Looking small: Ducey disses Douglas

Is Lisa Graham Keegan Ducey’s shadow education superintendent?

KPHO TV 5, the local CBS affiliate, reports on the most recent Republican snub lobbed in the direction of Diane Douglas, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. This time the salvo comes from newly elected Gov. Doug Ducey, a fellow Republican, who neither informed Douglas of his education town hall nor invited her to participate in the Thursday event.

Since his Jan. 5, inauguration, Ducey has focused on education issues —- clearly excluding the state schools chief. Previously it was state Republican Party chairman Robert Graham who omitted Douglas from this “Your Republican Team” mailer in advance of the General Election.

Douglas was recognized as the lone conservative among the statewide top-tier of elected officials, waging a winning grassroots campaign due to her resolute opposition to the fed’s heavy handedness in promoting the increasingly unpopular Common Core. Her message resonated with voters, carrying her across the finish line with a stunning 58 to 41 Primary victory.  In the General Election she defeated a heavily funded, leftist educrat opponent.

Yet right out of the chute, and before his actual swearing-in, Governor-elect Ducey announced the formation of an education subcommittee which included Common Core enthusiast Lisa Graham Keegan, a former RINO turned Independent, who endorsed Douglas’ Democrat challenger.

During the campaign, Keegan attacked Douglas, stating she was “promoting a sort of a paranoia” by opposing the federal education scheme. Keegan, who was John McCain’s education advisor during his doomed presidential bid, referred to Douglas’ opposition to Common Core as “destructive.”

In announcing the formation of his education team, Ducey claimed he was looking “forward to working with education professionals to identify the best policies to improve our schools, find the most talented people to assume key positions in my administration and ensure we are putting Arizona students, teachers and parents first.”

Ducey’s town hall brush-off of Douglas while Keegan participated in the forum, puts a lie to his claim of “working together” for the betterment of Arizona’s students, teachers and parents. The Arizona Constitution provides for both a governor and a superintendent of public instruction in addition to other elected state officers. Each job has specific duties and oversight. It’s time for Gov. Ducey to govern and let the actual superintendent do her job.

GI files lawsuit against ousted AZ Ed Sup’t Huppenthal

Teacher opposed to Common Core gets legal assistance

The Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brad McQueen, a fifth grade teacher in Tucson’s Tanque Verde School District, and an outspoken opponent of Common Core. The civil suit McQueen v. Huppenthal was filed on McQueen’s behalf under the free-speech provisions of the Arizona Constitution and the First Amendment.

The lawsuit names John Huppenthal in his official capacity as Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Bureaucrats at the Arizona Department of Education oppose any criticism of their plans for implementation of the federally mandated Common Core scheme —- deceptively re-christened  Arizona College and Career Ready Standards in an attempt to dupe anxious parents. After he spoke out against the federal program, McQueen was the subject of a deluge of ostracism, intimidation, and a vicious email campaign. He was removed from the Department of Education’s standardized-testing committees.

The lawsuit asks that the state retaliation against him cease and he be reinstated to non-Common Core committees.

McQueen is the author of “The Cult of Common Core: Obama’s Final Solution for Your Child’s Mind and Our Country’s Exceptionalism.”  Read excerpts here by clicking the “look inside” arrow, provided courtesy of Amazon.

The Arizona Daily Independent carries the foul email exchanges in this June 30, 2014 article by Brad McQueen. The article follows the stream of emails between Angela Escobar, Program Project Specialist at the AZ Dept of Education, and other department employees during the workday. Escobar used her office computer to email associates, referring to Brad McQueen as “What a f*cktard!”

With the recent election of conservative Diane Douglas taking over the helm of this rudderless ship, sanity will return to the Arizona Department of Education.  It can’t happen soon enough. 

Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, an early Diane Douglas endorser, has devoted the past two years to exposing the ‘Big Government and Big Business’ forces that have colluded on this boondoggle and have been partners on expanding the federal role in education —- which she calls ‘Rotten to the Core.’ Her numerous articles can be seen here.

Diane Douglas surging within days of early voting

Republic endorsement of Democrat a winner for GOP Douglas

Diane Douglas, conservative candidate for AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction is on a roll. First Douglas captured the attention and the endorsement of syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, who has devoted the past two years to exposing the massive education fraud known as Common Core. Malkin describes Diane Douglas as “principled, clear-thinking, and bold.”

As if on cue, this week’s edition of the Weekly Standard features a cover story by Andrew Ferguson detailing the “Rotten to the Common Core” scheme.

