Liar Liar Pants On Fire - Bringing The OSDE Into Reality About Common Core

October 21st, Julia, Lynn and I went to visit the Carter County Republicans.  Chairman Anna Flat asked us to attend and speak about the Common Core.  She wanted to hear both sides of the issue so she also asked the Oklahoma State Department of Education to appear.  Joel Robison, Chief of Staff for Superintendent Barresi came.

As I've said before, we don't have a problem with Joel - we don't have a reason to - he's never been anything but decent to us - we just don't like the direction in which our State Superintendent is taking Oklahoma education.  We also have a problem with the fact that Dr. Barresi herself frequently embellishes the truth, spins fact, regularly talks around questions without answering them and has a tendency to be unkind to dissenters.

One of the biggest "truth embellishment" of late is the fact that Oklahoma has Oklahoma Academic Standards instead of Common Core - well, at least she doesn't mention Common Core now that it has become a political hot potato - she only chooses to talk about "her" new Oklahoma Academic Standards. 

So, to kill two birds with one stone, I put together a brief slide presentation to cover BOTH the lie that Common Core is "state led" (aka local) and the truth about the Oklahoma Academic Standards.  Below are the slides with captions - almost all are screenshots either from Common Core or OSDE websites. (If you can't read the slides, click on them and they will open to original size).

The Common Core website shows that the CCSS are licensced and copywrited by the NGA and CCSSO.  They also provide a liability waiver in case you hate them so both the NGA and CCSSO can say, "Too bad, so sad, we're not to blame for them."  If, however, you want to sue for damages done by using the standards, you'll have to do it in DC!  very local - VERY Oklahoma!

Our RoadMap To the Common Core showing the "four pillars" of education 'reform'.  1.  Common Core State Standards (in blue), 2.  a State Longitudinal Database System, 3.  Using the Turnaround model on failing schools (created by Bill Gates and used in Chicago while Arne Duncan was superintendent there! - also in blue) and, 4.  Teacher accountability measures (yellow).  All four have been dictated by the USDE to state who took the SFSF funds (all 50), Race to the Top grants and/or a No Child Left Behind Waiver.  Gosh, the feds didn't want states to use them, did they?

 

 

So, business leaders met with state governors to create the standards because businesses were complaining they couldn't find any good workers.  What happened to OJT?  Why pay for OJT yourself, if you can get governors to pay for it FOR you through a series of public/private partnerships, tax breaks and a complete overhaul of the nation's education system from a learning model to a workforce training model?

But aren't we led to believe that the CCSSI movement was an 'organic', 'grassroots' education movement that filtered UP from the states in 2010?  This is not the case, obviously.  The CCSSI were being discussed by governors and business leaders for years!

Here is David Coleman - the 'architect' of the CCSSI.  Yes, he worked 5 years in health care, in financial institutions and did PRO BONO (?) work in education?  HE'S writing educational standards?  Interesting.

Dr. Barresi hired John Kramen out of Achieve.  His CV is available for download in the State's NCLB waiver application which can be found here; http://www2.ed.gov/policy/eseaflex/ok.pdf.

Just a couple screen shots of Ed.gov showing the four pillars of education reform for the Race to the Top grant.  Consequently, many states adopted the Common Core simply to be competitive for the money.  Oklahoma put CCSSI in state law in 2010 via SB2033, but Brad Henry put English/LA, Math, Social Studies and Science 'common core' standards into state law via executive order to increase the states

Mary Fallin - against the wishes of the Republican Party via a Resolution Against the Common Core State Standards - is advocating for the Common Core as NGA Chair.  The RNC resolution was written by Oklahoma's own State Committeewoman Carolyn McClarty and signed by the State Committeeman and Committeewoman of each state.

So, we've gone from Reading, Writing and Arithmetic to Accountability, Achievement and Alignment?

Here, we're told that the OSDE is using Common Core.  CCSSI is being portrayed as an umbrella covering every aspect of Oklahoma Standards.

Letter from Brad Henry indicating that ALL Common Core State Standards were adopted by Oklahoma in order to get a Race to the Top Grant.  The left screen shot is of the OSDE website where the school code is found.  This is a screenshot of that page.  The right is the letter that can be found in Oklahoma's RTT grant on the Ed.gov website.

