School Board Member Marcia Andrews and Common Core
It was a packed room to hear District 6 School Board Member Marcia Andrews at Wellington’s Total Wine & More on Monday.
The Common Core Standards are an attempt to unify K-12 education across the nation around a set of grade-specific core skills, ostensibly aimed at raising the worldwide competitiveness of American students. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details, and much anecdotal evidence has surfaced that when the standards are translated into curricula, they represent a “fundamental transformation” that many would argue is not needed or wanted.
Implementation of the standards in Florida was mandated by then Governor Charlie Crist in 2010 and has been rolled out in kindergarten and first grade, with movement to the higher grades about to begin. As they roll out, opposition has been growing across the state, prompting Governor Scott to reject the assessment part of the program called PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers), leaving open the question of how assessment in the state will proceed. This, and the move to slow things down while the debate continues, shared by Ms. Andrews and others on the School Board and in the state-wide Florida School Board Association, has the possibility to create chaos in K-12 education as teachers are trained, materials are adopted and the rollout continues in the face of a groundswell of opposition.
Ms. Andrews and District Director of Secondary Education Diana Feldman gave the group an overview of history and plans for Common Core in Florida, and fielded many questions from the floor regarding required reading lists, data collection on students, the autonomy of local teachers to shape the curriculum in their classroom, and other hot-button issues.
Although few who have formed positions regarding Common Core would have been swayed by the session, it was informative and gave us the impression that the School Board is listening.
Tea Party Leader’s Meeting
LEADERS’ MEETING NOTICE
IF YOU LIKE YOUR TEA PARTY YOU CAN KEEP YOUR TEA PARTY.
Dear Fellow Tea Party Members:
You are invited to attend the next Tea Party Leaders’ Meeting.
PROGRAM: There is no speaker. The “Leaders’ Meeting” provides all interested members an opportunity to participate in the discussion of future Tea Party objectives, long and short range goals and activities (and anything else on their mind).
DATE: Tuesday, December 10, 2013
TIME: 6:00 PM
PLACE: Okeechobee Boulevard Branch Library http://www.pbclibrary.org/branches/okeechobee-blvd
5689 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL. (561) 233-1880
DIRECTIONS: I-95 to Exit 70 (Okeechobee Blvd.). West on Okeechobee Blvd. 3.5 miles, past Haverhill Road. Library will be on your right, next to Dunkin Donuts.
Or Florida’s Turnpike to Exit 99 (Okeechobee Blvd.). East on Okeechobee Blvd. 0.25 miles to library on Left next to Dunkin Donuts.
We recommend you RSVP and arrive early since seating is limited.
We hope to see you there.
If this email went to someone else and you want your own copy, go to REGISTER
Marcia Andrews at Wellington, 11/11
11/11/2013 MEETING NOTICE
PROGRAM: Common Core Issues
SPEAKER: Marcia Andrews, District 6 School Board member
She will be accompanied by staffers from the Curriculum Department who will speak about the implementation of Common Core so far in grades K-3.
DATE: Monday, November 11, 2013
TIME: 7:00 PM.
Doors open at 6:30 PM
PLACE: Total Wine & More, Shoppes at Isla Verde, 960 S State Road 7, Wellington, FL 33414, (561) 795-9229 Total Wine & More
DIRECTIONS: Take FL-80 W/US-98/Southern Blvd/State Road 80 W to US-441 S/FL-7 N.
Bear right onto the ramp to US-441 S/FL-7 N.
Turn left (south) onto State Road 7/US-441
Go 0.6 miles to signal light at entrance of Shoppes at Isla Verde.
Turn left at signal light into shopping center.
For More Information
Email: info@palmbeachcountyteaparty.org
Call: 561.921.5298
VETERAN EVENTS
HONOR FLIGHT – OPERATION WELCOME HOME – OCTOBER 19TH PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT US AIRWAYS TERMINAL
Welcome home our Greatest Generation from a day visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington DC. Bring your smiles, wear your patriotic colors, bring signs, balloons. To see the smiles on our heroes faces when we greet them is simply priceless. Flight lands approximately 8:20pm but please be at the airport no later than 8:00pm.
WEST PALM BEACH VETERANS DAY PARADE
Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 2:00pm Please join us as we line the streets for the Annual Veterans Day Parade. The Parade begins promptly at 2:00 pm Clematis Street and ends at Centennial Square West Palm Beach. If your organization or group would like to be part of the parade, please contact Andrea Plescia, who will provide an application.
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL CEMETERY
Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 10:00am We will be placing wreaths at each grave site at the South Florida National Cemetery. Volunteers needed for placement of wreaths (12/14). To donate please go online at floridapatriotguard.com/Wreaths.htm. $15 will buy one wreath for a grave. $30 will buy 3 wreaths for 3 graves.
For additional information about any of the events listed, please contact Andrea Plescia andreasp229@aol.com.
