EDUCATION
one ’ s personal United States flag .
West Virginia Farm Bureau believes that the United States flag is a symbol of freedom and liberty unequaled in the world and that the wanton destruction of our flag demeans the values which we as free people hold so dear . We recommend that any American flag sold which is 2 ft . x 3 ft . or larger come with instructions for proper use – display and disposal .
We support a constitutional amendment making flag desecration a felony .
43 . BALANCED FEDERAL BUDGET
West Virginia Farm Bureau insists on a balanced federal budget , accomplished by reducing federal government expenditures and not increasing taxes . Any balanced budget proposal should require full compliance in not more than five years .
44 . COMMON CORE
EDUCATION
Whereas , the Common Core State Standards ( CCSS ) are a set of academic standards promoted and supported by two private membership organizations , the National Governor ’ s Association ( NGA ) and the Council of Chief State School Officers ( CCSSO ), as a method for conforming American students to uniform (“ one size fits all ”) achievement goals to make them more competitive in a global marketplace ;
And , the NGA and the CCSSO have received tens of millions of dollars from private third parties to advocate for and develop CCSS strategy , subsequently creating the CCSS through a process that was not subject to the Freedom of Information Act or other “ sunshine ” laws , and never piloted the CCSS ;
And , even though federal law prohibits the federalizing of curriculum , the Obama administration accepted the CCSS plan and used 2009 Stimulus Bill money to require the states that were most committed to the President ’ s CCSS agenda but failed to give states , their legislatures and their citizens time to evaluate CCSS before having to commit to it ;
And , the NGA and CCSSO , in concert with the same corporations developing the CCSS assessments , created new textbooks , digital media and other teaching materials aligned to the standards which must be purchased and adopted by local school districts in order that students may effectively compete on CCSS assessments ;
And , the CCSS program includes federally-funded testing and the collection and sharing of massive amounts of personal student and teacher data ;
And , the CCSS effectively removes educational choice and competition since all schools and districts must use Common Core assessments , based on the Common Core standards , to allow all students to advance in the school system and advance to higher education pursuits ;
Therefore , West Virginia Farm Bureau recognizes the CCSS as an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children so they will conform to a pre-conceived “ normal ”;
And , West Virginia Farm Bureau rejects the collection of personal student data for any noneducation purpose without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student ’ s parent or legal guardian , and rejects the sharing of such personal data without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child student ’ s parent or legal guardian , with any person or entity other than schools or education agencies within the state ;
And finally , West Virginia Farm Bureau specifically states the need to repeal the numerous federal regulations which interfere with state and local control of public schools ;
Therefore , West Virginia Farm Bureau rejects the CCSS plan , which creates and fits the country with a nationwide straightjacket on academic freedom and achievement .
45 . WV FFA PROGRAMS & CEDAR LAKES CONFERENCE CENTER
West Virginia Farm Bureau believes Cedar Lakes is a major asset for WV as a center for FFA and
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