Iowa GOP to Consider Common Core Resolution, Rule Changes

(Des Moines, IA) The Iowa GOP State Central Committee will be considering several items at their quarterly meeting this Saturday.

There were several bylaw amendments that were introduced by David Cushman that will term limit members of the State Central Committee.  They would also prohibit members of the State Central Committee and its officers from being employed by a PAC or campaign, as well as, from receiving compensation or gifts from PAC, campaign, elected officer holder or registered lobbyist.  The bylaw amendments would also prohibit state central committee members and officers from being a registered lobbyist.  The proposed bylaw amendments require a 2/3 majority vote of the state central committee to pass.

Mark Doland submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to the Republican Party of Iowa Constitution that  would change how the Chair and Co-Chair is selected by the party.  The officers would be elected by the convention rather than the State Central Committee.  This amendment would be considered by the 2014 Iowa GOP State Convention if passed by a majority of the State Central Committee.  The amendment would then need a majority vote by the delegates in order to pass.

The language is below:

A “Yes” Vote will:

STRIKE

ARTICLE IV #4

The Republican State Central Committee shall elect a Chair and Co-Chair who shall be the Chief Executive Officers of the Republican Party of Iowa. The Chair and Co-Chair need not be elected from the membership of the Republican State Central Committee.

Replace with:

ARTICLE XVII

ELECTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA STATE CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR

1. Recognizing the importance of grassroots participation and leadership of the Republican Party of Iowa, the State Chair and State Co-Chair shall be elected at the biennial state convention by majority vote. The State Chair and Co-Chair shall be the Chief Executive Officers of the Republican Party of Iowa. The Chair and Co-Chair need not be elected from the membership of the Republican State Central Committee.

2. The term of the State Chair and Co-Chair shall begin at gavel down of the biennial state convention in which they were elected and the term shall end at gavel down of the following biennial state convention.

3. The Chair and Co-chair of the Republican Party of Iowa once elected shall only be removed by a 2/3 vote of the State Central Committee with cause. An agenda item for removal shall appear on any meeting notice when a vote for removal will occur.

4. Any vacancy in the office of State Chair or Co-Chair shall be filled by the State Central Committee.

As well as Add the following underlined language to ARTICLE IX CAUCUSES, CONVENTIONS, AND MEETINGS:

7. Purpose The Purpose of the State Convention is to adopt a State Platform, adopt or amend a Constitution, elect by majority vote a Chair and Co-Chair of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee, and transact such other business as may properly be brought before it. In gubernatorial years, the convention shall select the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, In Presidential election years, the convention shall elect such at-large delegates and alternate delegates allocated to the State to the Republican National Convention; and shall select two Presidential Electors at-large.

A “NO” Vote will leave election of the State Chair and Co-Chair as a responsibility of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee.

Joel Kurtinitis submitted a resolution concerning the Common Core which requires a majority vote of the State Central Committee.  The language, similar to a resolution passed by the Republican National Committee last spring, 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.