The new Grinch movie is great! You really start to feel sorry for the poor Grinch who is lonely and sad up there on the mountain while he listens to the Whos singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” below. But, fortunately, the Grinch is a dynamic character whose heart actually grows three sizes over the course of the show. Three sizes! Always optimistic, we’re hopeful that some frozen Nebraska hearts are growing during this Christmas season as well. In the midst of a media firestorm, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. This past week, Nebraskans have once again felt embarrassed as one of our public schools made national headlines for “banning Christmas.” Let’s take a step back and look at a developing pattern: 2014: LPS teacher training materials advise teachers to stop calling children “boys” and “girls.” 2016: LPS bans students from flying flags. 2018: Elkhorn principal bans Christmas. All three of these stories garnered significant attention from national news outlets, as well they should. These authoritarian overreaches might make some wonder if our state is still part of the United States of America where freedom in its various forms is guaranteed by our first (First! They’re that important!) amendment. But why do these constitutional breaches keep happening in Nebraska? There may be several reasons Nebraska is prone to this, but there’s a pretty straight-line correlation between the money watering the K-12 orchard and the strange fruit being grown on the trees. Leftist Billionaire Influence Warren Buffet once said that the answer to the problems in our education system is to “make private schools illegal and assign every child to a [state] school by random lottery.” Fortunately, Nebraska state senators haven’t completely wiped out parental authority like Buffett seems to want. But the Buffett family’s influence reaches into just about every facet of our education system. Let’s take a look at the current controversy. Jennifer Sinclair, the principal who attempted to ban Christmas at Manchester Elementary School, is the acting president for Region II of the Nebraska Association for Elementary School Principals (NAESP), which is part of the Nebraska Association of School Administrators (NCSA). The NCSA receives funding from the Sherwood Foundation, which is run by Warren Buffett’s daughter Susie and is funded with shares of Berkshire Hathaway. What does it take to receive funding from the Sherwood Foundation? This the word-for-word mission statement on their website: “The Sherwood Foundation® promotes equity through social justice initiatives enhancing the quality of life in Nebraska.” Social justice is essentially Marxism, and Marxist-like authoritarianism is exactly what is causing Nebraska to get so much national airtime. If you look at the three controversies listed above, they’re all about taking away teachers’ and students’ freedom. Marxism depends on the state as the ultimate authority, so religion is, in leftist terms, “problematic.” Individualism, a hallmark of the school choice movement, is also problematic, and if you ever want to see a group of people who are wholeheartedly committed to dispelling any chance of school choice in Nebraska, peruse the social media feeds of the leadership of NElovesPS, NCSA, NAESP, OpenSky, Nebraska Appleseed and Stand for Schools. Climbing the Education Ladder in Nebraska It’s virtually impossible to climb the education ladder in Nebraska without joining the Sherwood club. Sherwood funds NElovesPS, Stand for Schools, OpenSky, Nebraska Appleseed, NCSA and many more organizations that seek to expand authority over parents and children (and teachers, obviously) and fight freedom and choice. Sherwood also funds many nonprofits that support state senators who tow the leftist line. In fact, loyalists have to show their fealty by wearing NElovesPS t-shirts and repeating hypocritical phrases like “All Means All” if they want to move into coveted, highly-paid administrative positions. Poor Jennifer Sinclair was moving right up that ladder. Somehow she had become a leader in NAESP even though she was a first-year principal. Perhaps someone took notice of how boldly she was willing to wave the authoritarian banner. The Nebraska education system operates in such a bubble that some administrators have no idea how out-of-touch and unAmerican their ideas seem.
Can our Grinches change? They can if they want to. Either way, we can change the system and increase education freedom and opportunity in Nebraska. What Can You Do? Tired of seeing our state look ridiculous in the national news? We have an action list for you:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2017
CONTACT: John Rich, jrich@afphq.org AFP-NE Reacts To Disappointing NeSA Results, Calls For Reform Organization Calls Out Commissioner Blomstedt for Friday Afternoon Release Lincoln, NE – Americans for Prosperity (AFP) - Nebraska has renewed its call for more education opportunities in Nebraska after the Education Commissioner, Dr. Matt Blomstedt, and the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) released shocking data about the state of education in Nebraska. The 2017 Nebraska State Assessment preliminary results, which were released on a Friday before a holiday weekend in an attempt to bury the disappointing news, indicated barely half of Nebraska's 3rd through 8th grade students are proficient in English Language Arts. It is also not clear where, or if, the NDE has posted the preliminary results since the press conference. “These disappointing results should serve as a wake-up call to all Nebraskans on the state of our education system," said AFP-Nebraska State Director Matt Litt. "Not even a month ago Commissioner Blomstedt told the media that Nebraska is close to having the greatest education system in the world. By releasing this information on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend, it's clear the Commissioner sought to stall that discussion instead of promote an honest dialogue about the quality of education provided in Nebraska." Litt continued, "In light of Friday's data dump, Nebraskans want to know how we ensure our kids improve. Maintaining the status quo and spending more money will not work - other states have tried unsuccessfully. We need to implement reforms and expand education opportunity." Litt concluded, “AFP will continue calling on the Nebraska Legislature to prioritize the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act and to implement a school grading system so families know if they are at a high-quality school. We’ll also continue our call for expanding education opportunities for all Nebraska students.” Background: Last month, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured four schools throughout Nebraska on her “Rethink School” tour. In a press conference following the visit, Dr. Bloomstedt remarked Nebraska already had one of the greatest education systems in the world (approximately 9:45 min. mark). For further information or an interview, reach Matt Litt at mlitt@afphq.org Americans for Prosperity (AFP) exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local, state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream – especially the least fortunate. AFP has more than 3.2 million activists across the nation, a local infrastructure that includes 36 state chapters, and has received financial support from more than 100,000 Americans in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org ### |
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