School Choice is not what you think~ Not in Texas and not across the country!

By Alice Linahan

Let’s start by defining the term “school choice” as it pertains to current legislation; what you perceive it to be and what the actual legislation is, are two very different things. In politics perception is everything. Reality is what makes our children pawns in a political game.

The “political purpose” of  College and Career Ready/Competency Based/Personalized Learning/21st Century Learning/Common Core and School Choice is not public and can be defined as revolution through education. Revolution; defined as “a fundamental change in power or organizational structures.” This is, in fact, a centrally coordinated, reorganization of American education that has global tentacles that are indeed a threat to America.

The vision to Nationalize education has clearly laid out a pathway through “School Choice.” Be sure and take note of the fact that the same type of legislation is going through the legislative process in other states as well. The language and strategies for control, closely align. WHY is that?

Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s Pre-K program vision is not coming from the state, it is coming from the  Education Commission of the States who has ties to George Soros’ Center for American Progress

Notice on the list of the current education committee below the name Royce West and notice his role with the ECS (Education Commission of the State)  along with the names Jimmie Don Aycock and Kel Seliger. 

All the current legislation on “school choice” at a state and federal level ultimately hands parental rights on school choice to the state and federal government through what can be described as “Progressive Federalism”.

As my friend Michael Bohr correctly states…

“Parents, who are the first and forever educators of their children, are the only people who hold the right to determine “the best interests of their child”.

Everyone one else has an agenda that puts their best interests over those of the child and they have done so by taking control of our government.

Their hope is that we continue to fight the false battles they lay down before us and forget that we, the parents, are the sole authority in determining the education and upbringing of our children.

The books are quite explicit. Ted Sizer wrote a book in 2004, The New American High School, which laid out the vision and cites books going back to the 70′s that lay out the vision to Nationalize of Education through “School Choice”.

Interesting to note in Texas one of the key faces pushing “School Choice” is Kent Grusendorf a former Texas State representative who was the chair of the House Education Committee, who fought hard to bring digitized curriculum into our state and thought it would be just wonderful to throw textbooks away. The tech lobbyists “set up camp” on his desk. Donna Garner testified before Grusendorf on 3.29.04 and on 5.19.09 (see testimonies linked below).

Donna Garner Testimony 3.29.2004  and  Donna Garner’s Testimony 5.19.09

Grusendorf helped to lead the way in passing SB 6 which opened up pandora’s box for Common Core instructional materials to come flooding into Texas schools. In addition, he led the way for the Visioning/Transformational TASA/TASB plan. Now here is Grusendorf again, but this time he is the champion of school choice. 4.9.15 – Texas Public Policy “How Texas Can Take the Lead on School Choice”

Reminds me of why we are asking…. #CANiSEE who is financially benefiting.

You have to actually read current legislation that is going through Washington and Austin to see the strategies and tactics being used to manipulate legislation and what will be binding through federal law. Much like the individual mandate on healthcare. What is written in the latest version of the ESEA/NCLB reauthorization is an individual mandate on the child when that money follows the child.

There were three major actions under the Obama administration, without legislative approval, to change two hundred years of traditional public education in the United States.

(1) The Common Core copyright, which created a national curriculum and national testing mandating that individual students meet individual standards (similar to the Obamacare individual mandate).

(2) Unlocking data ‘to flow’ through the Family Education Rights in Privacy Act, FERPA, which allows personally identifiable information on our children to flow to outside 3rd party contractors for research and curriculum development to match Common Core.

(3) No Child Left Behind Flexibility Waiver, (ESEA, Elementary and Secondary Education Act), that is re-training teachers to teach to Common Core.

This also allowed ALL children in public school to be funded under Title I by changing the definition of who is poor or educationally deprived to anyone not meeting Common Core/College and Career Ready Standards. (Free and reduced lunch guidelines of 40% school wide were dropped to 0%.)

These three important points control standards and testing, curriculum, and teachers with all public school children being funded under Title I.

‘Obama and Progressive Republican’s Equity in Education Plan‘ for our entire country:

• charter schools replace public schools:
• everyone has federal Title I choice funds to go to any school (charter, private or religious schools)
• every child is taught the same standards:
• every teacher must teach the same standards:
• every test must be aligned to these standards:
• curriculum and software is aligned to standards:
• everything listed here is aligned to government data collection compliance.

So now it is your turn to take action.

Make the calls now! Time is of the essence.

If you are in Texas here are the names and telephone numbers to the Senate Education Committee.

Call them and say VOTE “NO” on all School Choice legislation AND amendments.  

Questions that must be asked of our elected  representatives: 

• What compromises will be made to get this legislation passed?
• If low-income students are given the Tax Payer Savings Grants; will the the OCR (civil rights) laws under Obama and his Justice Department regarding anti-discrimination go into effect?
• What court precedent protects the private school from the strings attached if any “public” dollars are accepted from outside the school for which tax deductions apply.
• SB 276, states, when the bill passes, the Comptroller and Appointed Commissioner of Ed will write the rules and administer the program. Why are we passing a bill where the rules are not clearly laid out so that elected official understand the reality on their constituents?
• Will federal mandates in legislation like WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act)  that have already passed and moved governing authority from the Dep. of Ed to Health and Human Services (HSS), which binds our K-12 public schools under career and college competency’s and assessments now be mandated on entities who take the money that follows the child?

Public schools are in crisis, not because they are failing but because they are being set up to fail.

Federal mandates have been paired with tests designed to fail 70% of children to pave the way for corporate America to “save” education. Investors have set their sights on the $700 million/year K-12 education industry, and they will stop at nothing.

Non-profit charters, being run by for-profit Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), have lobbyists ensuring legislation is passed to enable funneling of public funds into their pockets.

Government funds are being used forcibly to “expand” charter schools, at the state and federal levels. In the name of “innovation” charters are not held to the same standards as traditional public schools…the “accountability” standards that are killing public schools.

Traditional public schools have publicly elected school boards. Charter schools and CMOs have CEOs. Which will be responsive to the parent and voter?

Traditional public schools offer special education services to meet the needs of all children. Charter schools are legally required to, but use the excuse that they lack the specialized staff to offer adequate special ed services.

Traditional public schools have to accept all students. Charter schools say they do, but there are applications and lotteries, meaning only children with the most engaged parents enroll.

Re-segregation is occurring as a result of the practices above. Charter school operators target low income areas, where parents are least likely to fight back. Look to New Orleans, Philadelphia, Oakland and more to see how this has worked out for these students.