Rob Astorino, County Executive of Westchester County, announced today that he and his wife have decided to opt their three children out of state testing. Astorino opposes both the high-stakes testing and the Common Core as intrusions on local control imposed by Washington and Albany.
Astorino, a Republican, is running for Governor against Andrew Cuomo.
He has twice been elected as County Executive in a county where only a quarter of voters are Republicans.
Because Cuomo has raised $33 million for his re-election campaign, most political pundits think he will be re-elected easily. He is heavily favored by Wall Street and has made his reputation as a pro-business, anti-public education governor.
Education will be an important issue in this campaign.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As a life long Democrat, I have only voted for a republican, on occasion, at the local level. I will more than likely be voting republican for governor come November.
As a fellow Democrat, I’m right there with you. I am definitely paying attention to Astorino. From what I read in the local paper, he showed up at a local education opt out rally on Long Island this past Saturday in support of educators, parents, children and citizens. With all the damage Cuomo has done to education, I will gladly cast my vote for a Republican who cares about education.
I once voted for a Republican, for William Weld, for Governor of Massachusetts. It was to save the Democratic Party from John Silber. This pleasant little creep isn’t William Weld, though. He represents the interests of the rich people in Westchester, and is in the vest pocket of the charter lobby.
Watch him. There is no way a progressive or a teacher can vote for this.
Both primaries are still ahead of us, and anybody who writes off the third parties and the Democratic (or Republican) primary is gaming us.
Look, I kind of regret writing “pleasant little creep”. It’s as a candidate he’s a creep. As a daddy opting out his children, I’m not so concerned if he opposes taxing or regulating the rich.
So, the problem only arises if we consider voting for him. Don’t.
Do you think he wants charter schools without common core pressures and high stakes testing?
it’s possible he does and that he also wants the junk science high stakes to be removed for the children but not for the teachers . . . . which is a total oxymoron, but this is how high stakes testing will be taking shape for two years here in NY state . . . . .
At 3:52, regarding charter school parents: “…we’ve got your backs…”.
Says NY needs more charter schools. Not less.
What’s happened to this country?
Actually, please excuse that naive question. I know what’s happened:
I started teaching 22 years ago. The profession and the public school system, in general, has been under relentless attack by political figures and the media throughout my entire tenure. The propaganda campaign has been strong and consistent. To the point where the public has internalized parts, if not all of the lies they’ve been fed.
Charter schools are the saviors of many who have no other choices. They are the backbreakers of the public schools from which they draw money and space. There should be a collaboration of the two, but it’s become a competition.
Bold move to take a stand that involves his own children. Bravo!
Speaking of parents opting the children out of testing, principals and district leaders in Georgia were sent an e-mail notification from Marth Reichrath this morning reminding us of Georgia’s requirements for test participation. In other words, we have no opt out mechanism for parents. If schools don’t meet the 95% participation, we will be penalized.
“…we have no opt out mechanism for parents. If schools don’t meet the 95% participation, we will be penalized.” Opt out any way! The only way to stop a bully is to call him on his threat. It is time to stop the standardized testing bully from destroying our children’s right to an appropriate education.
When or if they penalize any teacher because parents have a choice to opt out in a democratic society and if enough select this option, then teachers should bring legal action because legally they cannot be help accountable for the choice of the parents to opt out! This scenario will bring a quicker end to this non-sense of testing, testing, and more testing. Let’s hope parents choose to opt their children out if this mess.
Have parents withdraw their children to homeschool them. Then after the testing is completed and the booklets sent back or computers not able to do the tests then re-enroll them. During the testing timeframe have truly educational activities-camping, museum going, go to the zoo, fishing, etc. . . for the kids.
Hysterical, Due-ane! Yet, it’s completely possible. You really have this figured out to a “t”, don’t you?
I would just like to add that kids should be drawing and writing and re-enacting about what they did while camping, museuem hopping, etc . . . . .