Screen shot showing that when you click on the URL for the English/LA standards, they go directly to the CCSSI document.

Here are some combined screenshots showing where every link to the English/LA standards go on the OSDE OAS page.

Here are the links to the OAS math standards page.  Note that the link to the Math standards themselves go directly to the CCSSI document.

Here is the screenshot for the OAS Social Studies.  The underlined language and the box in the lower left shows that the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies include the Common Core State Standards.

This is a comparison of the National Council for Social Studies webpage about the national Social Studies standards and the FAQ page of the CCSSI webpage showing that the CCSSO worked on both standards and they are "state led".

The left is a screen shot from the Oklahoma Academic (C3) Standards Implementation Guide that shows that the OSDE is teaching our Oklahoma children that we live in an "American Constitutional Democracy".  I have asked Constitutional scholars about this term - they do not know what it means.  We live in a Republic - as I have written before.  The right side are screen shots from the National Social Studies standards.  Please note that they ALSO refer to America as a Constitutional Democracy. 

The left side of this slide contains screen shots from the National History Standards.  The right side contains screen shots from the Oklahoma Academic Standards for History.  Please NOTE:  C3 is the same (one c is Citizen, the other is Civic Life), they BOTH have the four main areas as shown.  The national standards have something called an Inquiry Arc and the OAS have something called a 'coherency storyline' - these are essentially the same thing. 

Oklahoma State Department of Education Denies Public Comment At June Monthly Meeting

 

Today (June 27, 2013) was a sad day for the idea of representative government.

Today a number of us showed up at our state school board meeting in order to speak for 3 minutes during the public comment section of the meeting at the very end and were told we could not.

I got to the meeting around 9am.  I had to sign in and indicate the topic on which I desired to speak.  I wrote “Common Core”.  I hadn’t been in my seat 10 minutes when Chief of Staff, Joel Robison asked me to speak with him.  He asked me to enter a conference room where he politely told me we would not be allowed to speak today as the Common Core (or the P20 Council – a subject on which several on the board had planned to speak) was not a subject on the agenda for this particular meeting.  We could only address the board for 3 minutes if we were speaking either about an item on the agenda.  (Agenda’s for this and previousState Board meetings can be found here)

In a very civil manner, I told him I didn’t agree with that decision.  I explained that we are already one step away from representative government by having an appointed and not elected school board – where the board members serve at the pleasure of the governor, not the taxpayers directly – and that not having a time when parents and taxpayers could speak concerns to their school board left us no recourse for concerns.

Robison pointed to the rules for public comment listed on each written agenda:

The State Board of Education shall hear public comment on any item listed on the current Board of Education meeting agenda.  Public comments will be limited to only those subject matters covered in the current meeting agenda.  Public comment will not be taken on issues relating to: (1) pending litigation against OSDE, OSBE, or agency employees, (2) a pending grievance; (3) an employee complaint; (4) complaints against OSDE employees; or (5) disciplinary action, suspension or termination of an OSDE employee.  A sign-up sheet will be posted at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the Board Meeting.  Sign up must be completed prior to the scheduled start time of the meeting.  The individual signing in must select one of the two public comment periods on the agenda to participate in.  Only individuals who have signed up to speak will be recognized during the Public Comment period and will be recognized in the order in which they have signed in.  Each speaker will be allocated three (3) minutes for presentation.  The Board Chairperson may interrupt and/or terminate any presentation during public comment, which does not conform to the procedures outlined under this Section.  The Board Chairperson reserves and retains the right to interrupt, terminate or postpone public comment as necessary to effectuate the management of the public meeting.

I told him I understood his position, but asked when we would be able to address the board on the issue of Common Core.  I respectfully reminded him that the Department of Education – not the legislature – created their meeting rules and if the Department wanted to change them, they certainly could.  Never rude or unpleasant, Robison instead assured me he would find some way for us to address the board and told me he would work on that.  He asked for my contact information and I returned to my seat. 

