Remember this post from when we were warning about Joe Straus~
Well we were right and now Perry and Dewhurst are making deals.
Below is an e-mail I just received.
“A friend sent the following along with her research on what the Rainy Day Fund really is. It follows under the title “Economic Stabilization Fund”.
“Yesterday in Austin, the Freshmen (you know, the fabulous conservatives we’ve all been excited about!) were split into groups for separate meetings and pressured to vote to raid the Rainy Day Fund (RDF) for $2 billion to fund the new water plan. The vote requires 100 supporters, so the freshmen votes are necessary to make it work. They are being told if they do not vote for it, the rest of the Republicans will instead make a deal with the Dems and will agree to spend $4-5 billion of the RDF instead of $2 billion. In return for their vote to raid the RDF, they are being promised cuts to the Business Margins tax, that the fetal pain bill and the campus carry bill will be sent to the floor for a vote (instead of being held up in committee), tax credits for R&D, and money from lobbyists. (These deals are all under the table). There is also an expectation that in a meeting w/ Perry on Monday he will pressure them to support this plan and in return will promise to veto any effort to raise the spending cap. Of course, these folks have made promises before and not kept them.
Corruption in Texas Politics
The pressure is immense. In a room with 10 freshmen, 8 signed pledges to support this plan. Hey, spending $2 billion is less than spending $5 billion, right? HOW ABOUT NOT SPENDING ANY??? What happened to that plan? And shame on any legislator that uses life and safety issues to manipulate others in giving them what they want.
Many of the conservative freshmen campaigned on a promise to protect the RDF and even put it in writing. If they now vote for raiding the RDF, their challengers will have a heyday with it. And not only that, it’s just not the right answer anyway!
“When members of the Texas House meet on Monday, they will take the next-to-last step in busting the state’s spending cap. This coming in a session that has produced no lasting budget reforms and no real tax relief, despite a biennium with the largest jump in state revenues in modern history. Worse, legislators are poised to do so with a massive draw from the rainy day fund.
Legislative leaders – from Speaker Joe Straus on down – are reportedly promising some conservatives that if they will just vote for this $2 billion draw and set the stage for busting the cap, then they will now move some of the conservatives’ legislation. Just trust them. Trust them? Isn’t this a GOP majority? Shouldn’t that conservative legislation be moving anyway? But it’s not.
Others may scheme, but we have to stand on principle, and fight with valor and integrity.
Conservative legislators voting for bad policies in the hopes of getting good legislation to move might do well to remember that selling out will rarely provide the pay-day they expect.
Others may scheme, but we have to stand on principle, and fight with valor and integrity.
Lawmakers started with a lot of promises, and even more money. They’ve blown through the cash, and are trying to grab even more. And thanks to a leadership undermining conservatives, those pledges are evaporating faster than water in August.
Last Monday evening in Carthage, Texas Alice Linahan with Women On The Wall.org was hosted by Conservatives to uncover what is behind CSCOPE an online technology curriculum that is in 75 % of school districts in the state of Texas.
What was uncovered is that CSCOPE has major issues from who is behind it, how it was implemented and the fact that it is not helping districts who are struggling with failing students.
CSCOPE is without a doubt connected to the Common Core philosophy of education that is being forced on 45 states across the country.
It was clearly shown the educational philosophy behind CSCOPE was based on the research and beliefs of Linda Darling Hammond, Lev Vygotsky and Fenwick English — with English listed among the 10 most wanted enemies of education.
Here are facts that were presented and follow up information as to why the over riding theme of the evening was…. Follow the money.
• TESCCC/CSCOPE is made up of the executive directors of the Education Service Centers of Texas used taxpayer money as venture capital to start a non-profit corporation without clearance from the legislature, the Attorney Generals office, or the Commissioner of Education.
• The ESC (Education Service Centers of Texas) for at least the last 2 years have been in violation of Texas Education Code TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION, SUBTITLE E. STUDENTS AND PARENTS, CHAPTER 26. PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Sec 26.006. ACCESS TO TEACHING MATERIALS). TESCCC/CSOPE required every teacher and administrator using the CSCOPE materials to sign a very strict non-disclosure agreement which prevents them from letting parents see the course materials being taught to their students.
