Is Jeb Bush Behind Oklahoma's Plan To Insert The Benevolent Hand Of Government Into Homeschooling? It would appear so.

Few ideas for 'big' legislation DON'T come as boilerplate ideas from national think tanks. Many times, though they may work in other states, they are not appropriate for Oklahoma, yet legislators bring them into the capitol because of the hand that offered them.

[ROPE firmly supports Parental Choice in Education as personified by charter schools, online learning, homeschooling and private school. We also support tax credits and tax credit scholarships to help families who need assistance with finding the education that is right for their child/children. We do not, however, support vouchers - money provided by the state injected into the private solutions of homeschool and private school.]

During my daily research reading, I recently stumbled onto an article; "Alaska legislators’ education bills include one to give state funds to some students in homeschool and private school". Here is a paragraph that interested me:

Another bill would provide public funding for students who are homeschooled or in private school. Students would be eligible for $5,930 per year in scholarships if they have disabilities, attend a “low-performing school” or have a parent in the military, among other criteria.

Followed by this:

Gillham said he got the idea for that bill from a summit he attended last November in Florida, held by ExcelInEd, an organization started by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Here's the ENORMOUS problem with this: Jeb Bush pushed Common Core throughout the nation and Oklahoma though it was a decided federal takeover of state schools. In fact, Bush's Common Core Problem was thought to be but one of the reasons Bush fell so far behind former President Trump in the 2016 elections - well that, and his firm position as a member of the Republican establishment - the very team Trump was sent onto the field to beat.

THE JEB BUSH OKLAHOMA LEGACY

Throughout the tenure of former State Superintendent Janet Barresi, Bush was a prominent figure in Oklahoma education 'reform'. 

In 2013 Bush sent a letter to legislators (while ROPE, other organizations and parents worked hard to push back against the nationalization of state standards under one umbrella), saying:

"There is a lot of misinformation flying around about Common Core State Standards. Below is a roundup of recent articles, opinion pieces and posts by policy advisors, debunking Common Core myths and highlighting voices in the transition to these new standards. You’ll also find quotes from teachers weighing in on Common Core and see how state and business leaders are supporting the higher standards."

Yes, what in the world do parents know Mr. Bush, when state and business leaders support Common Core? Ever the elitist, Bush has always been about POLICY over PARENTS - wining and dining legislators as he works to help 'the little people' he loves so much.

That same year, as a result of FOI requests by In The Public Interest, it was shown that Bush, Chiefs For Change and Governor Fallin's office essentially colluded to ram Bush-driven policy down the throats of Oklahomans - many of whom were simply parents trying to protect their kids from having to  dumbed-down standards that have now been shown not to have produced any meaningful increase in test scores in the states where the program was adopted. 

During 2014 (though Common Core was repealed from state law that year), while Governor Mary Fallin was head of the National Governor's Association and Superintendent Baressi was a member of Bush's organization "Chief's For Change", Baressi, a State Board Member and then-Senator-turned-current-candidate-for-State-Treasurer Clark Jolley (a co-author of Oklahoma's Common Core bill) all attended Bush's National Summit in Boston. {Incidentally, as an aside, it is a bit interesting that Senator Treat's SB1647, money is to be dispersed through a department inside the treasury...}

BUSH'S ORGANIZATION EMBRACES LEFTISTS RIGHT, AND WELL, LEFT

Granted, education policy should necessarily be bipartisan in a perfect world, but an organization who invites people like Melinda Gates, former Obama Education Secretary Arne Duncan (who attributed opposition to the Common Core to “white suburban moms” upset that their children weren’t as “brilliant” as they thought they were) and David Coleman (the author of the Common Core pictured below in a slide from one of my videos on Common Core) to speak at their conferences and colludes with states to override the will of parents on education policy, should NOT be in a position of INFLUENCE WITH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATORS.

Unfortunately, it seems as though we're seeing near repeat of the Common Core battle here this session (2022) over Governor Stitt's desire to increase school choice by offering vouchers (state money) to PRIVATE EDUCATION SOLUTIONS (home and private schools).

GOVERNOR STITT INVITED JEB BUSH TO SPEAK TO LEGISLATORS ABOUT EDUCATION REFORM

In May of 2021, Governor Stitt invited "his friend" Bush to visit with members of the legislature and others - including Robert Ruiz of Oklahoma's Choice Matters and Secretary of State Ryan Walters, who is also the Executive Director of an organization called Every Kid Counts - about 'education reform'. 

Apparently, the feeling is mutual for the Governor's friend, who touted the Governor's recent State of The State Address on his ExelInEd website.

Here's an even more frustrating thing. While visiting the ExelInEd website, I found a piece from late last year which says this:

Look at Oklahoma. The state stands out in the NAPCS analysis for having the largest growth in charter school enrollment by both percentage gains and by absolute number. The number of new charter students in Oklahoma alone accounts for 15 percent of all new charter students in the nation.

It then goes on to say this: 

When families face huge challenges they don’t wait for solutions. Again, look at the homeschool numbers from the US Census Bureau. Families didn’t wait for policymakers to adjust the boundaries or enrollment caps in 2020. They created their own path forward. Such policies as arbitrary enrollment caps and exclusive school boundaries carry a heavy irony. By protecting a system that limits flexibility and mobility, policymakers encourage families to create their own solutions outside the system, thereby endangering the very system they are trying to protect.

WHAT? Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds to me like this policy article from ExelInEd basically says that LEGISLATORS SHOULDN'T WANT FAMILIES CREATING THEIR OWN EDUCATIONAL SOLUTIONS OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM because it endangers the choice systems they're trying to create!?

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

So, let's think on this. If the government infuses money into PRIVATE education solutions, the entire enterprise ceases to be private - homeschoolers (and private-schoolers alike) who 'use' state-provided money for homeschooling will - at a minimum - be pulled into the state data collection system when there's likely NO DATA ON THEM IN THE SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY. 

Gosh - to put the old tin foil hat on here - if the state's elitists do away with ALL private education solutions by inserting the hand of government to the point where all students become part of the system like they began with Common Core - how close are we to the Great Reset and One World Government?

Yes, that was a leap, but let's look at some facts:

• Jeb Bush is a member of the BIG GOVERNMENT Bush "Legacy". His father gave us Agenda 21 and his brother gave us The Patriot Act (government surveillance means nothing if you're not doing anything wrong).
• Bush has always stood firmly on the side of government-backed national standards (ie; Common Core). Just internet search "Jeb Bush and Common Core". You'll find pages and pages with the same theme.
• Jeb Bush has a 10-year legacy with Michael Bloomberg, owner of Bloomberg media which is a partner in the World Economic Forum - the organization peddling the Great Reset.
• And then there's this: "The 3rd largest FEC fine in history was just levied and it’s against someone you might not expect. The Jeb Bush Super PAC that eventually morphed into a prominent Never Trump effort, “Right to Rise,” has been caught red-handed accepting an illegal $1.3M donation from a Chinese corporation."

Truly, why in the world would anyone in Oklahoma government billing themselves as a conservative hear a word Jeb Bush has to say? 

What does it say that Oklahoma legislators and elected officials seem to have such a love affair with this man? 

Why would Oklahoma Republicans put 'blinders' on and go along with ANY bills/laws/ideas simply because 'Republicans' say it's a great idea - especially without researching first? 

Hopefully, these questions are really good wake up questions for us all to ask ourselves NOW.