Did they tell you what the penalty is? When I asked about opting out, I asked specifically if funds would be revoked and if those were state or federal funds. I asked for the documentation proving funds are withheld if participation dips below 95%.. I did not receive a direct answer to my question.
Nothing to celebrate here. Now we have Cuomo and Astorino, both heavily supporting charters. Astorino is just riding the anti-Common Core sentiment to help his election. There’s plenty of bad things that would come with him. Can’t believe he won Westchester…probably because people can’t fathom the threat of higher taxes.
He is filming his child now for his next campaign commercial.
Where was he until Cuomo and the Republicans party fell on their sword for the charters.
Parents are so skeptical of either party now.
With the very low turnout in the NYC mayoral election
the chance for the Green Party is much better.
They have been supporters of public education and the 99%
all along. No one is buying into this stunt.
Green all of the way.
I’d vote for this guy in two seconds flat. I can’t believe the Repub. Party took so long to figure this out. They should have done this in the last election for Pres. but their base is nuts these days.
Friends don’t let friends vote for either party.
TAGO!
But I think we can use Astorino to futher our cause (I teach in Westchester County) as much as Astorino mught be using this whole saga to further his political career.
He may be, then again, just a decent Republican who is not an extremist . . . . . .
Who knows, and who really cares at this point?
I will shake hands with the devil for the time he is helping us with our cause, and the minute he deviates from it and wants to part ways, I will release his handshake by cutting it off with a saber . . . . .
Not the first or last time this strategy has been used.
Maybe this will be risky, maybe not.
Beware what his other opinions are…
“+1”, as the kids like to say.
Democrats are following a strategy where they order every public school student in the country to report for Common Core testing, while gutting funding for our public schools.
Counterintuitive, sure, but that’s the kind of innovative and out-of-the-box thinking that gets one invited to luxury resorts to meet with lobbyists.
I think public school parents need another stern lecture from one or another billionaire. Obviously, we’re just not grasping how any of these “reforms” are actually improving our public schools.
That’s all so true, Chiara. But also:
1. Republicans are as guilty of the Common Core fiasco as Democrats. They’re also ravening privatizers.
2. Bill de Blasio is a Democrat who pulled ahead of the pack and then won in a landslide, on exactly the platform we want our gubernatorial candidate to take. We should hoist sail and navigate toward that.
This sounds similar to Astorino’s principled stand against a rare attempt by the federal government to enforce fair housing laws. Westchester County is hypersegregated, with blacks and Latinos warehoused in a relatively small number of its cities. HUD ordered that affordable housing be built in some of the surrounding communities, which are close to 100% white, and that it be marketed aggressively to minorities.
Astorino has fought this measure tooth and nail. He doesn’t think hypersegregation exists in Westchester County; he’s fallen for the “market forces” explanation and believes blacks and Latinos mainly prefer to live in run-down inner cities with stressed public services, pollution, and crime.
Education will indeed be an important issue in the election. Cuomo is highly unlikely to lose, but a primary challenge or having his victory margin reduced by a third-party candidate can end his presidential aspirations. Single-issue voters should know that Astorino comes with a lot of ugly baggage.
I would expect that he has lots of ugly baggage, he is a republican politician after all. But I would rather see an ugly republican as governor than a grotesquely deformed democrat.
Tim is right. I’ve been looking at Astorino’s baggage, too. Yuck.
I do think the talk about people jumping party weakens Cuomo’s grip, and I even think there’s a chance Astorino could win because Cuomo’s arrogance and ugly mannerisms are driving people off, even if they don’t have kids in school. When anybody at all opposes him, he turns into a snarling dog.
That’s not going to play well against Astorino, who is being guarded by those adorable children. Well played, Rob!
So, the possibility exists that defections from Cuomo to third parties, and independents’ embrace of Astorino, will tip the balance. So be it.
On the other hand, that’s the kind of scenario that might inspire establishment Democrats, even, to support a primary challenger who would defeat Astorino in a landslide.
