Please Attend Common Core Meeting in Bedford 9/30

You may have heard of the Common Core State education standards. There has been quite a bit of press about it recently with the Alton, NH School Board voting to reject the standards and the Manchester School Board on the verge of a similar vote. Many States across the country are also slowing down or reversing course on using the new standards. NH is just starting to have its public debate on the matter.

Whatever your opinion on Common Core, this is the most significant change to public education in the last 30 years. The State Education Commissioner, Dr. Virgina Barry, is coming to the Bedford High School on Monday, Sep 30th at 7:00 PM to talk to administrators and school board members from districts in the South Central NH region. This meeting was initially closed to the public but Dr. Barry reversed that decision thanks to prompting from the press (radio host Rich Girard from “Girard at Large”). This means we have a golden opportunity to hear direct from the Commissioner with our own ears about NH’s vision for implementing Common Core.

What we need is YOU and anyone you can bring with you to come and to wear red clothing to identify yourself as a parent/taxpayer that is interested in the State debating this issue before moving forward. There has been virtually no public debate in NH in the 3 years since the State made its decision to adopt Common Core in 2010 and there are MANY reasonable questions about Common Core that should be addressed before moving forward with this dramatic change. You don’t have to donate any money, hold signs, make any speeches or even miss work. We just need a little bit of your time Monday evening to show the State and the South Central Districts’ leadership that parents/taxpayers are watching on this issue.

So get out your red shirt, red tie, red baseball cap, red throwback Pats or Red Sox jersey or even your old Santa Clause costume and come out for a listening session with Dr. Barry and several other concerned parents! A couple hours of your time can make a huge difference for our kids in the years to come. The meeting is at the Bedford High School Auditorium and it starts at 7:00 PM. Please pass this on to your friends and neighbors and urge them to come. The more the better!