Arizonans have come to expect the leftwing radicals at the Arizona República newspaper to push their own agenda, which consists of itching to replace Republicans with liberal Democrats. The promotion of Obama’s favored takeover of local control, marginalizing parental involvement is right up their alley.

A case in point are the ridiculous side-by-side editorials which ran Tuesday. One, appropriately placed on the left, touts the “Dems’ No. 1 candidate for state schools chief.” The brass of the editorial board is so thick they even advise him to hire his primary opponent! Abutting that absurd spew is a mirror image editorial for the same office on the Republican side. This dog-bites-man endeavor actually declares the “GOP lacks a good choice.”   

To principled conservatives an endorsement from the leftist Arizona República would be a negative to run from.

We’ve been had by the now toxic Republicrat John Huppenthal, who is imploding before our very eyes. He ran as a conservative and ended up not only proudly announcing his statewide travels with Obama’s educrat czar Arne Duncan, but colluding with Gov. Brewer to flim -flam furious parents by deviously changing the name of the scheme, re-branding it “Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards,” via this executive order.

Diane Douglas is a welcome face on the political horizon.  She is warmly received at appearances throughout the state. The Arizona Daily Independent titled its coverage, “Douglas takes Huppenthal to the mat during GOP AZ Superintendent of Instruction Debate.”

If you missed the recent debate, watch it here.

This new ad is inundating conservative talk radio in the days preceding the arrival of early ballots. Douglas is making tracks and clearly knows the issues.  She deserves our votes.

Huppenthal outed as anonymous commenter on blogs

After 31 years at the public trough, it’s time to retire the increasingly bizarre John Huppenthal: Vote Diane Douglas

CBS Channel 5 provides this coverage of what AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal does in his spare time.  Judging from various news reports, it appears Huppenthal has a lot of it. Seeing Red AZ has  made no bones about the fact we hope he has even more after the Primary Election votes are counted on August 26, 2014.

Conservative syndicated columnist, Michelle Malkin who has devoted the past two years to sounding the alarm on Common Core, supports Diane Douglas. Read her endorsement.

Huppenthal’s staff offered a statement explaining John Huppenthal’s proclivities which can be read in the Channel 5 link and this report in the daily newspaper, which includes Channel 12 video coverage. His comments —- sometimes posted late night/early morning —- but often during time when he should be tending to his duties and on the state computer —- use the monikers “Thucydides,” “Socrates1289,” and “Falcon9.”

The Arizona Daily Star has been following Huppenthal’s blog prowls, also.

Back in September, unaware we were dealing with the state’s top educrat —- in a post that garnered 35 comments —- SRAZ chastised Huppenthal’s alias “Socrates 1289” with these words:

“You have tried dominating this section with over a dozen comments. Although some have been posted, don’t expect to see any others. Your wild accusations, name calling and warning to others that this is an untruthful site, will not fly here. This conservative, fact-based site obviously is not the place for you.

It is frenzied candidate John Huppenthal, meeting strong opposition to his bonding with Arne Duncan and Obama’s educare, who is untruthful. He deviously wants to change the name “Common Core” to “Arizona College and Career Ready Standards” hoping no one will notice. We all have and will not forget. Huppenthal is rightly sweating his upcoming election and has taken refuge in deceit.”

Huppenthal has commanded a lot of attention on this site:

Sept. 19, 2013: Huppenthal’s con job: Pushes renaming Common Core

Sept. 22, 2013:  Common Core deception: In AZ it starts with Huppenthal

Sept. 24, 2013: Gov. Brewer, AZ SPI Huppenthal, partner on education deceit

Sept. 27, 2013: Educrat trio: Huppenthal, Brewer, AZ Republic

Feb. 12, 2014:  Huppenthal urging parents to remove kids from Common Core?

Feb. 21, 2014:   Common Core gets hammered in AZ Senate

Apr. 29, 2014:  Veto of HB 2316 proves Huppenthal wrong on student privacy

May 12, 2014: AZ Education Superintendent race goes national

Check through these previous posts and it becomes apparent Huppenthal leaves a lot to be desired. Common Core is serious business. America‘s children are the pawns in the alarming game of federal overreach. As happens too frequently, those we trusted are attempting to hoodwink us with catchy jargon and glib name changes. Now as a worried candidate facing angry parents, Huppenthal has reconstructed the name, though keeping the rotten core of Common Core and spends hours defending his indefensible actions on blogs —- often on the taxpayer’s dime. 

Our education house is made of cards. It’s time to rebuild with a solid foundation. Conservative Diane Douglas deserves your vote and support.

Huppenthal calls Common Core opponents “barbarians”

The Arizona Capitol Times reports that Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal insulted concerned parents and other constituents when he bizarrely compared them to “barbarians” and vowed to fight them in his effort to preserve Obama’s federally imposed education scheme.

