Holtzclaw stands behind Common Core support

Sen. Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison) speaks at the monthly Madison Chamber of Commerce on April 22. (RECORD PHOTO/ALDO AMATO)

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — Sen. Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison) stood by his position of the Common Core education standards at a Madison Chamber of Commerce luncheon on April 22.

The rookie senator from Madison said his support of Common Core is one that hits close to home and that it should not be feared by his constituents.

“When I was stationed in the military, my daughter attended school at Camp Pendleton in Southern California,” he said. “When we relocated here, she was way ahead of her fellow classmates. They were all learning what she had learned a year prior. So I saw that impact of not having those common educational principles between the states.”

Common Core is designed to keep a universal set of national math and English standards in all schools. The state continually ranks low in education standards with North Alabama being the exception.

Holtzclaw is one of the few Republican senators who is against the bill and has come under fire from his own party for voting against a repeal of the Common Core standards. However, Holtzclaw does have the support of local officials.

“If you call yourself a Republican in the state of Alabama, you should be totally ashamed of your party today,” Madison City Councilman Tim Holcombe wrote in post on April 17.  “Common Core is not the Federal ‘boogeyman’ so many Republicans have claimed and we need to ensure those that supported this measure hear that loud and clear next election year.”

Holtzclaw has referred to his fellow party members’ portrayal  Common Core as the “boogeyman” on many occasions. Holtzclaw pointed out how the bill is being negatively portrayed by those wanting to repeal it.

“There are some who see the standards in the negative sense,” he said. “There is a feeling that our children are going to be indoctrinated and essentially our conservative principles will be eroded. People think our children will not learn things that we did not hear at church the day before. That’s where the politics fall into it.”

Last week, the Alabama Senate Education Policy Committee voted to pass the bill to repeal Common Core with a 5-4-1 vote.

“I hope it is not lost on you that as your Republican state senator that I am voting against my Republican National Committee, my state GOP and Madison County executive committee,” Holtzclaw said. “Why did I vote against them? Because the people in this community, the people that I represent, do not see the danger of the indoctrination element of Common Core. They see a future for our children and preparing them for the workforce. We need to make sure our education standards remain very high.”