and so it begins. A fellow teacher sent us this. Assault on Education has begun

[demtenjeep]

And so it begins....
HOUSE RESOLUTION 610
Parents with kids in public schools, teachers, and anyone else who believes in school equality, healthy lunches and the public school system will want to read this new bill. The destruction of our public schools has officially begun:
HR 610 INTRODUCED TO ELIMINATE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ACT.
Please call your US House Representative- and those in other states where you have any sort of connection (have lived there, admire their public education; have family members there with kids in public schools now and ask them to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610 introduced & in the Education & Workforce Committee, by 3 Republican House Reps: Lead is Andy Harris-MD [phone], with Franks-AZ [phone] and Olson-TX [phone].
This bill will effectively start the nationwide school voucher system to be used by children ages 5-17, and start the defunding process of public schools, in hand with eliminating all student rights and programs that address poverty, etc. Please read on.
The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation's educational law and provides equal opportunity in education. ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, AP classes, ESL programs, programs for students of color including Native Americans; as well as Rural Education, Education for Students who are Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance and Federal Accountability for these and other Programs. The House 610 Bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act)which provides nutritional standards and funding to states for in-school breakfast and lunch.
Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:
-Ensures access to the general education curriculum
-Ensures access to needed accommodations ( e.g. larger print, additional time) on assessments
-Ensures use of principles of "Universal Design for Learning" in materials and instruction so that all have curriculum access and ability to learn
-Includes provisions that require school districts to use research – based instruction and curriculum in schools, especially with students who represent groups that have been consistently “underperforming" or underachieving.
-ESSA also requires that states write Title I (ESSA granted federal funds to assist students and schools in poverty) plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including: reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, reducing overuse of punitive discipline practices and reducing the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).
All of this goes away if ESSA does. We can safely say that IDEA will be next.
Please copy and paste!

[pkdu]

1. and here are your Sponsors and CoSponsors..

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/610/all-info

Rep. King, Steve [R-IA-4] Sponsor

Cosponsors (3)

* = Original cosponsor
Cosponsor Date Cosponsored
Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]* 01/23/2017
Rep. Franks, Trent [R-AZ-8]* 01/23/2017
Rep. Olson, Pete [R-TX-22] 01/30/2017

[SunSeeker]

2. K & R for exposure.

[Hortensis]

40. Yes, eliminating public education altogether is a

major goal of some of the big right-wing extremists. Even if this first bill is defeated, plans will go forward and others will be introduced at strategic times.

Like abolishing compulsory public education. Eventually all taxes to pay for education as the pretense that the goal is charter schools has served its goals and is dumped.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. If the vile Andy Harris is involved, it's bound to be a sleazefest. nt

[Bettie]

29. Oh, Steve King bathes in sleaze every day

he's just...ugh.

I seriously doubt he's human.

[bdamomma]

4. More $$$$$$$$$$$$

for that filthy corrupt woman Devos, may she choke on her greed too.

[ProudLib72]

5. The silver lining in all this

may be that parents become more involved in their kids' education. I'm not going to say there is a direct, causal relation between the failing public education and poor parent involvement. Nor will I say that the repukes have the right idea (ha ha ha) about how to deal with education. What I will say is that, if this crapfest forces parents to become more involved, then maybe there is hope for improvement down the road.

You do realize that this is going to force a lot of families to attempt homeschooling. That means single wage families (or at least it will restrict the second earner to part-time). I wonder if this is yet another endeavor to force the middle class further into the gutter.

[radical noodle]

12. Not force, but give them greedy ideas

If money is to be distributed to parents for "homeschooling" I know a lot of people who would eagerly get on board for the cash and never teach their kids a damn thing. In some states there is little oversight of what homeschooled children are doing.

[Bear Creek]

36. Home schooled

Mainly fundy christians because they wanted to make sure that their children would not be taught science and history. Every child deserves an education. Stupid Kasich in Ohio wants teachers not to encourage students to go to college. They can get a good paying job with just a high school diploma. Same crap Romney was selling while all his children were going to college. They want any good jobs just to go to them and theirs.

[radical noodle]

41. Some kids are not college material

but they should be encouraged to learn a trade at a vocational school or have some kind of skill. Without it they are doomed to the lowest paying jobs.

