilities seriously and act in the best interest of their students and sending districts. Across America, various organizations, groups, and individuals from all walks of life are fighting the battle against CCSS. However, little has been heard from our BOEs . I respectfully remind you that you were not elected to take orders from the Washington “Educrats.” You were elected to make the tough educational decisions for the parents and students in your sending district. This power-grab by the federal and state governments will not stand if you stand. I urge you to do whatever you can, and unite all BOEs across America in an effort to rescue our system of education. The teachers’ unions have been organized to protect the jobs of teachers. You exist to protect the standards of education. Perhaps it’s time you organize appropriately. It is certainly time you take a stand. Sincerely, RoseAnn Salanitri, Wife, mother, and concerned citizen
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 23:29:47 +0000