Freedom Writer - February 1995 [ref001] Profile:NACE/CEE he National Association of Christ

Freedom Writer - February 1995

[ref001]

Profile:NACE/CEE

he National Association of Christian Educators (NACE) was founded 
in 1983 as a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Citizens 
for Excellence in Education (CEE) is a division of NACE. The group 
claims 1,668 chapters, 878 church-based Public School Awareness Committees, 
and about 250,000 members. NACE/CEE has chapters in almost every state, 
with California boasting the most chapters. 

The annual budget is $610,000 (a $90,000 decrease from last year). 
Most of the group's income comes from individual donors; however, 
Calvary Chapel, in Costa Mesa, CA, contributes about $50,000 annually. 
In the past, NACE/CEE has received financial support from the Coors 
beer family through the Coors Foundation.

Dr. Robert L. Simonds, 70, is the founder and president. A former 
fundamentalist minister, Simonds taught math at a community college 
for almost 20 years. His use of the title "Dr." represents a Bible-school 
degree in theology. Simonds was a member of President Reagan's Taskforce 
to Implement the National Commission on Excellence in Education Report, 
'A Nation at Risk." His wife, Jacki, and daughter, Kathi Hudson, also 
work for NACE/CEE.

The board of directors includes Bob Simonds, president, Jacqueline 
Simonds, secretary/treasurer, and Russell Wilson, Donna Ross, and 
Dan Collins, all of Orange County, California.

Dr. Arnold Burron of the University of Northern Colorado is a close 
associate. Burron serves as director of a new CEE entity called the 
National Center for Reconcilation and Reform, the purpose of which 
is "to assure our CEE entry into all school districts."

Simonds, and members of the NACE/CEE, believe they are following "the 
Lord's plans to bring public education back under the control of the 
Christian community." While they clearly want to control the public 
schools, their agenda goes even further.

Simonds was a member of the National Coordinating Council (NCC), the 
political arm of the Coalition on Revival, and chaired its education 
committee. In 1990, at the time of Simonds' involvement, the NCC published 
its 20-year plan to Christianize America. One of the written goals 
was to "work towards replacing all local public schools with private 
schools by 2000 A.D." Today, Simonds says that he does not want to 
abolish public schools, but to reform them.

The NACE/CEE advocates home schooling as an alternative to public 
schools, as well as government vouchers to subsidize tuition at private 
Christian schools.

The main priority is to elect conservative Christians to school boards. 
Until recently, disruption of the public schools by attacking curricula 
and textbooks has been a high priority. CEE is currently experimenting 
with a new approach.

The National Center for Reconciliation and Reform is an outward attempt 
by NACE/CEE to "move parents from warfare to equal partners." Simonds 
writes, "Peace is always preferable to war, if sincere cooperation 
is enjoined. However, peace with compromise of our ethics, beliefs, 
or agendas is not worthwhile. We will never agree to any common ground 
like that."

While Simonds has adopted a new approach toward school officials, 
his shift seems disingenuous. In a recent confidential letter to NACE/CEE's 
national board members, Simonds clearly stated his position: "Should 
this effort fail, we [Christians] have lost nothing. We can and WILL 
continue to take back control of our local school boards and eventually 
the entire system. We will fight to the end to stop any atheism, values 
clarification psychology, hypnotism, necromancy, immorality, homosexuality, 
or denial of students' or parents' free speech and free exercise of 
our faith in our schools.

"When we get our Christian agenda operating inside the schools, we 
can control all those things much easier, because our agenda leaves 
NO time for those kind of things.

"I believe they are realizing they really have little or NO choice 
but to cooperate. So far, the Lord's leading has been working beautifully."

NACE/CEE reaches into communities through its numerous chapters and 
Public School Awareness (PSA) groups. PSAs are established in fundamentalist 
and Pentecostal churches, while chapters are stand-alone, and affiliated 
with the national group. Some chapters do not carry the CEE name and 
thus are not so easily identified. In addition, CEE estimates that 
200 other non-affiliated organizations use their material.

The national office publishes numerous concocted and inflammatory 
materials alerting Christian parents about the latest Satanic and 
humanistic plots to subvert their children. Local chapters and PSAs 
use this material to engage school boards and other parents. 