Common Core Discussion Coming to Jupiter
11/4/2013 MEETING NOTICE
PROGRAM: An In Depth Discussion on Common Core and its adverse effects on our children and grandchildren
SPEAKER: Janet Campbell – Florida Stop Common Core Coalition
DATE: Monday, November 4, 2013
TIME: 5:30 PM Dinner (Soup & Sandwiches $13, tax and gratuity included, Cash Bar)
6:30 PM Meeting (no charge)
PLACE: Abacoa Golf Club 105 Barbados Dr., Jupiter, FL 33458
DIRECTIONS: Donald Ross Rd. to Parkside Dr. North on Parkside Dr. 0.4 miles to Barbados Dr. Left on Barbados Dr. to first driveway on Left.
Please RSVP so we we are prepared to accommodate you.
INFORMATION: Email: info@palmbeachcountyteaparty.org
Boca Chapter to Discuss Affordable Care Act
11/6/2013 MEETING UPDATE
PROGRAM
Come join us in a lively debate about ObamaCare.
DEBATERS:
Pro: Rabbi Barry M.Silver, public interest and personal injury attorney.
Con: Marion Frank, Practice Manager for private anesthesia group and National Co-Chair for the Docs 4 Patient Care Alliance
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 2013
TIME: 7:00 PM.
Doors open at 6:30 PM
PLACE: Palm Beach County Library, West Boca Branch,
18685 State Rd. 7, Boca Raton, FL 33498. Phone: 561-470-1600
DIRECTIONS: I-95 to Exit 48 (Yamato Rd.). West on Yamato Rd. to State Road 7. Right onto State Road 7. Library is the first left.
Florida Turnpike to exit 81 (FL 806, W. Atlantic Ave.). At the end of the exit ramp turn right (westbound). Drive west to State Road 7. Left onto State Road 7. Library is approximately 4 miles on the west (right side) between Clint Moore and Yamato Roads.
INFORMATION:Email: info@palmbeachcountyteaparty.org
Talk of a Constitutional Convention at Wellington
We had another packed house for the Wellington Chapter meeting on Oct. 14th. We welcomed several first timers to our Tea Party, as well as about a dozen veterans. As you are aware, the Tea Party has a special place in our hearts for veterans of all wars. The concern for the future of our country is at a fever pitch, so we gave all our participants a chance to voice their opinions.
Our Chapter Leader, Marion Frank, began the meeting with a Cliff Notes version of Mark Levin’s new book, The Liberty Amendments. Mark contends that Article 5 of the Constitution states that an alternate way of amending the Constitution is to convene a Convention of States to propose amendments, thus circumventing Congress. Mark proposes 11 amendments, including term limits for Congress and Supreme Court Justices, limiting federal spending and taxes, limit federal bureaucracy, promote free enterprise, to protect the vote and Mark’s favorite to grant the States authority to directly amend the Constitution.
While Marion was speaking, many in the audience were wondering how we could possibly get 34 states to convene a convention. That brought us to our guest speaker, former chairwoman for the Palm Beach County Tea Party, Pam Wohlschlegel. Pam recently joined a new organization called Citizens for Self-Governance. This organization was started by Mark Meckler, one of the co-founders of Tea Party Patriots. Mark Meckler began working on a project called Convention of States at the same time he found out that Mark Levin was working on his book. It appears the ideas of the two “Marks” are coming together in perfect harmony. Meckler’s organization is actually putting together the people and resources to get the conventions going in 40 states. It was so exciting to hear Pam talk about the details of this genius plan.
The final portion of the meeting was dedicated to whatever our audience wanted to talk about. Two of the topics we talked about the most were how can the Tea Party reach out to more veterans and how can we reach young voters, mainly college students. One of our first timers, Christopher Ryan, an entrepreneur of 27 years old, shared his thoughts about why we are having such problems getting to the youth of this country. We are committed to finding new ways to reach out to veterans and young voters. We are going to target our future meetings to achieve those objectives.
Overall, it was an extremely informative and enlightening meeting. Our next Wellington Chapter will meet on November 14th at 7:00 PM at Total Wine.
In Jupiter, Seven50 Presentation Becomes Town Hall
Last evening, the Jupiter chapter hosted a presentation by Phyliss Frey of the American Coalition 4 Property Rights, on the regional planning protocol known as “Seven50”.
Background: The title stands for “Seven Counties, 50 Years”, and is a work product in the area of “Regional Plans for Sustainable Development”, funded by a $4.6M HUD grant in 2010. A consortium, the developers of Seven50 formed the “South Florida Regional Partnership” to help create, support and implement the plan. Participants include local governments and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) through membership in the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) and the South Florida RPC. The plan attempts to address how to manage an expected 50% growth in population (from 6M to 9M) in the seven target counties of Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe. They have analyzed housing density, mass transit, diversity, planning and zoning and other regional attributes. The underlying assumption is a future of global climate change and rising sea levels, scarcity of energy and water, and challenges to “food security” among other things. The group’s proposals are considered advisory by many of the city and county jurisdictions that indirectly support it. Their work product can be viewed at seven50.org
Our guest speaker is a leader in the movement to challenge this planning protocol, and along with others associated with the American Coalition 4 Property Rights and many tea party activists, sees regional planning consortiums (they are all over the country, spurred on by HUD grants) as a threat to our way of life.