I live in Weschester County, NY and did not vote for Astorino last election because I never vote republican. I also didn’t vote for Cuomo because, like I said, I never vote for a republican disguised as a democrat. I don’t agree with many of Astorino’s viewpoints. He is very much for the property tax cap which de-funds public education and also is very much for de facto segregation in NYS. NY needs another party, as does the country.
I have decided to go the ‘write-in’ route.
Diane Ravitch – the education governor
Astorino favors expansion of charter schools- so I do not trust him to save and protect our public schools. He has nothing to say about the real issue of income inequality other than the typical GOP “lower taxes on the wealthy to create jobs” mantra. He likes the property tax cap that is starving our local public schools in NY. Oh- and did I mention he is against equality for LGBT NYers and women’s reproductive freedom? As a lifelong, I will be looking at the Working Families Party or the Green Party, but you would think there might be an actual democrat ready to primary Cuomo since he is no longer represents the people or the platform of the Democratic Party?
I opted my daughter out this year and was told she would be required to take a local parallel assessment if she didn’t take the state test this week.
Tell your daughter to draw smiley faces on it.
Keep her home for a week and take a vacation somewhere as a field trip where she will learn a lot more during this positive use of her time than the time she would be in school testing!
Women were once betrayed before in politics:
During the New York Constitutional Convention, held on June 4, 1867, Horace Greeley, the chairman of the committee on Suffrage and an ardent supporter of women’s suffrage over the previous 20 years, betrayed the women’s movement and submitted a report in favor of removal of property qualification for free black men, but against women’s suffrage. New York legislators supported the report by a vote of 125 to 19.[61]
Jerry Garcia said that you can vote for the lesser of two evils, but you are still voting for evil. This time is unique in that the vote can be split with a low turnout except for those who are fighting for education. I don’t think Cuomo has such an advantage in popularity only $. I can’t imagine many turning out for either candidate. Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota as an independent and spent less money than his annual salary as Governor. The energy that is out there that can cause Albany to tremble over Opting Out can be energized. Maybe we need an Opt Out “Convention” and bring in the candidates. This would bring more media to our cause. We need to be deliberate about this. We have power. Let’s not splinter.
What Joseph said.
I believe a third (and fourth, fifth, etc.) party is needed.
Watched the video and there were some good points. He said that the Common Core was created so Albany could get money. Actually, Gates is paying off numerous State officials, unions and others. There is no mention of the profits being made by private companies along with Pearson. The problem with Republican leaders like this is that they will not recognize the role of big business and major corporation looking to privatize our schools. That is the impetus that is driving all of these issues including testing. This is a political video to blast Cuomo, but not help children. I can not hitch my wagon to this limited vision.
Politically it’s very important to refer to the educational “reform” movement as the privatization movement because once people understand what is happening, we’ll see people like Cuomo lose elections.
My advice to Cuomo’s opponent: Refer to the public school “privatization movement” and explain what it means. I can almost guarantee that voters will not like it.
Linda, there are two weapons in play the attack on public education. One is outright privatization, the other is the “public private partnership”. The “conservative” Pioneer Institute set out in Massachusetts with the overt agenda of breaking and privatizing public education through both mechanisms.
Now, I turn over in the middle of the night and am surprised to find them next to me in bed, feebly opposing the monstrous federal-corporate spawn of the clever “public private partnership” their own cronies hatched when they ruled Massachusetts.
Set the Wayback machine for 2001, Sherman.
“While Pioneer has promoted programs that involve fee-for-service arrangements (only users pay for services received), it has generally backed deregulation and the government financing of private provision of services. “Helping Government Do Less with Less” is the underlying rationale of Pioneer’s push for privatization. Most of the winning proposals in its Better Government Competition have proposed relaxed government regulations or encouraged “partnerships” with the private sector. Pioneer’s efforts to redefine the state’s role in the provision of mental health care and public education were driven by this emphasis on loosening regulations and boosting the private sector.”
http://www.publiceye.org/libertarian/pioneer-institute/pi-summ.html
The Republicans still want to have their cake, but they find Bill Gates eating it ALL.
