State Education Commissioner Johnny Key made an appearance at a Little Rock School District citizens advisory committee hearing last night but was restrained in public comments about plans for the district, Dexter Suggs’ ouster and other matters.

Perhaps he’ll be more open in a different audience. He’s agreed to participate in a “telephone town hall” Thursday night arranged by Laurie Lee, a lobbyist who worked on the Walton-backed legislation  that would have allowed privatizing the Little Rock School District and instantly abolished the teachers union, as well as other Walton-backed initiatives.

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I’ve asked Lee who’s paying for the town hall and what’s afoot. No response so far.

But I did FOI Key’s documents on the issue. Among them:

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School choice, thanks to Key’s long years of work, is now unfettered law in Arkansas. It will encourage resegregation in many school districts. ASTA, is the union-criticizing alternative teacher organization (also financed by Walton money), working to tear down the Arkansas Education Association. PARCC is the testing based on Common Core curriculum.

Given Key’s long association with Walton education desires, I’d expect him to be amenable to such an invitation.

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I’ve invited him to participate in a telephone town hall in which invitations are extended to Little Rock School District residents. I get the feeling they have questions, too.

PS — Lee arranged a meeting with legislators today to push the Common Core test. Walton money remains behind it. Key has been a supporter of it in the past.

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