Members of the common core panel are mixed on the question of local control and the new academic standards for student achievement in math and English language arts. “We feel like our district’s hands are tied,” Bruce Cook of the Madison School District said. “We would like more local control.” Dorothy Moon said, “There is a lot of fear. … We definitely want to have local control and keep local control when this program continues to roll out.”

State schools Superintendent Tom Luna said despite fears, people saw this year that “districts still chose their own curriculum, they chose their own textbooks, and they still will. … There isn’t a curriculum or textbook or texts themselves that are being imposed on school districts.”