By Linda Murphy

In January 2011, Republican Mary Fallin became the first woman governor in Oklahoma. It was also the first time in history Republicans would run state government with a governor and a majority of seats in the House and Senate. Party members rightly expected to see policies which moved us away from centralized control of government.

Unfortunately we soon discovered Governor Fallin only laid aside her plans for ObamaCare health exchanges after she "felt the heat" from the grassroots opposition. The expectation of smaller government from Republican leadership was shattered. The same problem existed in education policy.

Governor Fallin had fully embraced the bipartisan National Governors Association policies and became the Chair in 2013, promoting NGA's Common Core Standards, aligned curriculum and testing.

http://www.oklahomaconstitution.com/ns.php?nid=459&commentary=1

Fallin supporters in the Chambers of Commerce are some of the staunchest supporters of Common Core. The corporations work hand in hand with wealthy "social engineers" like Bill Gates and Tulsan George Kaiser to fund the programs they plan for the states.

The NGA education plans originated from former NGA Chair, Bill Clinton. I attended NGA's meeting in Chicago in 1995 as Gov. Frank Keating's education adviser and rejected NGA's plans for Oklahoma. I was quickly joined by Governors' advisers from Virginia and New Hampshire after I was openly opposed by North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt's adviser.

Fallin took office and by the end of the year I had seen her take over the state school board and drive NGA's agenda for Common Core. Superintendent Janet Barresi was in agreement working together with Fallin, state Secretary of Education Phyllis Hudecki and Jeb Bush who was launching a presidential run on his education reforms in Florida.

In January 2012, after a year of watching the Governor's decisions, I knew I had to work in the political arena once again to help stop Common Core. It was set for full implementation in August 2014.

I contacted people around the state throughout 2012 and some across the nation. I met and informed state officials, citizens and groups. I talked about Common Core, what it is and how we could get it repealed from state law and the federal control.

I knew from experience that momentum in opposition would come from students, parents and teachers in public schools when they received the Common Core aligned curriculum and even more when the aligned testing began. In the meantime, I worked behind the scenes and purposely stayed independent of groups while working with groups statewide.

Leaders in organizations concerned with education urged me to speak out publically about Common Core because there was little public awareness and opposition.

In March 2013, I went to the state capitol to meet with long-time friends Rep. Gus Blackwell and Professional Oklahoma Educators Director, Ginger Tinney. Blackwell held interim studies and was the author of a bill that was stopped in the Education Committee in 2013 because Gov. Fallin objected. Rep. Sally Kern had previously tried to get legislation passed, but it had also failed.

I met with the women in Restore Oklahoma Public Education (ROPE) and told them my plans for working statewide to get public school parents and teachers involved. I would also reach deep into the Republican Party informing the governor's support base. ROPE leader, Jenni White told me she started "a career as a political activist" around 2008 as a member of Glen Beck's 9-12 Organization. They had been opposing Common Core and had given presentations at tea party and libertarian groups around the state since 2010. White is also one of the activists who rose up with libertarians within the GOP. Their views and influence recently produced primary candidate Dax Ewbank's 9.1% of the votes and Anna Flatt's 15.6%. Rep. Blackwell had worked with ROPE and given them the opportunity to participate in interim studies. They had done some good research on the issue, sent out press releases and articles.

To win a victory against Common Core the silent majority of Oklahoma citizens in public schools had to become informed and talk to their legislators. Only speaking to GOP activist organizations was just "singing to the choir."

In March 2013, many legislators were not on board to repeal Common Core. They had closed their minds and doors to the same people coming to urge them over and over. They had not seen a "broad base" of constituent concern which needed to exist. That would come from people in communities who supported public schools. There was also strong support for the governor because of years of Democrat dominance in our state. That unquestioning support had to change. It was clear there was much work to be done and quickly.

Positive Common Core descriptions were repeated frequently by the Gov. Fallin and Supt. Barresi: "Common Core is just standards." "Teachers can choose their own curriculum and methods." "They are higher standards," require "rigor," and bring more "accountability."

Opposition to Common Core was dismissed as misinformation from "uninformed" people. That same rhetoric and marketing strategy was being used to "sell" Common Core around the country. People who control the language control the debate so the conversation had to be changed.

If opposition can be labeled as coming from "one group," it is dismissed. We had to have a broad-base of opposition from both political parties. Over the next 15 months, I worked full-time to help make that happen.

Waking up the Silent Majority

On March 27, 2013, I spoke at a rally in front of the State Supreme Court in the capitol. Other speakers were Rep. Gus Blackwell, Rep. David Brumbaugh, Tracey Montgomery of Parent's Rights, and Jenni White's pastor Paul Blair. The rally organized by ROPE brought 150 people as we spoke out boldly against Common Core. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bj0qI_yaDo

On April 12, 2013, Republican National Committeewoman Carolyn McLarty and long-time friend from Oklahoma, authored a resolution opposing Common Core which passed unanimously.

In October 2013, Justin and Kristal Picolet of Owasso found their elementary aged children were being given Common Core curriculum. Their children who had been very happy in school started coming home sad and discouraged with developmentally inappropriate assignments and confusing Common Core math. Kristal had discovered Common Core at the root of their children' problems in Colorado schools, leading them to move to Oklahoma. Kristal addressed the local school board October 14th surprising and impressing parents and teachers with her experience and research. The meeting was covered by Fox 23 TV Tulsa. Kristal started a Facebook Group called Owasso Against Common Core, which grew to 1,700 members and held informational meetings. I soon met with Kristal and within a few weeks I met Kimberly Wheeler, a Democrat and mother of two elementary students who started Sapulpa Against Common Core. Over several months, we worked together spreading information and awareness in Northeastern Oklahoma.