[Bear Creek]

43. Hey

What jobs? Where are they at? Know your place and get to flippin burgers.

[radical noodle]

44. Plumbers, HVAC, and

auto mechanics. There are many more.

[Bear Creek]

45. Sorry

Still pretty much requires an associates. Jvs is okay but still have to go to college to get the job offer

[radical noodle]

46. Don't know about everywhere

but in Indiana, they had vocational schools that even helped one find a job after finishing their training. Airline maintenance was another class I know they offered at some schools. In the case of plumbers, electricians and auto mechanics in rural areas, a lot of people have their own little one or two person businesses and make a nice living doing repairs for homeowners or individual car owners.

I worked for construction companies for 40 some years and we had guys who couldn't read and write, but they still made a nice living. Yes, that's rare and I would not recommend it today, but learning to do the work is over half the battle.

Perhaps it's different in other areas.

[NotThisTime]

25. You are VERY optimistic, some parents care about education, others REALLY don't, they're too self

absorbed... I have a friend dealing with this right now, the spouse wants nothing to do with education for the kids, and that means helping them with homework or even encouraging it.... it's a bad situation. Something like this will make it worse.

[Hortensis]

37. No silver here. The end goal is END TO COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

Last edited Thu Feb 23, 2017, 06:38 AM - Edit history (1)

Eliminating public school funding is just a beginning. Nobody would be forcing anyone to educate their children.

And after that would come an enormous social sifting out and establishment of a very large permanently impoverished class of people who would need years of remedial schooling as adults in order to compete for basic jobs in a college-level world.

The Federalist: Compulsory education is simply impossible to reconcile with a free people, which is presumably why it is enforced so strictly in places like Greece and Serbia. In the United States—a nation, one recalls, where liberty is held to be not merely vital but inalienable—it is altogether puzzling and dismaying that it ever reared its ugly head, or that it ever became an acceptable state of affairs.

Some advocacy group: "Why should we end compulsory education? Because the principles of freedom under the U.S. Constitution demand it."

The Kochs' platform when David Koch ran for president included:
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”

Charles Koch: "The only legitimate roles of government are protection of person and property."

As for home schooling as an answer for any but the most committed: Why would parents who have to be forced to be "involved" be good, or even almost adequate, at whatever degree of involvement they manage? Sure some people would do a good job with their own children. But generally speaking, teaching is no more a job for amateurs than being an accountant is. The decline in achievement nationally would be enormous.

And let's not leave off the table that a very substantial percentage of us are below average in intellectual abilities. A person who never "got" long division long ago is not going to be able to teach it, much less whatever strange and incomprehensible method may have replaced it.

Plus there's the little issue of personality and lack of intellectual interest. Millions of kids don't graduate high school unable to say how many senators each state sends to congress because they weren't taught that. They were, a number of times. A main reason they didn't pay attention and didn't bother to remember is that the parents raising them "taught" them that this stuff isn't important. These are going to be the teachers?

[lindysalsagal]

6. But the real attack will be the lack of fed/state funding for the 2017-18 school year.

It happpens every time a republican is in the white house. This time, it will close schools all over the country just for lack of funding.

We will be on the british plan: The rich get educated. The poor? Maybe they'll get lucky and get a scholarship, but probably not.

[Hortensis]

38. Big attack for a big plan: Ending compulsory education altogether.

This voucher noise is smoke and mirrors to trick people into believing we won't be losing free public education, just funding it differently.

[sheshe2]

7. KnR

For the teachers and students...the ones that truly want to learn. I have several teachers in my family and they are angry.

[Hortensis]

39. Good! Hope they all tell their friends and family,

clerks at checkout, and so on, all about it.

[AgadorSparticus]

8. Knr

[zentrum]

9. Kick nt

[BadgerMom]

10. K & R

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Text and link

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/610

Introduced in House (01/23/2017)

Choices in Education Act of 2017

This bill repeals the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) such that ED is authorized only to award block grants to qualified states.

The bill establishes an education voucher program, through which each state shall distribute block grant funds among local educational agencies (LEAs) based on the number of eligible children within each LEA's geographical area. From these amounts, each LEA shall: (1) distribute a portion of funds to parents who elect to enroll their child in a private school or to home-school their child, and (2) do so in a manner that ensures that such payments will be used for appropriate educational expenses.

