I’ve had a few legislators bring this facebook post from South Dakota State Representative Elizabeth May to my attention, and I’m finally getting 10 minutes to get the opportunity to convert the post from a series of screen grabs to text.

May expresses her unhappiness with the Blue Ribbon Task Force, the participants, how they’re conducting the meetings, and with common core. No, she’s not saying common core causes suicide again. But, she is interjecting it into the task force examining how we fund education.

Read for yourself:

Elizabeth Marty May – Jun 2 at 11:26pm

This morning, the following email was sent to all South Dakota Legislators from Tony Venhuizen, Chief of Staff to Gov. Daugaard, on behalf of Sen. Deb Soholt and Rep. Jacqueline Sly, Co-Chairs of the Blue Ribbon Task Force:

Legislators – I am sending this email on behalf of Blue Ribbon Co­ Chairs Soholt and Sly. thv

TO: South Dakota Legislators
FROM: Senator Deb Soholt & Representative Jacque Sly
Co-Chairs,Blue Ribbon Task Force for Education Funding Reform

RE: Public Listening Sessions – Blue Ribbon Greetings to our Legislative Colleagues!

We have the privilege of co-chairing the Blue Ribbon Task Force on K-12 Teachers and Students to reevaluate the current funding formula, collect and analyze data, engage with stakeholders and seek public input. We will then make recommendations to the 2016 Legislature for reform.

With the focus on solely on education funding and teacher pipeline, we will not be considering standards/curriculum, assessments, student achievement etc.

The Technology and Innovation in Education (TIE) group is helping with overall facilitation for the effort (as when PEW assisted with criminal justice and juvenile justice reform).

We want to update you on the status of the work, and invite you to come to scheduled meetings to listen/observe public input.

Phase 1                March – June
Seeking information from the public
Listening sessions with the public and with individual groups
Collect that feedback
Synthesize feedback into a report
Appoint stakeholder members of the task force

During Phase 1 we have been considering the following question:

What possibilities exist to meaningfully fund education for our kids and our communities?

We’ve already met with: SDEA, State PTA, Technology in Education (TIE). Associated School Boards (ASBSD), SD Elementary Principals, and NE Superintendents.        Now we’ll be listening in 6 communities and having 3 sessions each time with teachers, business community and the public. Find meeting times/locations on the blueribbon.sd.gov site.

June 2 – Chamberlain June 3 – Rapid City June 16 – Sioux Falls June 17 – Yankton June 22 – Watertown June 23 – Aberdeen

As legislators you are invited to come to these sessions and observe/listen to the input. We are using a very participative method, and ask that legislators not be part of the group – but observers and supporters of the work. We are wanting this phase to be hearing specific stakeholder groups outside of the legislature.

Phase 2                July – August
Task force will meet to analyze and consider data

Phase 3                September – October
Make recommendations
Research and policy changes for the funding of SD K-12 system
Issue a final report as a task force

Thanks for following our progress on blueribbon.sd.gov and connect with us as needed.

We appreciate your support for this very important issue for the successful future of South Dakota!

——–

I do want to share some of my concerns with my email.

I don’t know how you discuss education funding without discussing the Common Core, assessments and federal mandates for which the South Dakota Department of Education has become the enforcement arm.

I don’t know how you discuss the teacher pipeline without discussing the Common Core and its underlying message that we can’t trust teachers to teach. I don’t know one teacher who went into teaching to create data points and spend their days doing test prep. Will they look at this as contributing to the teacher shortage?

Please remember that at the same time, schools were being forced to take cuts, teacher salaries were either frozen or cut, the state chose to adopt unproven content standards which required professional development for teachers to learn an unproven pedagogy.

And what an affront to legislators. To be asked not to participate and to support the work of this panel. What if there is a disagreement? I wasn’t aware that we elected representatives to support the vision of a qovernor appointed panel.

And those stakeholders the panel is working with, here’s a little on those organizations.

South Dakota PTA – We know the national PTA has accepted funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote the Common Core.

SDEA South Dakota Education Association – We know that the NEA (National Education Association has accepted funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to, among other things, develop Common Core aligned curriculum. The SDEA is one of the organizations that works very hard legislatively to prevent the repeal or defunding of the Common Core.

TIE Technology & Innovation in Education – This organization is the South Dakota arm of mass customized learning, the program where students spend their time with an electronic device guiding their learning vs. a teacher guiding their learning. They have partnered with the SD Department of Education.

ASBSD Associated School Boards of South Dakota – This organization is also very busy legislatively blocking the removal of the Common Core Standards and testing. The National School Board Association has accepted   Gates Core standards and testing. The national School Board Association has accepted Gates Foundation Grant Money.

SASD School Administrators of South Dakota – This organization is comprised of Elementary and Secondary Principals and Superintendents. This organization works very hard to block legislation removing the Common Core and the testing.

I’ve got news for the “Blue Ribbon Task Force” I’ll go to any mtg. I want and I’ll ask any question I want. Who in the hell do these people think they are?     This “Blue Ribbon Task Force” is a joke. Every person appointed is in leadership and only 3 actually sit on the “Education Committee” Tommorow they’re in Rapid City and everyone within a 100 miles needs to go. It’s that important folks!!!!

I guess I’m not seeing some of the problems with the listening sessions that she’s describing. First and foremost, in the first phase, they’re wanting input from the stakeholders – the people and organizations that deliver education in the state.  (Now we’ll be listening in 6 communities and having 3 sessions each time with teachers, business community and the public.)

May describes this as a major faux pas (“And what an affront to legislators. To be asked not to participate and to support the work of this panel. What if there is a disagreement?“)

If I was looking to find out what the public thinks, I have to agree with the organizers – I wouldn’t want a bunch of legislators running over them either. Legislators will get ample opportunity for input. Believe me, they’ll get plenty of input.

Otherwise, in her lament to her colleagues, it’s common core “this,” and common core “that.”

Did we forget about why this panel was called? It’s not about common core.  Despite May noting “I don’t know how you discuss education funding without discussing the Common Core, assessments and federal mandates for which the South Dakota Department of Education has become the enforcement arm,” and “I don’t know how you discuss the teacher pipeline without discussing the Common Core and its underlying message that we can’t trust teachers to teach.”

Again, I think that sells the purpose of the committee short.

Teacher shortages in key areas have been around long before common core arrived. Teacher pay has been an issue predating the much maligned content standards as well. How do you discuss either without common core? Pretty darned easily.

Content standards come and go, and have nothing to do how we tax the population to pay for education. They might slightly affect how many teachers we need for specific areas, but anymore it’s viewed in more of a context of the ability to pay them period, as opposed to what specialty they teach.

Make no mistake, and don’t get distracted by the flak being thrown up on content standards. Does anyone think Common Core will remain after a Republican president is elected? I don’t. It will be back to the drawing board, and we will once again have the newest and best-est proposals coming shortly thereafter.

This panel is about how we pay for education in South Dakota, and will have major economic repercussions for South Dakota and it’s taxpayers.

The economics of education are what the people watching the committee and how legislators react to it next year need to focus on. Will it be a restructuring of the funding formula?  Will it result in new taxes in the 2016 legislative session?

Ignore the noise and all the flashing lights. Because that’s not where you should be looking. Keep your eye on the economic ball. That’s the one you should be paying attention to.

What do you think?