Gov. Mary Fallin (R) is poised to make the final decision on whether her state of Oklahoma will truly be the first state to fully repeal the Common Core standards without rebranding or renaming them.
As Breitbart News reported Saturday, the Oklahoma legislature voted overwhelmingly to repeal the controversial centralized education standards.
Grassroots organizers who have fought to defeat the Common Core in Oklahoma say all indications are that Fallin, who also chairs the National Governors Association (NGA), one of the developers and copyright owners of the Common Core standards, will sign the bill.
“However, she could execute a pocket veto if the bill is not signed before Monday, June 2,” Jenni White, president of Restore Oklahoma Public Education (ROPE), told Breitbart News. “If she signs it, the bill would be the most thorough removal of Common Core from any state of adoption in the nation to date.”
In addition, American Principles Project (APP) has led the charge in calling upon Fallin, as chair of the NGA, to end the Common Core initiative entirely across the country. Over 6,000 people have signed a letter to date requesting Fallin to act.
“The citizens of Oklahoma have achieved an astounding victory. Armed with the facts, they demanded that their legislators defend their rights and the constitutional structure that protects those rights,” said Emmett McGroarty, APP’s Education Director, in a press release. “They did so in the face of an aggressive federal government, the elitists in both parties, and the powerful education industrial complex hellbent on exploiting our children.”
“The issue now is whether Governor Fallin will stand with the moms, dads, and other citizens in Oklahoma, or will she stand with the federal government and corporatists,” McGroarty said.
If Fallin signs HB3399, the new law:
- Repeals Common Core from state law, creating a framework for standards to be written by Oklahomans over a two-year time period.
- Directs a return to the state’s previous standards and tests during the interim.
- Requires the “mastery of the standard algorithms in math” – the “most logical, efficient way of solving a problem that consistently works,” in an attempt to curb the concept of ‘fuzzy math.’
- Requires Oklahoma’s new standards be compared against the Common Core State Standards to ensure they are NOT in alignment.
- Provides legislative review and approval of finalized standards as created through the State Board of Education.
- Prohibits the state Board of Education from entering into any agreements that would in any way cede control or authority of Oklahoma standards or tests.
- Directs standards and tests to be developmentally appropriate.
- Creates a paper and pencil test option in the event online testing creates issues for students.
“I am gratified and very thankful to have so many in our State legislature allow us to educate them on the issue of Common Core over the years,” White said. “Had so many members not maintained an open mind and reviewed our research, there would have been no way to have passed this kind of comprehensive bill.”
“We ALL want high standards for our children, but we especially want parents involved in the process of educating their children,” she added. “Common Core was putting a wedge between parent and teacher, teacher and administrator, and all but neutering school boards.”
“Local control of education has been proven time and time again to be the best system for ensuring students the best possible educational results,” White said.
“We were able to have lawmakers see that the state could lose its No Child Left Behind waiver over anything we were doing,” White explained regarding the arguments against repeal of Common Core, “and that they didn’t have the manpower to get as deeply involved in Oklahoma’s education as watching where 20 percent of our Title 1 funding went.”