Missouri Taxpayers Ask DESE--"How Much Will it Cost to Implement Common Core Standards"?

Are you concerned about the cost of common core standards? Do you know how much the standards are going to cost your state? If you live in Missouri, follow the directions below to contact the Commissioner of Education, your senator and representative, and ask them that question:

How much are the common core standards going to cost the taxpayers of Missouri?

If you are in another state and have concerns on the amount your state is spending on the standards, perhaps this letter will serve as a template and you can insert your own state's pertinent information.

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Here is a letter to send out asking about the cost of common core standards.

Chris Nicastro's address: commissioner@dese.mo.gov

To find your representative and senator go here. When you click on their names, their email addresses are displayed.

If you also want to send this to the Senate education committee, House education appropriation committee and House budget committee, you may click on the links for their names and email addresses.

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To: Commissioner Chris Nicastro, DESE
RE: Common Core Standards Implementation Cost
CC: Senator
CC: Representative

Date:

Dear Commissioner Nicastro, Senator _________________ and Representative ________________________:

As a Missouri taxpayer, I want to know how much the implementation of Common Core standards will cost the state of Missouri and school districts. The state of California cost has been predicted to be $1.6 Billion ( from the nonprofit group EdSource, which estimates that California will incur costs of $800 million for new curriculum, $765 million for training teachers and $20 million for training principals, plus assorted minor costs, coming to a total of $1.6 billion).

Washington state's five year total costs are $182.6 million. $17.1 million of those costs are state level costs and $165.5 million of the costs will be the responsibility of the local school districts.

Missouri's prediction in January 2010 to implement Race to the Top was approximately $743,000,000. I realize we did not receive Race to the Top funding, however, our state is implementing the common core standards and the longitudinal data system that were present in this plan. Many of the common core standards implementations are similar to those in Race to the Top. Is this $743,000,000 figure for Race to the Top comparable to the amount it will require for Missouri common core standards implementation?

If you do not have this figure calculated at this time, when should this figure be available?

Cordially,