Today the Idaho Education Committee voted on the administrative rules changes proposed by the Idaho State Board of Education.
Unconfirmed vote tally is as follows:
Voting NO on the rules and in the interests of Idaho children & taxpayers
Monty Pearce
Voting YES on the rules and AGAINST the interests of Idaho children & taxpayers
John W. Goedde
Russell M. Fulcher
Gary J. Schroeder
Tom Gannon
Michael Jorgenson
Stan Bastian
Mike Burkett
Edgar J. Malepeai
So what did they vote for?
1. To allow "limited english proficiency' to be used as a criteria for determining "At Risk" status. 'At Risk' students are eligible for a myriad of costly special services paid for by YOU... the taxpayers of Idaho.... and at the expense of AMERICAN children.
And in the rules... it stated that the Idaho State Board of Education had NO IDEA how much that would cost local school districts. So in effect, these legislators opened your pocketbook and wrote a blank check for services for "limited english proficiency" students.
How magnanimous of them.
2. They voted to require 2 lab science courses for graduation. Can every school in the state offer 2 lab science courses? Or are taxpayers going to have to build labs for schools that don't have them?
3. They voted to require an additional 2 math classes for graduation. This was proposed last year under high school redesign and it was overwhelmingly rejected by parents, teachers, school administrators because it eliminate electives like music and art.
Worse still is that the rules state: Algebra or a class that meets Algebra standards. Most people would say "what does that mean? It's either algebra or it isn't. But this is the underhanded way they are slipping implementing vocational oriented classes into the curriculum - meaning "fractions for hairdressers" "Geometry for landscapers".
4. The Education committee voted for the semantically deceptive "highly qualified" teachers. They eliminated education requirements for teacher certification. Instead they will use resume data for life and career experience to determine if a teacher is "highly qualified".
No doubt there are other surprises yet to be discovered in the 2007 administrative rule changes. The Idaho State Board of Education is very clever about implementing changes to convert American schools into dumbed down soviet poly-technical schools for functionally literal "workers".
It's a shame they don't use that cleverness to serve the interests of children rather than to undermine the foundations of the American system.
Is that a conspiracy theory? You be the judge:
Idaho Achievement Standards 8/15/2006
Docket 08-0203-0602 bottom of Page 39-40
Idaho Achievement Standards - incorporated by reference.
They are teaching globalization from Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Global Perspectives K12
Note that Idaho Constitution says republican form of government - not a global socialist form of governance:
Idaho State Constitution
Article IX, Section 1
SECTION 1. LEGISLATURE TO ESTABLISH SYSTEM OF FREE SCHOOLS. The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of Idaho, to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.
It's a sad day for Idaho and our nation when legislators don't know the difference - or don't care.