Schools

Letter to the Editor: Kelly Marlow Wrong on Common Core

Canton resident Ashley Cline shares her thoughts on Cherokee County School Board District 1 member Kelly Marlow's criticism of Common Core standards.

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Ashley Cline of Canton:

Dear Editor, 

I recently sent an email to the CCSD (Cherokee County School District) School Board stating that Kelly Marlow, BOE Member for District 1, has committed yet another violation of the school board policy. She recently participated at a Common Core Forum sponsored by the Northwest Georgia 9/12 Project, which advertised “Get informed about how Common Core will erode local control.”


Marlow publicly denounced Common Core at this meeting, describing it as “complete indoctrination” when asked what the ‘end game objective’ is for Common Core. She chose to criticize the use of these standards, despite the fact that the CCSD School Board has already voted to adopt and implement them. This is a clear violation of school board policy, which states: “Express opinions before votes are cast, but after the board vote, abide by and support all majority decisions of the board.”

Marlow also crossed the line by stating, “I’m glad somebody brought up teacher unions. There’s a myth, a common myth in Georgia, that we don’t have teacher unions. We absolutely do, and they are some of the most powerful organizations in the state.”

“They will reward teachers who come out and speak to their language. They reward them with the cushy jobs, cushy assignments, and Teacher of the Year awards. They are absolutely encouraged on a lot of different levels – and don’t get me wrong, this is not against teachers – but this is an educational establishment and they are very strongly supported by big time money.”

Is this what board members should be stating about teacher associations and teachers themselves?  I would think that our Teacher of the Year recipients would resent that highly inappropriate statement.

While I am pleased that Marlow was sanctioned with a $3,600 fine at her recent ethics hearing, there is a clear and continual pattern of ethics policy violations in addition to her complaint letter to SACS. I understand that holding official hearings is expensive for the taxpayers, but firmly believe that Marlow’s repetitive inappropriate behavior will leave the Board with no other options. 

It is my hope that Marlow will resign from the Board of Education to spare the taxpayers from additional hearings and the financial burden that they create. I have a vested interest in the success of our community public schools as a CCSD parent and homeowner, and will not tolerate or support a rogue Board Member who fails to uphold her duty regularly.


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