And Astorino is a proud SUPPORTER of the privatization movement.
Well, we might vote in a hamster, but we will send a message to the two parties that we are not messing around. Tabitha you need to break away from your enchantment with the two party system. Washington, Jefferson and Adams did not belong to one. We can get them to pay attention if we bring in a 3rd party, no savior, but a new direction. After all they are all working together for Gates and Pearson to make zombies of children. I don’t know Astorini personally, might be a nice father to his kids, but we should bring in the candidates for a debate, as to what they actually believe. Swooning over video tapes will not cut it with the important work that is at hand. Becky is right, we might want the best hamster we can find to regain control of our schools.
Vote to save the Democratic Party: vote for Astorino!
Astorino is wrong on many, many issues. However, public education is too important to our country to be without the support of either major party. Therefore, do not allow public education to be sold off to the highest campaign donors! (Ala Jonah the weasel, Edleman) Hold Democrats to a higher standard.
Save Public Education in New York, Vote and support the Anti-Cuomo candidate.
You’re skipping a few steps here, Galton. Nice try.
The Wikipedia page for the 2014 NY governor election is a blank slate! Literally, it is an outline awaiting edits.
“Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Potential[edit]
Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Governor
Randy Credico, comedian, activist, Libertarian nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and Tax Wall Street nominee for Mayor of New York City in 2013[7]”
“The Working Families Party traditionally cross-endorses Democrats but has expressed reservations over endorsing incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo as they did in 2010.[24]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_gubernatorial_election,_2014
No trains have left the station. The ship hasn’t sailed. The slate is ours to write upon.
They will support it when they lose the Gubernatorial election to an independent. They will be next.
Joseph, the “Green” movement has been co-opted by the elites who want to run the world. Gates loves the greenies because he can get them to sign on to any cockamamie idea the U.N. comes up with. (Carbon credits, carbon taxes, limits on vehicle miles traveled…) Gates signed an agreement with UNESCO in 2004 to create a world wide curriculum to disseminate the goals of UNESCO. What do you think the Common Core is? It is designed to brainwash our kids into believing hat they do not deserve electricity and they would be better off in a cave with a candle and a bicycle or a 700 sq. foot stack and pack apartment with a bed that folds out of the wall.
Clinton created the Presidential Council on Sustainable Development and elevated Agenda 21 to the cabinet level. Inventory and control of resources, including human capital.Then he passed NAFTA and CAFTA and all of the manufacturing jobs left the United States. Do you think that was a coincidence? Social justice. Time for the underdeveloped countries to benefit from technology. We have had our day in the sun. Time for us to turn off the lights. In the elite world view the world is a pie. If we use too much energy….that means others can’t have it. Meanwhile every attempt to develop truly free energy has been squashed by the big oil moguls. Do not be fooled by green. It is not what you think it is. Just research the history of the World Wildlife Fund and you will not think their panda bears are so cute any more.
But, Dawn, you’re actually on the Republican side, aren’t you? Then you should be arguing for ways to move your Republican candidates to less loathsome positions, so progressives might hold their noses and vote for one, instead of attacking the poor stodgy Greens.
Nobody ever thought the Republicans would vote green.
People are so stuck on labels. Can you just look at the facts? The Democrats have sold us down the river. What are we going to do about it? They are not listening to us. They have an agenda (Agenda 21) and they are sticking to it no matter what. Bloomberg is sticking to it as well in his new capacity as the Ambassador from the U.N. to the U. S. mayors. Since when does the U.N. need to have relationships with our mayors? Since regionalism will soon end our representative form of government if we don’t stop in fighting and understand that this is a coup.