As I sat through nearly an hour of “Recognitions” at the beginning of the agenda, all I could think of was, “Can’t this information be given to the media in a packet?  Can’t this be posted on the webpage?”  Not to say that recognitions aren’t important and that these things don’t matter, but could they not be dealt with by either a press gathering/release or webpage/email announcement?  Couldn’t this time be used for public comment – as one of the reasons one often gets for silencing public comment is ‘time constraints’.  As it was, the board again had to bring in lunch for themselves.

I sat listening out of one ear to the discussions while Tweeting and Facebooking our dilemma until I saw this

This slide was part of a presentation given by Meridyth McBee related to agenda item 8(c): Discussion and possible action on the standard setting results and performance level descriptors for OCCT and OMAAP Biology I EOI Assessments.

OEA President, Linda Hampton, was also at the meeting today with a desire to speak about testing.  Tuesday, theOEA released a report calling for the 2012-2013 standardized test results to be declared invalid due to the massive number of issues surrounding the ‘new’ computerized testing format.

Assessments = tests.  No, this agenda item was not specifically related to the McGraw/Hill testing debacle, but where do you draw the line?  Why would they not be able to speak about testing if the issue of testing was clearly addressed by this item?

How was Common Core not germane here?  McBee was discussing the Core Curriculum tests – which, as of this year 2012-2013 – contained Common Core testing elements.  In addition, as per GovernorHenry’s Race to the Top Addendum where he installed Common Core standards for English/Language Arts, Math, SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES as the law of the land in Oklahoma, this item – Biology – under the category of ‘Science’ – was a Common Core issue.  Yes, this was about cut scores and not the standards themselves, but again, where do you draw the line?

I left my seat and approached Robison about this.  To his credit, he didn’t deny that my evaluation was right, he simply asked my “forbearance” on the issue, and again assured me that he would work on finding a way to ‘meet our needs’ for a board level discussion on the issue.

I consented and returned to my seat.  I have several more things to say about the meeting, but I will include them at the bottom after I finish this more interesting portion of the story.

At this point I would like to mention that our State Department continually uses obfuscation as a way to stifle public knowledge.  Not only was McBee speaking about cut scores on ASSESSMENTS (an incorrect word for test but used by the Department as interchangeable), but Richard Karam (an Assistant State Superintendent – how many of these do we need?) discussed C3 Partnership Schools.  What is C3?  C3 refers to, “College, Career and Citizenship-ready” – the name Dr. Barresi has given her education ‘reform’ package that includes the College, Career andCitizen ready Common Core State Standards.  She not only also refers to these as C3 and OC3 on the website, but Oklahoma State Standards as well.  Apparently the DOE likes to play the shell game with names.

By 3pm, Chief of Staff Robison had left me a voice mail about the next Board meeting in July (July 25).  Apparently, adoption of the new Art Standards will be discussed and we would be allowed to comment at that meeting on the Common Core.  (Linda Hampton also reports being told the same thing...but she wanted to discuss testing...what?)

I called Robison back so we could discuss the issue more thoroughly, and was told that yes, ROPE and anyone else who wanted to speak about the Common Core, could do so at the next State Board meeting (He wanted to let us know that the P20 is still not germane to that topic and discussion about that would be stopped, however.)  It was an interesting discussion during which I asked why the meetings were held in this manner.  Robison told me it was to “keep meetings orderly and to keep everyone focused on the topics at hand”.  

I explained again that this process, in effect, disenfranchised tax payers, at which point he wondered aloud about the need for the need for us to speak to the board when we are “already organizing the grass roots by speaking across the state and working with legislators”.

I told him that solutions to every disagreement start with the person with whom you have the argument.  When we are invited to speak somewhere, we are often “preaching to the choir” – to those who also do not like the OSDE policies and feel disenfranchised.  Other than rousing these good folks to talk to their legislators, how is that addressing the genesis of the problem?  

I should have reminded him here that, 

“The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Jan. 26, 2012, adopted a resolution to fully support Superintendent Janet Barresi’s goal of having all students in Oklahoma college, career and citizen ready by the year 2020, known as her C³Plan.” 

Obviously, our concern is with both the legislature and the OSDE.

Robison was always very civil and polite – I have no complaint with the man – just the message.

