My name is Maureen Oliver.

 I'm a parent from North Reading. I hear, that business leaders want to talk about minimum standards. Well, I want to talk about minimum standards, too. Such as, the minimum standards of accountability for the money being squandered in Massachusetts on a misguided test.

We expect our tax dollars to fund our children's education, but with MCAS--our money is impeding their education.

Our money is profiting many private interests at the expense of our public school children. It is profiting places like: Harcourt in Texas, Mass Insight, TestU and how about the $3.9 million for the new Office of Educational Quality &
Accountability--an office formed to watch even more money go to the test.

And, over $600,000 spent by the Board of Ed, this year, on tv ads to push their own test agenda.

We are not only parents--WE ARE VOTERS.

As voters, we have POWER!

Power to protest and power, ultimately, to stop the test. I urge you to stop the test and use the money in creative and appropriate ways to benefit ALL our children.