“I have put my career on the line to stave off the barbarians. I very likely could lose this election,” Huppenthal said. “I’m okay with that because I felt I did the right thing for this education system,” he added.

Huppenthal said Arizona cannot allow a repeat of what happened in Indiana, which pulled out of the association of states that adopted the standards.  Seeing Red AZ covered the victory of Common Core opponents in Indiana who successfully ousted two establishment endorsed House incumbents. The duo lost in a landslide.

An untrustworthy Republicrat, John Huppenthal actually welcomed and toured the state with Obama’s Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, bragging about his collusion in this media advisory.

In Arizona, Common Core standards were adopted by the state Board of Education in 2010.

As objections to the unpopular federal overreach become stronger, Huppenthal and Gov. Jan Brewer deceptively conspired in changing the name Common Core to “Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards” —- fooling no one.

The Indiana victories clearly show that the same can happen in Arizona’s upcoming August 26, primary. John Huppenthal, feeding at the public trough for over three decades, has an able challenger in Diane Douglas.

Time is short to collect signatures and qualifying $5 contributions. She needs help to win. Join her campaign.

It matters.

Veto of HB 2316 proves Huppenthal wrong on student privacy

Diane Douglas, the conservative Republican challenging Common Core-pushing John Huppenthal for Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Republican Primary has come out with a bombshell saying Governor Brewer’s veto of HB 2316 proves that John Huppenthal cannot deliver on his promise to protect student privacy.

Douglas reminds voters that at a candidate forum in SaddleBrooke, Arizona held on April 9th,  Huppenthal assured the audience that the privacy of sensitive student information being gathered as part of Common Core would be protected through new legislation.

His claim is clearly false in the light of the Governor’s veto of HB 2316.

“John Huppenthal is either naive or disingenuous when he falsely claims that the Common Core dossiers being assembled on our children will be kept private. If there is one thing we have learned from the Obama Administration, it is that the government can no longer be trusted with private information,” stated Diane Douglas.

Douglas added, “I am disappointed that John Huppenthal is willing to collaborate with President Obama in building government files on our children. I am opposed to Common Core and I will not allow Arizona’s Public schools to be turned into data gathering agencies for the Obama Administration.”

Douglas’ bio can be read on her campaign website.

Seeing Red AZ has previously written about the huckstering Superintendent Huppenthal, a public education insider now on the campaign trail seeking reelection. He obviously knows what countless parents suspect. Why else would he angle to deceive them with a swift name change for this radical curriculum? In an instant, colluding with Gov. Jan Brewer to pull off the sleight-of-hand scam, “Common Core” magically morphed into “Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.” Oddly, Huppenthal sent out this media advisory acclaiming the fact that he escorted Obama’s radical Education Czar Arne Duncan around Arizona.

At 29 years of age John Huppenthal began an unbroken 30-year record of feeding at the public trough. During those years he has become a recognized establishment hack. It’s time to retire him.

Fortunately, Diane Douglas offers conservatives an outstanding choice. The status quo is not acceptable.

Parents onto Common Core oppose implementation

Gallup reports 56% of parents in the dark about fed-ed scheme affecting their own children

This latest Gallup poll concerning U.S. public school parents’ views of the Common Core standards finds that even in states that have implemented the centralized standards, 27% of parents surveyed said they know “only a little” about the standards, while 29% know “nothing” about them at all, leaving 56% of public school parents with little to no knowledge of how and what their children are currently being taught.

Relatively few parents feel strongly about Common Core. Even among parents familiar with the federal program, just 13% view them very positively, while slightly more — 19% — view them very negatively.

Critics of Common Core have argued that the standards were crafted without sufficient involvement from parents, teachers, and local school boards, thus taking the public by surprise. In fact, fewer than four in 10 parents (38%) appear to be knowledgeable about the standards, saying they have heard either a great deal or a fair amount about them. Nearly as many — 31% — have heard nothing, while another 30% have heard only a little.

Parents in states that have already implemented Common Core are only slightly more familiar with it than those in other states, and their overall views toward the standards are about the same.

In not much of a revelation, the Gallup survey reports opposition to Common Core runs deeper among Republican parents.

Last September we wrote, “Alarmed by the voices of angry voters, parents dedicated to protecting their children and facing Diane Douglas, a knowledgeable conservative challenger in the 2014 election, John Huppenthal, Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, has decided the most advantageous scheme is to try to dupe the public by slickly changing the name from ‘Common Core’ to ‘Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.’”

Parental vigilance is needed to protect America’s students from overreaching federal bureaucrats.