Lawmakers to stop 'dirty, rotten scoundrels' in D.C.

State representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed two bills they insist have nothing to do with Common Core despite repeated probing from suspicious Democrats.

House Bill 156 changes all reference to "Common Core" with "Mississippi College and Career-Ready Standards" in the section of law dealing with school accountability. It also separates the state's accountability system from that of the federal government. That measure passed 95-21.

House Bill 395 codifies the existing practice of local school districts determining their own curriculum in according with state standards. It passed 92-25.

Both now head to the Senate.

"This bill has nothing to do with Common Core," said Republican Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, who filed both pieces of legislation.

Gunn made the remark while slamming his gavel in an attempt to silence a string of queries by state Rep. Adrienne Wooten, D-Jackson. Wooten had questioned the bills' motives and their impact on Common Core.

Although neither bill scraps Common Core, both address some of critics' biggest complaints about the controversial education standards, which were developed by a national group and adopted by 45 states, including Mississippi.

"It will stop those dirty, rotten scoundrels in Washington" from forcing their agendas into Mississippi classrooms, said state Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, only somewhat joking.

"You just hit the nail on the head," replied state Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon, who chairs the House Education Committee.

Moore and state Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, spent much of the one-hour meeting fielding questions from dubious lawmakers who sought reassurance the legislation wouldn't repeal the state education standards nor jeopardize the attached federal funding.

They will not, they said.

"I'm not sure anything we did today was necessary, but it will clarify going forward what is and what isn't Common Core," said former House Education Chair, state Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson.

Not voted on Thursday was House Bill 385, which would sever Mississippi's ties with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. The consortium of states jointly developed the end-of-year assessments testing student knowledge on Common Core-aligned curriculum.

Mississippi students in grades 3-12 will be tested this year on PARCC-designed assessments, but they're likely to be tested next year on those developed by another company.

Contact Emily Le Coz at elecoz@jackson.gannett.com or (601) 961-7249. Follow @emily_lecoz on Twitter.