A two and a half hour joint House and Senate Education Policy Committee meeting was held on Wednesday to conduct a public hearing on two identical House and Senate bills to repeal Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards (ACCRS). Known more frequently as "Common Core," the standards provide a clear and consistent expectation of what students should be able to learn in mathematics and English Language Arts in preparation for college or a career out of high school.

BCA opposes both of these bills.

Because of the passion on both sides of the issue when it comes to the Common Core, hundreds of proponents and opponents turned out at the State House to hear what the other side had to say. Because of the expected crowd, the hearing was held in the House chamber, which quickly filled to capacity, along with the House gallery. Others who could not get in were forced to listen to the hearing on speakers in adjacent committee rooms. The bills, HB 254 and SB 190, are sponsored in the House by Rep. Jim Barton, R-Mobile, and in the Senate by Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Pike Road, respectively. 

History

In November 2010, the State Board of Education affirmed new, tougher reading and math standards for Alabama students. The new standards required more critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork instead of simple fill-in-the-blank memorization. Individual states were free to adopt the Common Core State Standards as their own, to adopt a modified version that incorporated the best of the Common Core while still allowing for individual state standards, or to reject the Common Core altogether. Following the moderate line, Alabama chose the middle option, and Alabama educators made key adjustments. An attempt to overturn the standards was made by some on the State Board of Education after Governor Robert Bentley took office, but that effort was unsuccessful.

Wednesday's Public Hearing

After Chairman Brewbaker explained to everyone that the legislation was likely to undergo revisions should it eventually be passed, he turned it over to Rep. Barton who opened the hearing by explaining that we should repeal the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards so that the federal government and Washington, D.C., could not control the curriculum taught in Alabama schools. Quickly thereafter, State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Tommy Bice, took to the microphone to counter every claim that has been made by those opposed to Alabama's standards.

A news release put out by Bice's office following the hearing outlined exactly what he told the committee in the House chamber:

"...He explained that Alabama voluntarily chose to participate in the Common Core Standards, without coercion from the federal government, any other state or private interest. To address the concerns some expressed about the preparedness of adopting ACCRS, Bice explained that the Alabama State Board of Education did not accept the standards sight unseen, but rather months of work by Alabama educators and administrators went into examining the standards and creating Alabama's own, unique, state-developed standards. In addition, there were public hearings held around the state, which Bice personally attended to explain the standards..."

Bice also dispelled the false notion that ACCRS is too expensive to implement when he produced clear evidence that ACCRS is actually less expensive to implement than previous standards.

Another issue that opponents of the standards point to is the false claim that individual data on students and teachers is shared with bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. Countering that claim, Bice said, "Alabama is not a Race to the Top federal grant recipient and does not give individual student data to the U.S. Department of Education."

Chairman Emeritus of the Business and Education Alliance and retired State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton spoke on behalf of the Business Council of Alabama. "The standards make good business sense," he told the committee. "In essence, this whole topic comes down to two E's: Economic Development and Education. If one of these bills becomes law, both economic development and education will suffer and job growth will be hurt."  Anita L. Archie, BCA's Senior Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Advocacy, also spoke on the necessity to keep the standards. 

Several defenders of the status quo in education also spoke at the hearing, including State School Board member Betty Peters of Dothan. Peters originally voted against the standards in 2010, along with State School Board member Stephanie Bell of Montgomery. Speaking to the committee, Peters said, "We didn't need to change anything...we should go back to what we had before these standards. Only when you are in a factory or an assembly line does standardization lead to excellence."

A total of 80 individuals signed up to speak at the hearing. While not everyone had time to speak, the committee heard from a broad group of supporters consisting of the business community, principals, superintendents, teachers, school board members and parents. Opponents of the bill consisted mainly of tea party-affiliated groups. Their arguments were largely based on assumptions that this would lead to a federal takeover of education and that our students would be indoctrinated with liberal ideology. "They would be taught to think like a Muslim or a terrorist," said Sharon Sewell of Alabamians United for Excellence in Education.

"The Alabama College and Career Ready Standards are vital in preparing students to compete in the 21st Century global workforce which requires highly skilled workers," said BCA President and CEO William J. Canary.  "Adoption of SB 190 and HB 254 would be a giant step backward, based on a false premise that Alabama and local school systems would lose control over their curriculum.  While some will continue a campaign of fear on this issue, we will continue to stand united in the business, education and military communities in offering our children the hope of a bright future."

On Friday, Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, and Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, two original co-sponsors of the bill, announced they were withdrawing their support for the legislation after attending the hearing and listening to Dr. Bice fully explain the standards.

HOUSE RULES CHAIR ADDRESSES BCA GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, is in his second legislative term but his first regular session as chairman of the powerful, agenda-setting Rules Committee. He was appointed by House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, late last year after then-Rules Chairman Blaine Galliher, R-Rainbow City, resigned to become Govenor Robert Bentley's legislative director.

McCutcheon said that during his freshman term beginning in 2006, Republicans were in the minority and played defense "trying to stop legislation." In 2010 Republicans took over the House and Senate and there was "a mindset change."

"I honestly can stand before you and say I feel like the legislature now is looking at promoting business and the executive branch is looking at promoting jobs," he said. "I think you have a friendly legislature and state government ... we realize the importance of business and jobs."

McCutcheon said the House has passed nine of the 10 bills on its 2013 agenda but is holding off on a proposed constitutional amendment restating gun rights until the Senate dispenses with an omnibus gun bill by Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, that is of concern to the BCA.

Beason's bill, SB 129, currently contains a section that would mandate that businesses and property owners could not have policies preventing firearms, stored in vehicles, on their private property.

The BCA opposes the workplace control provisions of Beason's bill as a private property right and an employee safety obligation. "We're sensitive to that issue," McCutcheon said.

Beason's bill has been assigned to the Senate Business and Labor Committee. The BCA, along with representatives from business and industry, law enforcement and others, has been part of a working group trying to find areas of compromise regarding the gun legislation.

McCutcheon said he supports the Second Amendment right to possess firearms. "I don't think there's anybody in our state that doesn't really believe in Second Amendment rights, but the problem is how do we get there with common sense to protect a business owner and property, it's so important," he said.

"I look at it as a business owner (of property), do I just want to open up the doors to my home and let them walk in there with a gun because they've got Second Amendment rights?" he said. "A business owner, they've invested money, they have an interest in the state, and they have the liability of their employees at stake."

McCutcheon also addressed the Common Core bills, HB 254 by Rep. Jim Barton, R-Mobile, and SB 190 by Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Pike Road, which would prohibit the state school board from adopting and the Department of Education from implementing Common Core State Standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative, prohibit compiling and sharing student data and prohibit the state school board from ceding school control to outside entities, according to the bills' synopses.

McCutcheon said Alabama needs common education standards so parents who face moving to the state, particularly to north Alabama due to federal Base Realignment and Closure, will be assured  their children will receive a good education.

"There's no way we can look at standards and just throw Common Core out the window," McCutcheon said. "We need to be focused on fewer, cleaner, higher course standards for our students."

• That a business economic impact statement must be prepared by state agencies, other than agencies primarily engaged in licensure, when the agency proposes a rule change and receives a complaint that the change may adversely impact small business.
• For a five-year review of all existing rules to determine whether they should be changed or rescinded.
• That proposed and existing regulation reviews be posted on agency websites to allow for public review.