ATLANTA (June 19, 2013) – Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick), the sponsor of legislation to withdraw Georgia from its participation in the Common Core State Standards Initiative and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing consortium, will participate in back-to-back “Confronting the Common Core” events open to the public this Friday night and again on Saturday morning.
Other expert panelists include Bill Evers, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for policy; Jamie Gass, Director of the Center for School Reform at the Pioneer Institute; Emmett McGroarty, Esq., Executive Director of the Preserve Innocence Initiative at the American Principles Project; and Jane Robbins, Esq., Senior Fellow at the American Principles Project.
“I am honored to participate in this panel with these national experts,” stated Sen. Ligon. “It is rare that citizens have a first-hand opportunity to ask their questions directly to such an esteemed group of panelists. It is critical that citizens, and especially parents, understand why this effort to nationalize educational standards and testing present dangerous precedents in education that will continue to erode parental rights, local control, and the quality of education.”
“Though I am sure the previous administration had the best of intentions when deciding to apply for Race to the Top, the lack of accountability to the parents and taxpayers of this state is stunning,” said Sen. Ligon. “There has been no thorough cost analysis of what the unfunded mandates will cost Georgia’s taxpayers.”
“Secondly, allowing a consortium of states to work with non-profits and other unaccountable parties to develop our standards without open public oversight is untenable in a country of free people, especially considering that Georgia’s taxpayers support K-12 education with $13 billion of hard-earned dollars every year,” Sen. Ligon said. “Georgia needs to have a transparent, democratic process of developing curriculum standards and a means to ensure more direct accountability at the local level.”
On Friday, June 21, the panel discussion will take place at Sonesta Gwinnett Place (formerly Marriott) at 1775 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, from 7:00 PM until 9:30 PM. On Saturday, June 22, the event will take place at Roswell Street Baptist Church, 774 Roswell Street, Marietta, from 9:30 AM until 12:00 PM. A suggested donation of $10 is requested, and pre-registration can take place online at www.stopcommoncore.com or call 770-617-1987.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
June 19, 2013
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Interim Director
Shawna Mercer, Sr. Communications Specialist
Shawna.Mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028