April 28, 2013
Dear Congresswoman McCarthy:
I am writing to you as a constituent, and because you sit on the education
committee. I am asking you do something to stop and help repeal the federal
mandated common core curriculum and take back NY.
As you may know, in November 2009, the Race to the Top Program was
introduced. It was a competition in which $4.35 billion dollars in grant money
would be divided among states that implemented plans in four core education
reform areas.
The first on that list was “adopting standards and assessments that prepare
students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global
economy.” At the time, the criteria for the RttT were vague, so many states
including New York jumped on board and we received the maximum amount of
$700 million.
In Nassau County, my District, North Merrick, only received $14,799 to
implement common core. Where did the rest of the money come from to cover
the cost of new textbooks? It looks like taxpayers will once again be asked to
cover the costs to implement the plan. If you look at NYC, according to a NY
Times article, to implement the Common Core, it will take about $56 million
dollars to cover just the costs of buying new English and math materials for
students in only kindergarten through eighth grade. Also, according to Gotham
Schools, the city has already spent $125 million in private and federal funds to
create materials and train teachers and principals in the standards.
As you can clearly see, the Common Core comes at an enormous price tag for
the taxpayer. With implementation spread out over the next three years, costs
will keep increasing, as Regents Exams will measure the Common Core in the
upcoming school year, as well as new testing with the PARCC assessments the
following year.
How is cash strapped Nassau County going to cover the expenses? The middle
class in Nassau county are already struggling to make it, not to mention some
have enormous expenses just to repair their homes from Hurricane Sandy. From
a cost perspective alone, we will lose our middle class on Long Island.
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Please help us take back our state from federal regulations and restore our
constitutional right to have the states control their own education system. Don’t
allow Big Corporations, such as the Gates Foundation and Pearson, to buy the
freedom of America’s children.
Sincerely,