To be eligible to receive a block grant, a state must: (1) comply with education voucher program requirements, and (2) make it lawful for parents of an eligible child to elect to enroll their child in any public or private elementary or secondary school in the state or to home-school their child.

No Hungry Kids Act

The bill repeals a specified rule that established certain nutrition standards for the national school lunch and breakfast programs. (In general, the rule requires schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat free milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat in school meals; and meet children's nutritional needs within their caloric requirements.)

[NotThisTime]

27. What even qualifies a state to receive a block grant?

[haele]

31. Bet that it would have something to do with allowing out of state "Alternative Education" options.

Removing oversight of educational outcomes from those entities. Allowing Charters, online schools, and homeschooling plans to operate as educational "choices" without having to maintain educational or financial standards and regulations - or transparency - the state public schools have to meet to get their funding.

Education as a business. Not just for scam colleges anymore...

Haele

[oasis]

13. K and R

[Mr. Evil]

14. The voucher money is just the 'free lunch.'

It's the out-of-pocket money that will provide the gravy for these privatizing, charter school snakes. Once again, republicans tell the people they are getting something better but, are only being fleeced.

[Merlot]

15. And even if they impeach dump tomorrow this will still go on

It's been the repub plan for years.

dump is a very scary distracton, but he's a distraction none the less.

[secondwind]

16. K&R this is god-awful n/t

[BadgerMom]

17. K & R

The hell is wrong with these imbecilic bastards? How much money do their donors need?

[lunasun]

19. All of it

The grabbing hands will grab all they can.
All for themselves
Everything counts in large amounts
-Martin Gore

[Sebasdad22]

18. So It Begins - The Assault

On whatever is left that is good in America....

[Lucinda]

20. REPEAL & REPLACE (Also known as MIDTERM elections)

I'm taking the phrase away from the GOP. From now on, for me, it means get them out!
They all must go. Everyone of them that introduces and cosponsors hateful legislation.

[Kimchijeon]

21. K&R

Terrible... although I hope for the best, I just can't imagine this shit will get very far.

[Ilsa]

22. They don't care that Americans will be too stupid to

work at important jobs like nursing (and other healthcare specialties), safely engineer, build, and maintain infrastructure, pilot their aircraft and yachts, etc. And then they'll complain about there being so many immigrants here doing jobs that Americans can't or won't do.

[Ilsa]

23. How do we stop this?

Do we call the committee people? Or just our representative traitors?

[Tracer]

24. Would this bill override State laws?

In our recent election, there was a question on the ballot asking if voters would approve an increase in charter schools here in MA.

It was soundly defeated.

People here aren't fools, and know that more charter schools mean less money for public schools and MORE money for the pockets of the companies that run charters.

[Wounded Bear]

26. Assault on Education has been going on for years...

this is but a surge in the offensive. Dangerous, to be sure, but just accelerating what they've been doing for many, many years.

[Doodley]

28. If you pass education fully to the states, it ends up like medicare expansion in Republican states

[CrispyQ]

30. Because a stupid population will continue to vote for greedy politicians. -nt

[spanone]

32. K&R...

[smirkymonkey]

33. K&R

[workinclasszero]

34. Steal from the public

to give to the corporation's.

I'm sure DeVos is all for this.

EPA will be destroyed as well.

This is your government on fascism.

[Gurney]

35. Demtenjeep, wondering if your fellow teacher wrote the analysis, or . . .

Hello. This topic strikes close to my heart. The battle my parents had to wage for special education classes in our school district was truly ugly.

Without breaking confidentiality, can you tell me if your fellow teacher wrote this analysis? Or did he/she find it and bring it to your attention?

Thanks!

Gurney

[demtenjeep]

42. I don't know

I do know we have all been fighting for several years now for education and we are networked all over the place

[MrScorpio]

47. Kickage

[demtenjeep]

48. Kansas has been experiencing the educational squeeze for years now. It has been 9 years

since we in my district have gotten a raise

When I go back next month after my medical leave I expect to be harassed "bigly"

I have to breathe and think it is just 9 weeks and pray that I can get into a different building if we have any schools left at all

My retirement has been raided due to our idiot gov and he wants to do it again