I saw a disgusting display of corrupt government at the ELG ( Education and Local Governance Interim Committee) in Helena on Monday. The public sat for FOUR HOURS while the MTSBA ( Montana School Boards Association) brought forth their" caucuses" to lobby for a funding bill (SB175 which passed last session). The MTSBA LIVES ON TAXPAYER DOLLARS!! That's right- they get their money from YOU. They take dues from the school boards- from money YOU gave to the school districts to run the schools. Then they lobby and lock you out. Does this sound right to you? They say the world is run by those who show up- well we're showing up and what has been going on behind our backs has not been pretty.
MTSBA president Steve Meloy stood there like a king- calling up his witnesses for FOUR HOURS!! One of his lobbyists ( school trustees and superintendents!) turned back to him and said "Oh, I forgot to mention the bonds like you told me". Steve got red faced and laughed " You're not supposed to say that!" he whispered. Then, as soon as he was able, he got up and lied and said he hadn't coached or coordinated what they were supposed to say!! Hmm- there was no diversity in the comments- all listed as much as they could that they had gotten with the extra funding (no accounting so who knows if that's how the money was really spent- Helena school district said they were hiring counselors with the extra money- they aren't counselors they're social workers and they hired them INSTEAD of certified school psychologists- so personnel is now hired with "extra" money??) They were all 100% behind Common Core though most of them appeared not to even REALLY know what the Common Core Standards are- they hadn't read them. Oh- and the bonds- gee- just give them the money and more bonding authority- it's so inconvenient to have a vote of the taxpayers for bonds (though they would NEVER SAY THE WORD TAXPAYER!!) and they want to just spend the money any way they want.
FINALLY - the public was allowed to speak- people from across the state spoke almost to a person against Common Core- very succinctly and with real life examples like student work and math papers. When the newspaper came out it called SB175 a "reform" bill- IN THE HEADLINE- and only gave the testimony of all these "notable" superintendents and trustees- the public testimony against Common Core from across the state was COMPLETELY IGNORED!! All the reading public knows is that SB175 is a "reform" bill- word used to make you think it is reforming education- making it better!! And then of course that "all" the school administrators and trustees think it's wonderful- and all the "good" things they were able to do with the money!!
Then came the kicker-at the break I was told by a legislator that the legislature has no control over curriculum- the State Board has total control and the legislature can't do a thing about it!! An appointed board has control over what is taught to our children and our elected representatives have NO VOICE!! They've been to court twice and the courts just say the legislature has to do what this appointed board of nine tells them to do!! SERIOUSLY?? Your vote means nothing- the easily controlled State Board will mandate the curriculum that ROCKS THE CRADLE.
The left worked this all out in the 70's- taking power from the legislature and giving it to regulatory boards like the Montana Board of Education, that they can control. There is no need for this intermediary board- the legislature should pass laws and the Office of Public Instruction should be charged with implementing them- end of story. I always did wonder about all this "training" that goes on in Russia. Who does the training and what is it all about? I guess Bill Clinton could tell you because he went there with his Rhodes Scholarship for a year- so did Obama's mentor Frank Marshall Davis. Maybe these communist trainers taught all these people how to undermine the vote of the people by having boards established. Appointed boards- easy to control who gets on them and to rotate their terms so that if there is a conservative governor elected the liberals stay on until he is gone and they always maintain a majority. Very easy to just get these nine controllable people (hand picked for this) to vote for just ANYTHING the left wants.
Larry Arn the president of Hillsdale College notes that these regulatory boards are at the heart of America's choice about how they will be governed. Regulations by unelected boards are not the will of the people, nor are they succinct and understandable, nor can they be CHANGED by the will of the people. TIME TO GET RID OF THE BOARDS AMERICA. In Montana it will take amending that horrid constitution that the counter culture left was able to not pass- but cheat to pass- in 1972. We can do it and we will do it- America- it's time to start ROCKING THE CRADLE OF YOUR OWN BABIES!!
When I was first became a school board trustee I attended the MTSBA convention and I was absolutely HORRIFIED. It is a hopelessly corrupt far-left organization, operated by attorneys, whose every whim is rubber-stamped by all the spineless and brainless trustees and administrators from across the state. I was not surprised by the leadership, but I was aghast at how little the trustees knew or cared about education. Absolutely shocking. It gave me precious little hope that Montana schools could be run effectively and efficiently. NONE of the trustees knew what Common Core is! I could not discuss the topic with anybody except a few administrators! Some trustees said they had "heard of it" but I was the only trustee there, out of 1500, who had actually attended a training session. Like my local school board, all of these trustees just rubber stamp whatever the superintendent tells them to. They also vowed to fight home schooling tooth and nail, and every single member of the MTSBA except two of us thought that was just great. I went home mystified and very, very concerned about Montana.
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