Dear Friend,The war has begun! The war to free Alabama’s school children from failing schools is in full force. The Alabama Education Association (AEA), the Democrat legislators and the Alabama Democrat Party are fighting to keep children in these failing schools.
Less than one week after the Republicans passed the historicAlabama Accountability Act of 2013, the AEA has gone to the courts to overturn this legislation. And, now they have gone to the airwaves to slam our Republican legislators for this bold initiative. Of course there is nothing surprising about their actions. This is what Democrats do best: tear down good people with misinformation and file lawsuits.If you have listened to the radio you know that the AEA has launched an attack on our Republican legislators who bravely stood up and did what was right. Republicans finally gave parents a way to remove their children from failing schools, but that didn’t set well with the status quo. Up until now, the Democrats who controlled the legislature just gave lip service to helping children in failing schools.Just in case you are not familiar with the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 it does three things:
Less than one week after the Republicans passed the historicAlabama Accountability Act of 2013, the AEA has gone to the courts to overturn this legislation. And, now they have gone to the airwaves to slam our Republican legislators for this bold initiative. Of course there is nothing surprising about their actions. This is what Democrats do best: tear down good people with misinformation and file lawsuits.If you have listened to the radio you know that the AEA has launched an attack on our Republican legislators who bravely stood up and did what was right. Republicans finally gave parents a way to remove their children from failing schools, but that didn’t set well with the status quo. Up until now, the Democrats who controlled the legislature just gave lip service to helping children in failing schools.Just in case you are not familiar with the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 it does three things:- (a) allows greater flexibility for local school districts;
- (b) enables parents with children in failing schools to attend a non-failing public school or non-public school of their choice; and
- (c) establishes a nonprofit organization that can receive contributions to provide scholarships to families who need financial assistance to enroll their child in a non-failing school.
You would think that everyone would be cheering on our Republican legislators for taking this bold stand to help families who have children in failing schools. But, they are being attacked unmercifully, with false information, by the AEA for taking a stand to improve public education in Alabama.
We need to encourage our Republican legislators for the bold stand they took. So, I am asking you to do just that. Every time you hear one of these radio ads blasting our legislators, just pick up your phone and call your Republican Representatives andSenators and thank them for making a difference; and let them know that you are supporting them. They need to hear from you!We knew that the AEA and Alabama Democrats, who have held back progress in educating our children, would come out swinging. Not only are they running these negative radio ads, but they went to the Montgomery Circuit Court to try to stop the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 from becoming law.They filed their lawsuit with Circuit Judge Charles Price. Of course, we know Judge Price and know he will be friendly to their cause; after all he has received thousands of dollars from the AEA and the attorneys and law firms that are representing the AEA before the court. These tactics smack of desperation from an organization that knows its time is up.Let me be clear, when I refer to the AEA, I am referring to their union leaders in Montgomery, not the many teachers and support personnel who give unselfishly for our children. Unfortunately, those dedicated school employees are not the ones the AEA is looking out for in picking this fight. The AEA is simply looking out for itself.
The eyes of the nation are watching to see who is going to win this battle: the children who deserve a quality education or the Alabama Democrat Party and AEA. Here are just a couple of national News articles demonstrating that our Republican leadership is fighting hard for our children.
Fox News: Alabama Judge Blocks Governor from Signing School Choice BillDaily Caller: How Alabama is on the Verge of Breaking one of the Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers’ UnionsIf you want our Republican legislators to continue to stand up for improvements and accountability in education please call your Republican Representatives and Senators today and tell them how much you appreciate what they have done and urge them to keep doing it.And, while you are calling them, please ask our Republican legislators to stand up one more time for our children by educating them using “Alabama Standards” and not Obama’s “Common Core Standards.” ALGOP has passed a resolution urging our Republican legislators to oppose the Federal Government’s Common Core Standards because we believe that Alabamians know best how to educate our children and not the federal government. Will you let them know you oppose Common Core Standards, too?Please ask your Republican Representatives and Senators to support SB 190 and HB 254 which would prohibit the State Board of Education (SBOE) from adopting the Common Core Standards and the Department of Education (DOE) from implementing the Common Core Standards.
It would also prohibit the SBOE and the DOE from relinquishing any control to an entity outside the state. We do not need a national curriculum and national assessment test that would take away local control of education as well as affect how
teachers operate in the classroom.
I hope you will stand with me, our Governor, Speaker and Pro Tem, united in the common purpose that says every Alabama child regardless of zip code should have the opportunity at a great education.For Education Reform and the Cause,
Bill Armistead
Chairman
Bill Armistead
Chairman