Every year, legislators tell constituents horror stories of what would happen if every bill was read during session.  These are merely excuses, however, for the fact that when legislators get to pick and choose which bills are read, legislators can control the process – can control the will of the people – regulate the voice of the people in whatever manner works for their agenda.  I’m not vilifying legislators; I’m saying that this thought process runs counter to the spirit and definition of “representative government” desired by our founders.

What the OSDE did (does) here is exactly the same thing.  There is no legitimate reason to prevent the public from speaking on whatever educationally-related topic they feel important – in fact; Dr. Barresi is a civil SERVANT.  She serves at the will of the people who pay her salary.  Whether she likes – or agrees with – what we have to say or not, the very LEAST she can do is hear us out.  Many public meetings allow public comment – usually at the end of the meeting after the business of that board/commission is concluded.  If you don’t want to have to sit and listen to what your constituency has to say ONE day a month for as long as it takes, then you needn’t desire to hold PUBLIC office.

It is enough that the meetings are held in a room that PREVENTS attendance by the public – literally there cannot be any more than 50 chairs in this room – most of which are populated by (at various meetings), vendors, state school administrators, OSDE employees.  Where are the seats for “guests”.  Oh, that’s right, there were TWO at this last meeting marked ‘guest’.  How is there a way for taxpayers and parents to attend?  Many have to stand in the hall.

It is enough that the meetings are held at 9am in the morning.  Most people work.  Parents have children for which to find sitters.

It is enough that citizens/taxpayers/parents must get to the meetings well before 9:15 to sign up to speak.

How many gauntlets must a citizenry jump through in order to redress their government?

Yes, Dr. Barresi – and most board members – know our position on Common Core.  You can argue that it is simply not necessary for us to appear before the Board again and again to state our case.  In answer I will use an axiom, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”.  Sometimes government must be addressed countless times in order that the will of the people is not subverted.  

In point of fact, it is in parsing these issues that freedom is lost.

Please, take the time to put the next meeting of the State School Board on your calendar NOW.  Find a sitter, take time off of work because I guarantee you, should the public NOT attend this meeting in DROVES, our cause will be lost and my arguments will be in vain.

OTHER ISSUES:

One of the reasons I personally despise (yes a strong word that I will not soften) government by appointment is that the appointed serves at the pleasure of the one who does the appointing.  This fact is written in state law.  For whom does the appointed hold office?  The citizenry THROUGH the appointing elected official.  Does that appointed official respond first to the level of their appointment or directly to the taxpayer?  I will argue the one by whom they were appointed, and a gubernatorial appointee has told me that much – that the Governor expects her appointees to follow her agenda – which does not necessarily follow the will of the taxpayer.

I believe this idea was in full force during this meeting particularly in respect to discussion on adoption of an emergency rule.

This rule would prevent a school from denying entry to a child desiring to move from another school because of an issue with bullying (a transfer issue).  I will not play-by-play the entire conversation but merely pass on the fact that General Baxter and Member Shdeed did NOT like the rule, while did members Amy Ford and Bill Price.  Quite a discussion occurred among these four members – clearly split in half on the issue – until the time of the vote, with Baxter calling the rule “bad policy” and Amy Ford arguing that the rule must pass even though it’s not a good rule because it can be amended later.  “It’s a process”,  Ford says many times with an apparent understanding as to why she would want to pass a rule that isn’t really going to do what is intended – someone else wants it done.  Bill Price mentions several times that, “We’ll just get Jason Nelson (OK Representative) to amend this bill next session.”

Though arguing vociferously against this rule during discussion, both Baxter and Shdeed voted FOR the rule change.  Don’t forget, this board is TWO members down since the departures of Joy Hoffmeister (to run against Barresi forsuperintendent) and Brian Hayden whoseexit was immediate last month for personal reasons pertaining to new employment.

Sitting next to Dr. Jack Herron (fired by Barresi from the OSDE for no apparent reason), Herron leans over and tells me that the board doesn’t really know what they’re talking about – they don’t apparently even understand the process they’re discussing.   

Which brings me to another complaint; why populate a board with individuals who have no background in education – who are certainly upstanding members of the community – but who have ZERO expertise in education?  Why do we allow those that have no education experience to set rules for those in education to have to follow?  This truly makes no sense to me, leading to my final comment.