• Every aspect of the CSCOPE product was developed with public funds. After the product was developed, ownership was transferred from the State of Texas to a private corporation without compensating taxpayers for the money used to develop the product.
• Then the private corporation charges each Texas ESC an original membership fee and annual dues for the right to sell CSCOPE to the Texas ISDs. The original membership fee can be as high as $275,000, and the annual dues vary. Those membership fees and dues are paid with public funds.
• Then each ESC sells yearly licenses to the Texas ISDs which allow them to use CSCOPE curriculum and materials. This annual fee is also paid with public funds.
• So Texas public funds paid for the development of the CSCOPE curriculum. Texas public funds pay for the original membership fees and annual dues for the CSCOPE curriculum. And Texas public funds pay for the annual ISD licenses for CSCOPE. Texas is paying over and over for a product it may already own.
•Many are calling for an investigation into possible criminal behavior by the governing board of TESCCC/CSCOPE made up of the executive directors of the Education Service Centers of Texas in that the Executive Directors of the ESCs are acting in obvious conflict of interest in simultaneously directing the ESCs and serving on the governing board of TESCCC/CSCOPE.
• In their capacities on the TESCCC/CSCOPE board the directors set the fees to be charged to the ESCs. Then in their capacities as directors of the ESCs these SAME people heavily influence the approval for paying the fees to TESCCC/CSCOPE.
It is very apparent that when you follow the money those producing, selling and implementing CSCOPE have a vested interest in seeing a failing curriculum stay in the districts currently renting CSCOPE.
Who are the losers in this scam? Texas children because they are being used for profit instead of being taught with the highest quality education which is produced by hiring teachers who can teach, not teachers who are given an inferior products that they have to spend hours trying to work around because of the flaws in products such as CSCOPE.
The question was asked, is there an intent to indoctrinate Texas students with the CSCOPE curriculum?
As Jeanine McGregor has stated, “I have viewed enough lessons to know that careless errors or failure to edit is not the cause for so many controversial lessons and indoctrinating slants on questions. Patterns always denote an intent.” So what is the intent behind the CSCOPE curriculum that is so closely aligned not with the updated and current Texas TEKS but with the Common Core progressive philosophy of education?
One thing that seemed to be agreed upon by administrators, educators and conservatives in the room. Control from the federal and state government with respect to school accountability was key. If the schools are held hostage to the funds they receive from the federal and state government then they are finically tied to what and how they teach. So what are the solutions?
A PLAN FOR SCHOOLS WITHOUT CSCOPE
We are calling for superintendents and principals in Carthage ISD and in districts across the state to assume leadership in schools by putting a stop order on CSCOPE, effective immediately, until a thorough investigation can be conducted into the allegations against CSCOPE.
How will a school function without CSCOPE?
In the interim, school officials are asked to model high performing Texas schools that have opted to forego CSCOPE. In those schools, there are certain common factors that contribute to their high performing status. Commonly, teachers are part of planning teams that are allowed autonomy to plan for student success by exercising a voice in instructional material choices. Teachers are encouraged to plan lessons that teach at a high level, rather than lessons that “cover the TEKS,” as is the case with CSCOPE. The TEKS are considered to be the lowest denominator involved in mastering the overarching material being taught in the curriculum.
How will a school assure teachers are covering the TEKS without CSCOPE?
A free copy of the TEKS for every teacher can be downloaded from the Texas Education Agency website. Currently, Texas CSCOPE students are wasting one out of every five school days being assessed, cumulatively two months of the school year. Teacher use lesson plan systems online that include checking off the TEKS they are teaching to assure they are covering all of them.
How will students have the rigor to prepare for the STAAR test?
Teachers are reporting that CSCOPE lessons are full of time wasting cut/paste, foldables, and students getting into groups to exchange information when they don’t have the background information. Teachers have reported that CSCOPE lacks rigor and stifles their ability to teach at a challenging level. Teachers are able to purchase test preparation material for practice that is STAAR formatted. The assessments in CSCOPE contain open ended questions which are not STAAR formatted anyway.
