The clock is ticking for Gov. Mary Fallin, who has until Saturday to sign a bill that would repeal the Common Core standards from state law, and the heat has not let up since lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill May 23.
Since then, Fallin has been presented with over 8,000 signatures urging her to end the standards in Oklahoma from grassroots organizations like Restore Oklahoma Public Education. The group has been leading the fight to end Common Core implementation in the state for the past few years.
Oklahoma Republican National Committeewoman Carolyn McClarty has also sent a letter to the governor asking her to sign House Bill 3399 and repeal the standards.
“She’s said she is taking her time to hear what educators and others have to say,” said ROPE President Jenni White Tuesday on Fallin’s inaction up to this point. “But we’ve studied this for four years and have presented all our studies [in the form of House interim studies] and we would just ask her to please sign it.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi has been a longtime supporter of the standards but has recently admitted to saying Common Core may be a losing battle. White called Barresi’s comments “purely political” as Barresi is running for reelection against several candidates, both Democrat and Republican, who oppose the standards.
In 2010, Oklahoma became one of 45 states to adopt Common Core standards for English and math to determine what a student should know and be able to do by each grade level. The initiative was led by the National Governors Association, which Fallin now chairs, to ensure consistency and rigor in public schools across the country.
Only one state thus far, Indiana, has repealed the standards. The governor’s office indicated Tuesday that Fallin would act on the bill by the week’s end.
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