Iowa GOP Passes Anti-Common Core Resolution

Des Moines, IA – The Iowa GOP State Central Committee on Saturday unanimously passed an anti-Common Core resolution at their quarterly meeting.  The resolution reads:

WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of academic standards, promoted and supported by two private membership organizations, the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) as a method for conforming American students to uniform (“one size fits all”) achievement goals to make them more competitive in a global marketplace, (1.) and

WHEREAS, the NGA and the CCSSO, received tens of millions of dollars from private third parties to advocate for and develop the CCSS strategy, subsequently created the CCSS through a process that was not subject to any freedom of information acts or other sunshine laws, and never piloted the CCSS, and

WHEREAS, even though Federal Law prohibits the federalizing of curriculum (2.), the Obama Administration accepted the CCSS plan and used 2009 Stimulus Bill money to reward the states that were most committed to the president’s CCSS agenda; but, they failed to give states, their legislatures and their citizens time to evaluate the CCSS before having to commit to them, and

WHEREAS, the NGA and CCSSO in concert with the same corporations developing the CCSS ‘assessments’ have created new textbooks, digital media and other teaching materials aligned to the standards which must be purchased and adopted by local school districts in order that students may effectively compete on CCSS ‘assessments’, and

WHEREAS, the CCSS program includes federally funded testing and the collection and sharing of massive amounts of personal student and teacher data, and

WHEREAS, the CCSS effectively removes educational choice and competition since all schools and all districts must use Common Core ‘assessments’ based on the Common Core standards to allow all students to advance in the school system and to advance to higher education pursuits, and

WHEREAS, the Iowa State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards on July 29, 2010 without legislative feedback and very little public input; therefore be it

RESOLVED, the Republican Party of Iowa, as stated in the 2012 Republican Party Platform, demands “that education be returned to a purely free market system.” (sec. 6.8), which we hold to be the best approach to education for students to achieve individual excellence; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Republican Party of Iowa appreciates Governor Terry Branstad’s action to address concerns about the Common Core State Standards through an executive order made on October 16, 2013, but feel the standards must be addressed through legislative action, and be it further

RESOLVED, the Republican Party of Iowa recognizes the CCSS for what it is– an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children so they will conform to a preconceived “normal,” and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the Republican Party of Iowa rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purpose without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent and that it rejects the sharing of such personal data, without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student’s parent, with any person or entity other than schools or education agencies within the state, and be it finally

RESOLVED, the 2012 Republican Party Platform states, “We believe that control of education should be left to the parents, teachers, and local school boards” (sec. 6.2); and therefore, the Republican Party of Iowa rejects this CCSS plan. Furthermore, we call on Republican legislators and executives to oppose implementation of the CCSS plan, which limits the academic freedom and achievement of Iowa’s teachers, students, and schools.

The resolution mirrors the language of the resolution that was passed by the Republican National Committee at their Spring meeting last April.  The Republican Party of Iowa makes seven state parties (California, Georgia, Kansas, Oregon, West Virginia, and Utah) that have passed similar resolutions stating opposition to the Common Core State Standards.