Bill Price, during the discussion on the Teacher Leadership Effectiveness report, at one point made mention that, “as a member of the TLE Board”, and then began to illuminate the board and audience about happenings on the TLE Board relating to the topic.  Why is Bill Price on two education Boards?  While I can see communication necessary between many of these board (although I believe 527 Boards and Commissions are excessive here in Oklahoma s this is all leadership through bureaucracy and therefore should be dissolved in my opinion), I do not understand populating these boards with many of the same individuals.  Is there really such a dearth in leadership in Oklahoma that this situation would even be necessary?

In closing, if you do not take time to attend board/commission/city council meetings, you get the government you do deserve.  Long ago, citizens stopped participating in their government.  Long ago, political elitists and government officials with insidious intent understood that the best way to silence the voice of the people (if the sleeping giant was ever to awaken) was to create a bureaucracy of appointed officials that kept taxpayers separated from their ELECTED officials.  They knew that bureaucracies stymie the political process and create government webs that provide no accountability to the people, but entangle them in reams of red tape that stifle liberty while plugging the pockets of the cronies who keep them in power.   WAKE UP.  TAKE ACTION.  RECLAIM YOUR GOVERNMENT.  I have said all I can say.

ARTICLES ON THIS ISSUE:

Commenters turned away at state board of education meeting Tuesday

Why did education panel restrict public comments?

Ed board denies public comments

 

 

Deception, NOT Excellence in Oklahoma Education

Or…Short Memories Allow Business As Usual in Public School ‘Reform’

How would you feel if I told you that taxpayers are paying the salary for a man at the Department of Education who committed voter fraud in a school board election? 

Many conservatives were astounded when our new REPUBLICAN State Superintendent of Education, Janet Barresi hired the lobbyist for the OklahomaEducation Association (OEA – Oklahoma’s branch of national NEA) as her chief of staff.  In fact, while I have written many a blog detailing ROPE’s disagreements and frustrations with Dr. Barresi’spolicies from a Conservative perspective, even we Conservatives understand public education MUST be a particularly bi-partisan issue. The move to hire Mr. Robison, however, simply didn’t pass the smell test. 

What I found recently, is simply MIND BOGGLING, and explains why.

April 12^th, 1988 framed a particularly divisive school board election in Oklahoma City Public Schools.  Arthur Stellar, then-OKC Public Schools (OKCPS) Superintendent, had recently been given a $6,200 annual pay and benefits increase by existing school board members.

This did not sit well with the OCFT (Oklahoma City Federation of Teachers – local arm of the American Federation of Teachers) who vowed to defeat the three incumbent board members up for reelection that year.  In addition, the OKCPS teachers would be deciding their union of representation May 18. The OCFT had held bargaining rights for teachers since 1977, surviving four previous challenges from rival union OEA-OKC, and teachers would once again be deciding their fate in mere weeks.

Betty Hill, sitting President of the Board (general manager of Jim Hill Heating and Cooling Co. at the time), was the only one of the three who chose to run under these conditions. Her opponent was OCFT-endorsed, Jesse Isbell, a Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. Employee. 

Isbell received 437 district votes. Hill’s total was 305. This forced a runoff election which was to be held on May 3, 1988.

Elections for districts 4 and 5 resulted in elections for OCFT-endorsed candidates, indicating little more than a planned union takeover of the board.

BUT WAIT! Ted Metscher, president of the OCFT and Joel Robison, president of the state AFT (and a physical education teacher within the system) were BOTH found to have voted in the April election while LIVING OUTSIDE THE OKC public school district! Both men were listed on the polling record for Mark Twain Elementary School. Both men listed the business office of the OKFT as their addresses, though Metscher lived in Norman and Robison in Bethany. 

Oklahoma law requires that voters list their home addresses, and the Oklahoma County prosecutor at the time (), publically stated that using a business address to register a vote was a violation of both misdemeanor and felony laws.

Both men actually admitted to voting ILLEGALLY, citing their voter fraud as simple “mistake”.

Metscher was quoted as saying, “My statement is it is a mistake and it’s been corrected. I’m reregistered and I’m sorry.”