The Common Core is a U.N. initiative. Environmentalism is the vehicle they are using to get the Dems and progressives on board. It is all one ball of wax. Stop CC. Stop Agenda 21. Stop charter schools. Stop privatization (still think I am a Republican?). Keep elected school boards, town boards, state legislators. Do not allow “regional planners” to create sustainable comprehensive plans filled with smart growth and walkable communities, bike paths and stack and pack apartments. Do not allow adaptive manipulative CC aligned computerized tests to mind control our children.
Global warming is the biggest hoax of the century. That is the lie that all of this is based on. I know it will be hard to eat crow and admit that we have been fooled. Better sooner than later. No, I do not support the Koch brothers and their slimy ALEC which is controlling our state legislatures. 40% of our reps are dirty rotten scoundrels. I know you cannot believe that a teacher, union member, registered Democrat can actually hold an independent opinion but it happens. Let the chips fall where they may after a thorough research and you will not be able to tow any party line either.
This is a debatable point, Dawn. I’ve known some very serious scientists with nothing but research based motives who have been completely convinced that the greenhouse effect is very real and a major contributor to global warming.
The area where I think our “dots connect” is in the implementation of mechanisms put in place to possibly correct the situation. Creating global initiative opens the door to huge abuses of power.
FWIW: I never go strictly along party lines. I do my best to listen to all sides using multiple media and personal sources and make my decisions based on that.
Gee, all of the money the Green Party makes. The candidate for Governor is a UPS worker. Where in the Common Core Curriculum do your ideas appear?
The United Nations is the single greatest detriment to national sovereignty since the central bank. The Club of Rome of which Bill Gates is a member has been focused on “global government” for some time. Robert Muller and his world core curriculum is the template for Common Core and similar curriculum which are being rolled out around the globe. The elites have a very specific global agenda and education is a central part of it. For those who find the evangelical form of education “superstitious” you will really love Robert Muller’s mentor Alice Bailey. Her publishing company Lucis Trust (formerly known as the Lucifer Trust) was originally located at 666 United Nations Plaza New York.
Yeah. Finally, a politician who gets it. Testing improves nothing. A thermometer does not improve one’s temperature.
He showed up to the rally as a campaign stop. This video release of his was a campaign video. He uses the right buzzwords. A political opportunist. Nothing more.
John, serious question: how does Astorino compare to Cuomo, who gives tax breaks to the banks, loves Wall Street, and hates public schools?
I’ve always voted with my head and heart. Not with a “party”.
I’m glad he’s against the test machine but what are his stances on charter schools (as a New York City resident and teacher I’m appalled at the recent State decisions) and the Board of Regents?
Gitapik, we will find out where he stands on charters.
I read a few replies back that he’s pro charter. Whether he’s sincere about his position on testing is important, but it’s also a politically expedient move. I’m sure he’s more than aware that he’ll catch the interest of many Democrats with that statement alone.
Sad state of affairs. I was talking to the music teacher at our site about Gates and his involvement in the CCSS. New teacher. First he’d heard of it. I urged him to read your blog and pass it on. The public doesn’t know because they aren’t being told.
United opt out had been hacked…the admins can no longer leave current info on it….your best bet is to find local groups on Facebook
I have seen books by Alice Bailey. Which one speaks of these ideas? I always saw her as an innocuous mystic. Maybe you can post a passage.
Whether you consider her an “innocuous mystic” or not I will leave to you. Know this, she very clearly was a mentor to Robert Muller the “prophet” and “philosopher” of the UN and creator of the world core curriculum the seed of common core. The preface to his book reads “The underlying philosophy upon which the Robert Muller school is based will be found in the teachings set forth in the books of Alice A. Bailey”.
Is Rob Astorino under her influence? Parents should know. Would be great to have a summary of her teachings.
To the best of my knowledge Rob Astorino did not help develop the World Coe Curriculum and it appears he does not support Common Core (you did read the article didn’t you?) As you admit you have read this “mystics” books perhaps you could summarize her teachings? Either way educators and parents generally seem more concerned with avoiding anything Christian than they do the occult.