Anti-Common Core Rallies Held in Jackson

Tuesday in the state Capitol, anti-Common Core rallies were held both before and after legislative sessions.

With rallies and meetings held all day, both in and outside the Capitol, it’s clear education, and more specifically, Common Core, is the hot topic for the 2015 legislative session. Tony Smith (R) says, "The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are both on record saying that they would like to see that repealed, and we’re hoping that we’ll at least start with the parks assessment. We’ll get those repealed and then we can get into the Common Core debate."

Conservative Coast representatives have been leading the charge in trying to repeal Common Core, and now they have the support of the state executive branch. In this legislative session, State Senator Angela Hill is organizing a grassroots campaign to show her fellow elected officials why she believes Common Core must go. Hill says, "This Common Core federal initiative is nothing but another one of those big government good idea programs, because people think they know best for your kids, rather than you know best for your kids."

Some criticize the anti-Common Core movement, saying it’s behind the ball as the state legislature already passed it last year, but others say by the size and energy of the crowds at the capitol, it’s clear the fight is not yet over. Senator Michael Watson (R) says, "Our plan is to repeal and to completely replace, not re-name, not re-brand, not re-tool, but completely repeal."

This anti-Common Core group says they plan to come up with a new set of standards, combined from other exemplary states, which can better prepare Mississippi students. Wiggins closes, "He made a specific point which was we want to look at even doing higher standards. Sadly, Mississippi tends to gravitate, in the past, to the lowest and easiest denominator. We have to raise our standards."

Raising standards together will be the goal and challenge of this 2015 legislative session.