Robison said, “I’m not going to say I didn’t realize. It was just a mistake.”

Union members ALSO committing voter fraud in the election were Joel Robison’s wife, Donna (a special education teacher at Classen Fifth-Grade Center), and Georgia Ianello, the former head of the OCFT (who lived in the Putnam City School district).

Though the OCFT placed information in teachers’ school mailboxes BEFORE the election including individual district maps, 35 people who lived outside the boundary lines for District 3 voted in that election, including 8 Oklahoma City schoolteachers, and one principal.

As one commentary in the Oklahoman stated (April 28, 1988), “…it is incredible that people involved in educating children should demonstrate ignorance of, or perhaps disdain for, such a fundamental principle of the democratic process as the sanctity of the vote. With that caliber of union leadership, it is not hard to imagine the kind of school board Oklahoma City would have if it should come totally under union control.”

By April 30^th, Both Metscher and Robison had resigned their AFT posts and lost their union salaries as the OSBI began to investigate “voter registration fraud”. 

Betty Hill won re-election to her post in District 3, May 3 with 53% of the vote. 

May 18^th, OKCPS teachers elected OEA-OKC to represent them as their bargaining agent.

In early June, a more than 230-page OSBI report focused on the actions of Robison and his wife, Donna, Metscher and Ianello was delivered to the district attorney’s office allowing OK County DA Robert Macy to file criminal charges. Though all four were found to have fraudulently cast their votes in the April 12^th election, all were accused only of the misdemeanor charge of “willfully and knowingly” voting illegally in an OKCPS election. The maximum punishment was to be 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Arthur Stellar, OKCPS then-Superintendent explained that OKCPS actions “could run the gamut from an oral reprimand to termination,” but also indicated that no action would be taken against the teachers until the outcome of the case had been determined.

Macy’s decision frustrated many, including Hill and then-OKCPS board President Kay Floyd who said, “I worry about the message that sends to kids, the public, everybody…I have a problem with them being in the classroom.”

The second week of July, Robison, his wife Donna, and Ianello faced their first court appearances on their misdemeanor charges.

In August, both Joel and Donna Robison had resigned their teaching positions and moved to Wichita, Kansas.

By October 18, 1988, the Robisons were given each a 30-day suspended sentence and fined $1,000 (the maximum fine allowed) after reaching an agreement with prosecutors. Each wrote in a court affidavit: “I voted in a school election in a district or precinct in which I did not reside.”

Today, after serving many years as the Chief Lobbyist for OEA, Joel Robison, a man convicted of voter fraud in a school board election tainted by overt union dealings, is the Chief of Staff for the Oklahoma State Superintendent.

Yes, all of us have made/will make mistakes in our lives. Yes, certainly as a Christian one should extend grace and forgiveness. Yes, those who make mistakes must go on to lead their lives in a fruitful, meaningful way and we must allow them to do so.

Mr. Robison could have continued anywhere as a physical education teacher, yet he came back to Oklahoma, switched union allegiance, continued on in union employ and was then put in a position to lobby on behalf of ALL Oklahoma taxpayers for issues affecting our children in public school. Mr. Robison broke the public trust and is now helping to oversee the agency charged with KEEPING the public trust.

We think THAT is stepping over the line.

Resources available from the NewsOk archives under the following titles:

Teachers’ Union Officials Crash School Election, Chris Brawley, April 27, 1988

Records Show 35 Crossed School Election Boundaries, Chris Brawley, Chip Minty, April 27, 1988

Bad Omen for School Board, Editorial, April 28, 1988

OSBI Opens City School Vote Probe, Chris Brawley, April 28, 1988

Oklahoma School Board Candidate Undaunted by Suspect Votes, Chris Casteel, April 29, 1988

More Ineligible School Voters Named, Chris Brawley, April 30, 1988

Runoff Vote to End Hot School Contest, Chris Brawley, May 2, 1988

Union Blameless, Leader Claims, Chris Brawley, May3, 1988

School Board President Re-Elected, Chris Brawley, May 4, 1988

State Official Urges Revision of School Election Laws, Chris Brawley, May 9, 1988