In her presentation, Ms. Frey used several very professional videos to make the case that the Seven50 plan would move us toward “stack ’em and pack ’em” high rise dwellings, the end of the suburbs, clusters of development along rail routes and elimination of local and county planning and zoning authority in favor of super-regional control.
Going back to the origins of “Sustainable Development” starting with the UN “Agenda 21”, she profiled the federal government’s role in implementation, starting with an executive order by George H. W. Bush, and expansion through every administration since. The Obama team has ratcheted it up a notch, using the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) to promulgate a set of rules that require “neighborhood diversity” defined racially rather than economically, limits on resource use, and strings attached to federal grants flowing to local communities.
A test case and clear warning bell is provided by Westchester County, NY. A video of County Executive Rob Astorino, describing the federal lawsuits that county is struggling with, and his vow to fight back against federal overreach was a most compelling argument.
Invited to the meeting to hear the “other” side of the issue were our district 1 county commissioner Hal Valeche, Mayor Bert Premuroso and Councilman Joe Russo of Palm Beach Gardens. After the speaker made the point several times that MOUs (“Memorandums Of Understanding”) executed by local commissions and councils have limited their defense against the attacks on the local planning and zoning autonomy, Commissioner Valeche thought he needed to set the record straight. Taking the microphone to explain that the PBC commission is not constrained by Seven50 or the TCRPC, but look to groups like that as consultants and advisors. Some issues really need a regional perspective he said – like inter-county rail projects or large developments near county borders. He used the example of Avenir – the proposed development for the Vavrus Ranch in Palm Beach Gardens, as an example where TCRPC is being asked to help by collecting input from the region’s residents about such a large development in the western county.
Gardens councilman Joe Russo expanded on that, and explained that regional planning really did have a hand in developments like Abacoa, but state law has changed and it is now local rules that prevail. The Avenir development will be a decision for the Gardens Council, not the TCRPC.
Both Valeche and Russo left us with the impression that these kind of radical proposals as discussed by the speaker can happen, but only if we (and our local elected officials) let it.
At this point the meeting had become a “Town Hall” with both Hal and Phyliss taking questions from the audience.
Many were not buying that Seven50 was not a major threat though, and several called for Hal to get the PBC commission to “opt out” of Seven50, much the way that Indian River County and the city of Vero Beach have. Hal declined, saying such a motion would not pass in the current commission, and although this may be an issue in the future, currently he does not see it as an immediate issue in Palm Beach County. At one point it got raucus enough that Joel Channing, a PBCTP member who is close to the Gardens Council and is a leader in the PGA Corridor Association, made the point that “these guys are really heros” (the commissioner and councilmen) and were being unfairly criticized.
Also present at the meeting were candidates for CD18 Ellen Andel and Ilya Katz, CD21 candidate (against Ted Deutch) Henry Colon, and Senate 32 candidate Brandon Cannon (a Republican challenging Joe Negron).
Jupiter Chapter Meeting – October 7
PROGRAM: An In Depth Discussion on Common Core and 7/50
SPEAKERS: Leigh Lamson and Phyliss Frey – American Coalition for Property Rights
Janet Campbell – Florida Stop Common Core Coalition
DATE: Monday, October 7, 2013.
TIME: 5:30 PM Dinner (Soup & Sandwiches $13, tax and gratuity included, Cash Bar);
6:30 PM Meeting (no charge).
PLACE: Abacoa Golf Club, 105 Barbados Dr., Jupiter, FL 33458.
DIRECTIONS: Donald Ross Rd. to Parkside Dr. North on Parkside Dr. 0.4 miles to Barbados Dr. Left on Barbados Dr. to first driveway on Left.
INFORMATION:
Email: mailto:info@palmbeachcountyteaparty.org
Boca Chapter Meeting – October 2
PROGRAM: Susan Haynie, Deputy Mayor of Boca Raton.
She will give the “State of Boca” address and discuss the municipal budget for the city. There will be a question and answer session after her presentation.
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 2013
TIME: 7:00 PM.
Doors open at 6:30 PM
PLACE:
Palm Beach County Library
West Boca Branch
18685 State Rd. 7
Boca Raton, FL 33498
Phone: 561-470-1600
DIRECTIONS:
I-95 to Exit 48 (Yamato Rd.). West on Yamato Rd. to State Road 7. Right onto State Road 7. Library is the first left.
Florida Turnpike to exit 81 (FL 806, W. Atlantic Ave.). At the end of the exit ramp turn right (westbound). Drive west to State Road 7. Left onto State Road 7. Library is approximately 4 miles on the west (right side) between Clint Moore and Yamato Roads.
INFORMATION: Email: info@palmbeachcountyteaparty.org
