Educator refuses to leave Common Core committee

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A member of a group working on revisions to Missouri's Common Core education standards said Tuesday he won't resign, bucking the direction of House Speaker Tim Jones, who appointed him.

Nick Kremer, a language arts coordinator in the Columbia School District, has been a supporter of the national standards, which Jones and other Republicans are seeking to revamp. Jones said he asked Kremer to leave the panel after learning he does not have the required 10 years of teaching experience.

While Kremer acknowledges he hasn't spent 10 years in a classroom, he says he does have that much experience when his years as an administrator are included. Asked by The Associated Press whether he thought his position on Common Core was why Jones wants him to leave, Kremer said he didn't know. He said he would stay on the committee, which is looking into English standards for junior high and high school students, "between now and when the judiciary interprets the law to indicate that the speaker does have the statutory authority to replace me mid-process."

Lawmakers in May voted for the review of the standards, some hoping it would eventually mean the state replaces the Common Core. Those standards have been a magnet for conservative critics who say they take away state control over what students learn.

Jones said a review by his staff members found Kremer lacks the experience in the field needed to serve. He added it's within his rights to pick someone better suited to serve on his behalf, and said other work group members have said Kremer's been disruptive.

"Mr. Kremer needs to stop making this about himself," Jones said. "It appears to me that Mr. Kremer is the real distraction."

Jones said if the panel does not accept his new appointee they could be in violation of state law.

Panel members in Kremer's group said their focus is less on the politics of Common Core and more about picking rigorous standards for students.

Others have expressed frustration in the role politics has played in developing learning goals for children. The work groups have until next October to suggest the State Board of Education keep current learning goals or recommend new ones.

Chair Keri Skeeters said Jones' move to find someone else to serve on the upper-level English board disrupts the process, and she's worried other officials might later decide to swap out members appointed months ago.

"The larger issue is concern that the work group can be altered throughout the process," Skeeters said, and added "a cohesive group would be most important when developing new standards."

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