Russell Defends Common Core Vote
Congressional candidate Steve Russell defends vote in dispute about Common Core
BY CHRIS CASTEEL
WASHINGTON — Steve Russell, a former state senator now running for Congress, adamantly denied Wednesday that he supported the Common Core education standards that were included in legislation he voted for in 2010.
Russell, an Oklahoma City Republican seeking to replace U.S. Rep. James Lankford, said a requirement that the standards be adopted in Oklahoma’s public schools was inserted at the last minute into a bill that focused predominately on teacher evaluations and pay.
“Senate Bill 2033 was a teacher incentive pay bill,” Russell said in an interview.
All Republicans in the state Senate voted for the legislation, which was approved 37-10 before clearing the state House and being signed by then-Gov. Brad Henry.
“None of us knew what (Common Core) would become,” Russell said.