What materials will schools use if they don’t use CSCOPE for content?
CSCOPE does not contain content. In other words, there are no novels or stories in reading and no reading material in Science, Social Studies, etc. Teachers are left scrambling to find material all over the internet which is time consuming. This leaves parents vulnerable as their children are exposed to content that is not grade leveled and that has no oversight. We are asking for textbooks that have been purchased by local taxpayers to be taken out of school bookrooms and used to conduct quality instruction.
Now is the time for Texas Moms, Dads and community tax payers to take our schools back and remind the administrators they work for us and we will hold them accountable by electing school board members who will replace them if they do not listen to the tax payers instead of TASA and the ESCs.
Hat Tip to Bill Hussey and Mary Bowen for their unending research and courage in exposing CSCOPE and providing much of the information above.
“Why The FBI CANNOT use the word Jihad and the Charter School Movement has been infiltrated: The Desensitizing of America” Or otherwise known as: “It is not political correctness; it IS Islamophobia”
“October of 2011, an organization called “Muslim Advocates,” a group composed of fifty-seven Muslim advocacy groups from across the country, signed and sent a letter to high level Obama administration officials. They urged the administration to enact a widespread purge within law enforcement departments and agencies of any materials that could be deemed biased or discriminatory against Muslims.”
Now watch the short video below where the question is asked….
Is Common Core and CSCOPE in Texas a National Security Threat?
Listen to the answer carefully.
Basically using the Progressive Common Core philosophy of education being forced into states across this nation we are allowing them to desensitize our population to the real threats we face inside our own borders and they have the political establishment on both sides doing it for them. To make matters worse we as parents, grandparents and tax payers are funding the whole thing through our tax dollars and we are letting them use our children to do it.
Listen to what Bill Ayers says in the video below carefully…..
“If we want change to come we could do well not to look to the seats of power we have no access to. The white house even the congress the pentagon these are not the sites that we have access to. But lo and behold we have complete access to the community the
school the neighborhood the street the classroom the workplace, the shop, the farm. That’s what we have direct access to…..”
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Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE
“Why The FBI CANNOT use the word Jihad and the Charter School Movement has been infiltrated: The Desensitizing of America” Or otherwise known as: “It is not political correctness; it IS Islamophobia”
“October of 2011, an organization called “Muslim Advocates,” a group composed of fifty-seven Muslim advocacy groups from across the country, signed and sent a letter to high level Obama administration officials. They urged the administration to enact a widespread purge within law enforcement departments and agencies of any materials that could be deemed biased or discriminatory against Muslims.”
Now watch the short video below where the question is asked….
Is Common Core and CSCOPE in Texas a National Security Threat?
Listen to the answer carefully.
Basically using the Progressive Common Core philosophy of education being forced into states across this nation we are allowing them to desensitize our population to the real threats we face inside our own borders and they have the political establishment on both sides doing it for them. To make matters worse we as parents, grandparents and tax payers are funding the whole thing through our tax dollars and we are letting them use our children to do it.
Listen to what Bill Ayers says in the video below carefully…..
“If we want change to come we could do well not to look to the seats of power we have no access to. The white house even the congress the pentagon these are not the sites that we have access to. But lo and behold we have complete access to the community the
school the neighborhood the street the classroom the workplace, the shop, the farm. That’s what we have direct access to…..”
Find out who your STATE representative is hereand youcan get their phone number and leave a message…
BILL THAT ALLOWS PROPERTY TAX
TO BUILD TOLL ROADS SNEAKS
PAST HOUSE MEMBERS!
They’ll build the road with property tax, but will charge you a TOLL to drive on it!
In yet another sneaky trick on the House floor today, our good guys had a bad bill slip by before anyone knew what had happened.
El Paso Democrat Rep. Joe Pickett quickly replaced the bill our good guys were watching for, HB 1716, with the senate bill, SB 1110, the gavel went down and everyone was assumed a ‘yes’ vote before anyone could object. Several of our good guys went back later and were sure to cast a ‘No’ vote in the journal, but the damage was done. So the bill passed to what’s called the third reading tomorrow — which is the absolute LAST stop. Since it already passed the Senate (unanimously), if it passes tomorrow, it becomes law because the Governor will gladly sign it.
