Frontline Endorses Richard Woods for State Superintendent

There is a war being waged on our classrooms. The woke mob wants to divide us based on race, turn children against America, teach them to violate their own biology, and undermine the family.That’s why there has never been a time where it’s more dangerous to take a risk for State Superintendent, and it’s why Frontline is proud to announce our endorsement of Richard Woods for re-election.Wokists have infiltrated our school boards and our classrooms. Richard Woods is working to get them out. He's been unafraid to stand up and speak out, and he was even one of the only Superintendents in the country to openly oppose the Obama Administration's radical bathroom policies.Throughout this legislative session – a historic one for education reform – Woods was a partner for Governor Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly to rid our schools of divisive concepts and racist ideologies, promote fairness in sports, give parents authority over whether their child is masked and recognize their fundamental rights, and remove obscene materials from our bookshelves.Frontline has been the tip-of-the-spear to Save Our Students, and we are so excited about these victories!We appreciate the actions taken by Richard Woods this session, and, with more work to be done, we need a trusted Superintendent at the helm.Unfortunately, those that were engaged when his opponent was last at them are adamant: John Barge isn't that guy. Despite Mr. Barge's campaign rhetoric, few former officials have drawn the ire of long-time conservative activists like Mr. Barge. His candidacy has prompted more pro-parent, pro-reform advocates to contact our organization than any other.Now, Mr. Barge was Superintendent prior to our launch, and I do not have firsthand experience with him. Yet, people I trust were highly engaged during that time and are sounding the alarm.You see, over his previous tenure – a tenure that preceded runs for Governor, Superintendent, and Congress – Barge developed a reputation of hostility toward parent advocates and concerned conservatives. He also became known as a force for welcoming in wokists that were opposed to our values – many of the forces that have led to the crisis now facing our schools.While I have seen his new rhetoric, concerned advocates – those who have been battling for our kids for years – are urging us to reject his candidacy and support Woods.Here are some pro-Woods/anti-Barge statements I have been asked to share. These are shared verbatim to what was sent to me by trusted voices in the movement. They are just a few that have expressed concerns: When Richard Woods promised Georgians he would stop Common Core, he meant it. And he has done it! During his first term, Supt. Woods kept Georgia from becoming irreversibly mired in Common Core, with his skillful management of the Race to the Top Contract. During his second term, Supt. Woods has not only supervised the replacement of the weak Common Core standards with strong evidence-based standards, he has overseen a huge reduction in the unnecessarily excessive high-stakes testing. Georgia's students and their parents owe a great debt of gratitude to Supt. Richard Woods for bringing back traditional math and classic literature to our standards. Richard Woods is the best State Superintendent of Schools Georgia has ever had. And we need to re-elect him!Teri Sasseville,Founder, Georgians to Stop Common Core Having spent years fighting the dangerous Common Core movement in Georgia, I want to warn parents and other concerned voters about the resurrection of John Barge as a candidate for State School Superintendent. In his first campaign for that position, Dr. Barge professed his opposition to Common Core. But as soon as he got into office, he flipped and became Common Core's biggest cheerleader, and the most powerful opponent of parents and teachers who saw how bad it was. He also publicly smeared those of us who asked him to keep his campaign promise. As icing on the cake, he later endorsed the liberal Democrat who was running for State Superintendent against Richard Woods.Dr. Barge's surrender to leftists on the Common Core issue helped pave the way for the destructive education policies he now promises to fight. Thanks, but I'll pass.Jane RobbinsRetired Senior Fellow, American Principles Project Many of us are old enough to remember personally testifying against Common Core (the vehicle through which CRT and all manner of liberal indoctrination has infiltrated our classrooms) at the House Education Committee hearings years ago. And who was the spokesperson FOR Common Core? None other than John Barge, the State School Superintendent at the time.He had actually campaigned against CC, but quickly changed to accommodate Governor Sonny Perdue, and soon became the lead apologist for it. He assured and reassured us that Georgia is only accepting the standards for English (ELA) and Math, two “objective” courses (not susceptible to indoctrination). In fact, at a 2013 meeting with Governor Deal and grassroots activists, he said, “There would be an all-out war in Georgia if we ever started messing with the Social Studies standards.”Was he ignorant, incompetent, or outright deceptive? Go to the Common Core website and see for yourself: ELA’s full and formal title is “English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.”And THIS is how, under State School Superintendent John Barge, Georgia’s English classes evolved from a classic education in literature & grammar to a series of left-leaning articles indoctrinating our children.It is ironic and shameful to me that this same John Barge is once again fooling serious-minded passionate Georgia parents into thinking he is now the white knight who is going to come in and save the day.Kathy Stahlman HildebrandPro-Family Grassroots Activist John Barge may be a decent guy – I know people who call him a personal friend – but this is not a record that deserves a “repeat performance.” While many have recently been confronted with the damage liberals have inflicted on our schools, those who I trust – who have been engaged long before we launched this organization – will tell you in no uncertain terms: it was John Barge who brought the mess to Georgia in the first place.Education must remain a primary concern facing our state. As you vote for local school board members, candidates for General Assembly, and statewide, you MUST elect reform-minded, pro-parent leaders. What we cannot afford to do, however, is elect anyone that would take us backward.Please join us – and the activists who have been in this battle – in supporting Richard Woods.For Our Students,Cole MuzioPresident,Frontline Policy Actioncole@frontlinepolicy.com