“We need to repeal every word of Common Core,” said Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Sunday to applause from a group gathered at the Londonderry Fish & Game Club in New Hampshire.
Cruz delivered a stump speech that focused on the 2nd Amendment and gun rights, and then took questions from voters on a variety of issues, including education. “Look, I’m a passionate defender of the Constitution,” continued Cruz. “I’ve spent most of my life fighting to defend the Constitution.”
“A critical part of the Constitution is the 10th Amendment to the Bill of Rights, which says that powers not given to the Federal government, are reserved to the states and to the people,” he said.
Cruz continued: “That means there are certain responsibilities the Federal government needs to do and do well; it needs to defend this country; it needs to support the men and women of the military; it needs to secure the borders,” said Cruz to enthusiastic echoes of "Yes" from the audience.
“There are other areas that the Federal government has no business sticking its nose, and chief among them is education,” said Cruz, to which people murmured "Amen." “The reason, which y’all understand, education is too important for it to be governed by unelected bureaucrats in Washington.”
“It needs to be at the state level or even better at the local level where parents have direct control over the curriculum and education,” Cruz said.
The majority of states adopted Common Core due to a decision by their state boards of education, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.