So please disseminate this information as quickly as possible by email, text, Facebook – anywhere and everywhere. We need a flood of calls to STOP this bill DEAD in its tracks tomorrow. The House convenes at 10 AM.
Bill specifics below…
Allows Property Taxes to
subsidize TOLL roads!
NOTE: SB 1110 (Nichols – House sponsor, Pickett) – Is on the Calendar for Thursday, April 25
SB 1110 (Nichols) - Expands the definition of & use of a transportation project from strictly roads to include rail, transit, even parking lots, ferries, and airports with Transportation Reinvestment Zones (TRZ) without accountability to the voters/taxpayers. TRZs pledge LOCAL property taxes (appraisal increases) and/or sales tax revenues in the zone to pay for STATE highway projects, including toll projects (which is a double tax to use tax money to build it, but charge Texans a toll to drive on it). If a toll project needs TAX money to subsidize it, it means it’s NOT toll viable and cannot be paid for with the tolls alone. So a ‘YES’ vote is a deliberate vote in favor of DOUBLE TAXATION and it moves toll road policy away from ‘user’ pays to ALL taxpayers paying for the road, yet Texans can be charged AGAIN to drive on it!
Text of SB 1110 that expands the definition of a transportation project:
SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 222, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Section 222.1001 to read as follows:
Sec. 222.1001. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, “transportation project” has the meaning assigned by Section 370.003.
CHAPTER 370.003 of the Transportation Code says:
Sec. 370.003. DEFINITIONS.
(14) ”Transportation project” means:
(A) a turnpike project;
…as well as a litany of different projects from rail & transit to ferries & parking lots
(C) a passenger or freight rail facility
(E) a ferry;
(F) an airport;
(G) a pedestrian or bicycle facility;
(H) an intermodal hub;
(I) an automated conveyor belt for the movement of freight;
(J) a border crossing inspection station;
(M) a transit system;
(M-1) a parking area, structure, or facility, or a collection device for parking fees;
Here is a little insight and wisdom on how to fight for your children and grandchildren from a Texas Teacher who is a good friend and colleague in the battle to expose CSCOPE.
What to say when the Superintendent or Curriculum Specialist says,
“We can’t get rid of CSCOPE because…..”
CSCOPE provides research based instruction
“Great, I am so glad you brought that up. Please provide me with hard copy information about all the piloted research studies that were conducted by an independent research firm before CSCOPE was launched. I am eager to see the proof that it works.”
CSCOPE is used in over 875 ISD’s across Texas
“How do you explain that more schools than ever before are rated academically unacceptable, with more projected to be so in the future? How do you explain that school districts that opted not to use CSCOPE are faring better than districts who are using it?”
…we can’t find anything better than CSCOPE. If you can find something better we’ll use it.
“I am so glad you said that. I will put together a parent committee right now. We will bring you options and an action plan to pick one of the options presented by the end of next week. We will hold you to your word that you are seeking the finest materials for our students.”
CSCOPE is correlated to the TEKS. They change all the time, and we have to have a living document that will change with the TEKS. CSCOPE provides that for our district.
“If CSCOPE is changing all the time, like you said it is, how can parents be assured that the material is properly reviewed? I am submitting a written request for the printed lessons to include an ongoing update of every change made to every lesson as it is changed.”
…you are the only person who has complained. The teachers and other parents are very satisfied with CSCOPE.
“I have a list of a hundred parents in this district who are not satisfied with CSCOPE and we will continue to meet with you until it is removed from use in our schools. We pay you to exercise a responsive leadership to the tax payers in this district. I have spoken with many parents and teachers who are highly dissatisfied.”
WOMEN ON THE WALL HAS JOINED WBTM’S RADIO PROGRAMMING
Please attribute to 
Let’s sit down together and have a Community Conversation about Texas’ Common Core ~ CSCOPE
“We can’t get rid of CSCOPE because…..”
