Jindal: Fed Handling of Common Core 'Blackmail, Extortion'

Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) responded to allegations that he flip-flopped on Common Core, and described the federal government’s handling of Common Core as a “hijacking” of what was supposed to be a “bottom-up approach” on Wednesday’s “Laura Ingraham Show.”  

Jindal said that he implemented standards in his state believing it would be a “bottom-up approach,” but that the federal government then did a “bait and switch … the federal government then came in after 2010, and said for example, ‘if you want Race to the Top dollars you have to do Common Core standards, if you want No Child Left Behind waivers, you have to use Common Core standards.’”  He described these actions as “hijacking,” and “a bribe, blackmail, extortion.”

Jindal also accused education officials in his state of giving “no-bid contracts,” under the law and selecting more expensive tests.

He additionally railed against the Common Core standards, saying they were “absolutely about dictating what happens in those classrooms.” And “the federal government has no role in setting local curriculum and making those decisions.” He described Common Core math as making “absolutely no sense.”  “A majority of teachers in Louisiana [are] saying they’re not ready for this, they don’t want this,” he also reported.

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