On November 14, 2013, in Oologah, the home of Will Rogers, public school parents organized a meeting. Kristal and I spoke to parents and teachers from surrounding towns.

On November 16, 2013, GOP 2nd Congressional District officials hosted a debate with Supt. Barresi and me in McAlester. A video and analysis by Okeducation Truths was seen by over a thousand educators.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=133oWAJFv-w)

In January 2014, I met with Priscilla Sanstead from Tulsa, the national co-founder of the Bad Ass Teachers Association (BATS ), a pro-union and liberal group with 47,000 members nationally, 650 in Oklahoma, and formed to oppose Common Core. BATS called, emailed and tweeted millions of messages as needed in states including Oklahoma.

On January 14, 2014 I spoke at a town meeting in Sapulpa along with Kristal Picolet. Kimberly Wheeler had worked hard in the community bringing citizens together. Republican, Tara Simpson, joined to help. Sapulpa is the home of Sen. Brian Bingman, Pro Tempore of the Senate and a key figure in later getting our repeal legislation passed. Rep. Mark McCullough came and later had a role in passing the bill to repeal Common Core.

On January 18, 2014, the Republican State Committee passed a resolution similar to the national resolution. The Red State article below about the resolution also contains statements by George Will, made the same week, giving a great comparison between ObamaCare and Common Core. The importance of this and other breakthroughs in national media and public dialogue, along with events occurring in other states fighting Common Core, can't be measured.

http://www.redstate.com/diary/spunkypundit/2014/01/18/oklahoma-gop-passes-resolution-against-ccss/

On January 20, 2014, Teacher Jamie Minter and I met in Edmond with other teachers and parents from Edmond, Deer Creek and Piedmont. Jamie contacted me in December for information about Common Core. She held a meeting for parents and teachers. Jamie started a Facebook group, with about 12 of us who had met, called Edmond Parents and Educators for Public Education. Edmond parent, Angela Little helps manage the page. It was changed to Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education as membership grew to 3,000 in three months, now 4,000 members.

On January 28, 2014, Kristal Picolet and I spoke in Bartlesville along with Dr. Piper and Jenni White. Kristal, Kimberly Wheeler and I had helped a homeschool mother and a retired Republican businessman plan and advertise the meeting. Kristal passed out hundreds of flyers. I spent hours talking with people in Bartlesville. Kimberly scheduled and accompanied me to KFAQ Radio which covers northeastern Oklahoma. I announced the meetings in Bartlesville and Sapulpa. I was interviewed by Bartlesville KWON Radio prior to the meeting. It was a well-timed meeting with 250 people attending, just before the legislative session in the hometown of Sen. John Ford, chair of the Education Committee and strong supporter of Gov. Fallin's agenda. It was covered by the Tulsa World and Bartlesville Examiner.

On February 11, 2014, teacher Stacie Dunn organized a meeting in Piedmont where I spoke to teachers and parents.

On March 6, 2014, public school parent Melissa Wilkens organized a meeting where I spoke to parents and teachers in Deer Creek. Other speakers were Melissa, Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Joe Dorman, and former Rep. Shane Jett a candidate for Congress. We focused on Common Core, 3rd grade Reading Retention and how to talk to legislators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stJOVf4WdrI

From March 2013 through April 2014 I also spoke at parent organized meetings: in Elk City, Seiling and Yukon; GOP meetings in Guthrie, McAlester, El Reno, Enid, Durant, Edmond, Lawton, Mannford, Owasso, Pryor, Tulsa, Okemah, Norman and Moore; at tea party meetings in Grove, Konawa and Tulsa; to High Noon Club in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, "Clouds Over America" Conference, Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Consortia in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

The media coverage was "earned media' due to growing public interest in Common Core, as well as the dedicated reporters and radio hosts. Earned media is free and essential. I operated purely from grassroots with no outside group funding.

Publishers who carried my articles: Oklahoma Constitution newspaper, Oklahoma Woman magazine, Daily Oklahoman, Okie Blaze and McCarville Report. Publishers who wrote articles: Yukon Review, Mustang Times, Sapulpa Herald, Grove Sun, Lawton Constitution, Durant News, Bartlesville Examiner, Tulsa World and City Sentinel

Radio Interviews: KFAQ Tulsa -- Pat Campbell kept the issues before the public on mornings with many interviews and news stories; Liberty Talk Radio Tulsa; KLBC Durant; KFAQ Tulsa -- Money Talk; KWON Bartlesville and KCFO Tulsa. TV coverage: Tulsa Fox 23, KTUL, KJRH, and KOTV in Oklahoma City.

By February 2014, there were thousands of people who stood up to fight Common Core as we met across the state. People read articles, attended meetings, listened to interviews, watched news reports and researched on the internet, then took action contacting their legislators.

The Deer Creek meeting on March 6th was held during the same time that Rep. Gus Blackwell's bill was the only standing bill to repeal Common Core and waited in the House. There was great support behind Gus's bill among parents and educators I worked with statewide. The rest of the story and battles in passing HB 3399 to stop Common Core in Oklahoma will be covered in the next issue.