An anti-Common Core group in Florida delivered a scathing message to the state's former governor and potential 2016 Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush answers questions from the audience, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 after speaking at the Inside ITFs Conference at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla. (AP/Wilfredo Lee)
“You, Jeb Bush and your corporate cronies, have decided what is good for the children of America and we -- parents, educators and concerned taxpayers -- were not invited,” Chris Quackenbush of Stop Common Core Florida wrote in an open letter to Bush, as reported by the Sunshine State News.
Bush has voiced support for Common Core, the controversial K-12 math and English standards adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. The standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
"Three grandmas drove 12 hours each to see you, face to face, and you turned and scoured at us as though we were naval lint … pond scum," the letter stated. "As I stated 'Stop Common Core,' your disparaging retort was 'it is a good thing there's only three of you.'"
Critics of Common Core are concerned that it amounts to a de facto national curriculum because states are encouraged to adopt the standards in order to get federal education grants.
Bush touted opposition to Common Core standards as “Alice in Wonderland logic” during an interview with National Public Radio in January, and said Common Core standards were the “right path.”
A CNN poll released Sunday found Bush polling at 9 percent among Republican candidates, trailing behind Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
A Rasmussen Reports poll earlier this month shows that if Jeb Bush were the nominee, he gets just 33 percent of the vote against 47 percent for likely Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
