#NCGA: A Common Core food fight?

coreWant to send blood pressure readings through the roof?  Mention those two magical C-words among a crowd of people and stand back to watch the ensuing fireworks.  Common Core is a federally-coordinated public education curriculum endorsed by the educrats, The US Chamber of Commerce, and other Big Business entities. Supporters see it as a way to ensure that ALL public school students are being held to the same rigorous standards. Opponents see it as governmental overreach, liberal indoctrination, and a gross violation of privacy, among other things.bel

Numerous “red” states have already said vaya con dios to Common Core.  North Carolina is seeking to join that distinguished group.  But first, there needs to be some sort of agreement between the two Republican-controlled chambers of The General Assembly  which have passed different flavors of legislation dealing with Common Core. Common Core opponents in the Senate are being led by Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and majority whip Sen. Jerry Tillman.  Tillman penned a column for our web site where he praised the legislation passed by his chamber.   State Rep. Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus) is critical of the Senate bill, labeling it simply as a “rebranding” of Common Core.  Pittman is warning that the state House is preparing to accept the Senate version and discard the House bill — which he says goes further than the Senate bill by actually killing Common Core. legis

Here is the Senate’s take on dealing with Common Core.  Here is the House version of the anti-Common Core legislation, which Rep. Pittman and other House conservatives strongly support.  For anything concrete to come out of this debate, the two chambers will have to sit down together and work out their differences. It’s important that those of us who have to live with the consequences of those decisions work to ensure those discussions go in the right direction.