Unions Seeking Backers in City’s School System Teachers, Support Personnel to Choose, Chris Brawley, May 15, 1988

Teacher Union Presidents Quit After Probe Starts, Chris Brawley, April 30, 1988

OSBI Files Report on Possible Fraud, Chris Brawley, June 12, 1988

Criminal Charges Planned in School Election Fraud Probe, Nolan Clay, July 6, 1988

Illegal Voting Charge Filed on Teachers, Chris Brawley, Nolan Clay, July 8, 1988

3 Teachers in Court on Election Charges, Editorial, July 12, 1988

Vote Fraud Suspect Unaware of Restrictions, Attorney Says, July 16, 1988

Board Member Concerned Over Teachers’ Jobs, Chris Brawley, September 1, 1988

Jury to Hear Case Against City Teachers, Nolan Clay, September 23, 1988

Teachers Enter Pleas of Guilty in Voting Case, Nolan Clay, October 18, 1988

Ex-Teachers Fined for Illegal Voting, Nolan Clay, October 14, 1988

Teachers Should Accept Blame, Editorial, October 21, 1988

Teachers Disciplined Confidentially, Chris Brawley, November 1, 1988

Still Not On Board the Crazy Train

Well, I think this was a very responsible article by CapitolBeatOK.com about a very controversial hire by the State Department of Education (Consensus Building Vital to Fixing Common Education, Says New Barresi Chief of Staff).

I think Mr. Robison sounds sensible.

I believe that public education is a bi-partisan issue.

The only problem with the whole thing then, here, I guess, is the fact that ROPE does NOT AGREE with C3, the NCLB Waiver, Common Core, or the fact that our superintendent is not doing a great job doing what she said she would as CANDIDATE Barresi.

So, nothing personal Joel, but until the REFORM train turns around into positive territory by negatively impacting the budget AND federal entanglements in order to save the pocketbooks of the taxpayer, follow the Constitution and really provide children with opportunities for learning that provide results and not just test scores, we're not on board.

Superintendent Barresi Hires OEA Lobbyist For Chief of Staff

Oh yes. It would seem there isn't a Santa Claus Virginia - at least not for Oklahoma Republicans this year!

With apparently such little fanfare that the office couldn't be bothered to comment on the hire, State Superintendent Janet Barresi has hired Joel Robison, the head lobbyist for the largest Oklahoma teacher's union, the OEA, to replace her embattled Chief of Staff, Jennifer Carter.

Now, Mr. Robison may be an outstanding person, however, as my mom reminded me (sometimes relentlessly) as I was growing up, it's those with whom you associate by which your actions are known.

So, for those that might not know, the OEA is the National Education Assocation's little Oklahoma brother. Yes, that NEA.

• The one that hosted the Drag Queen Caucus at last year's national convention.
• The same NEA that also "spent much of the last 12 months fighting for comprehensive health reform".
  
• The same NEA that prefers revisionist history in textbooks, particularly if Christianity is involved.
  
• The same NEA that suggests Rules For Radicals by America/Christ-hating Saul Alinksy on it's The Activists Library Page.
  
• The same NEA that is front and center on our growing agenda of Class Warfare.
  
• The same NEA that is supporting Barrack Obama's re-election bid.
  
• The same NEA that has aligned itself with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Oh, and let's not forget who sweetened the pot on the effort to pass State Question 744 by 1.5 MILLION DOLLAR's worth (the effort which Janet Barresi said she would NOT support as she campaigned) - yup, the OEA!

Okay, I could go on, but I am becoming exhausted and depressed.

I have discussed my concerns in this blog about the fact that our Republican State Superintendent - who, coincidentally surfed into office on the tidal wave of Republican'ism' backlash created by our current President and his unquestionable desire to recreate America as a bastion of Marxism over Federalism - isn't really a Republican at all, but simply a Democrat in a Republican suit. (I refuse to call these people RHINO's (Republican in Name Only), as I have no intention of slurring the good name of rhinoceri everywhere.)

Sadly, and at this point in her career as Superintendent, I think the State Board of Education should consider gravely a vote of No Confidence. Dr. Barresi, may, be a wonderful lady and an outstanding oral surgeon, but her associations leave little to be desired.