Since 1989, the NACE/CEE claims it has helped elect over 12,625 conservative 
Christians to school boards. In 1989, its first year of trying to 
elect school board members, it elected 250; in 1990, 454; in 1991, 
1,157; in 1992, 3,611; in 1993, 7,153.

In 1994, Simonds told _The_Freedom_Writer_, "We lost two or three 
big ones, but early indications are we had our biggest landslide ever." 
Simonds claims that there are now 2,050 schools with a conservative 
Christian majority. He refuses to name them, saying, "We are protecting 
all our chapters' identity and successes from media information, to 
prevent undue attack and persecution."

The Vista, CA school board was one of CEE's 1994 losses. In 1992, 
with assistance from the CEE, the Christian Right took over the Vista 
School Board in San Diego County. Following their victory, board meetings 
began with prayer, and the board introduced the teaching of Biblical 
creationism in the district's schools.

NACE/CEE has been effective in banning a wide range of books from 
schools, including _Little_Red_Riding_Hood_, and the Judy Blume novel 
_Deenie_. NACE/CEE opposes the use of the Impressions reading series, 
and outcome-based education. Their opposition has wreaked havoc in 
hundreds of schools. NACE/CEE's credibility is often undermined by 
crackpot theories and ridiculous hyperbole. Simonds once described 
his opponents as originating "from the very headquarters of evil."

After several years of rapid growth, NACE/CEE is in a period of decline. 
This seems largely due to member disatisfaction over Simonds' apparent 
willingness to "bury the hatchet" with some of his detractors. He 
has been working closely with Dr. Bill Spady, the "father of outcome-based 
education" -- opposition to which has been the rallying cry for many 
Religious Right groups.

However, CEE will continue to elect conservative Christians to school 
boards. Simonds believes that its phenomenal success in school board 
races in the past three years is due to the fact that its candidates 
haven't pushed "Christian causes." Advocating a Christian/moral agenda 
invites immediate opposition in local school board races. So, instead, 
Simonds suggests that Christian candidates  "be careful in how you 
state your position."

Simonds urges his members to "Go all out on all elections. Nothing 
else will do. Engage all the churches -- inform them -- register them 
-- establish special prayer support groups. You WILL win!"

In its Parent Action Guide, the NACE/CEE says that "only about 5-10% 
of your community votes for school board members. That means that 
a 1-3% swing in the vote will have major impact. Generally, 3% represents 
only a few churches." Kathi Hudson emphasizes persistence in trying 
to take over a school board, saying that it usually "takes a couple 
of years to control a school board." 

Like most organizations in the Christian Right, the NACE/CEE employs 
stealth tactics and subterfuge to further its agenda. The name Citizens 
for Excellence in Education was adopted for local use because it sounds 
like "a `friendly' name to the school board."

Regarding the separation between church and state, the NACE/CEE applies 
whatever logic fits the occasion. In _How_to_Elect_Christians_to_Public_
Office_, Simonds says, "The separation between church and state is 
another 'myth' the ACLU, NEA, and NOW have sold the public." However, 
the same book says, "Any persuasion of humanism that promotes a religious 
or irreligious belief is in violation of the constitutional separation 
of church and state."

Bob Simonds sees any criticism of the Religious Right's agenda as 
"specifically meant to PERSECUTE Christians" (emphasis his). He adds, 
"It now appears that Christians in America are beginning to share 
the same treatment Jews received in Nazi Germany." 

NACE/CEE's newsletter, _Education_Newsline_, is published monthly 
but may be cut back to a quarterly publication. Simonds also issues 
frequent "President's Reports." Simonds' book, _How_to_Elect_Christians_
to_Public_Office_, is available for $3.00 plus $0.75 postage. Chapters 
use _How_to_Help_Your_School_Be_a_Winner_, the CEE chapter manual. 
A complete list of publications is sent to anyone on the mailing list.

_Suggested_reading__
"Crusader Vows to Put God Back Into Schools Using Local Elections" 
by Sonia L. Nazario, _The_Wall_Street_Journal_, July 15, 1992.
"Christian Reich?" by Frederick Clarkson, _Mother_Jones_, November/December 
1991.
"Educational Odyssey: How a North Carolina Community Took on the Religious 
Right -- And Won!" and "Outcome-Based Education: The Religious Right's 
Latest Bogeyman" by Rob Boston, _Church_&_State_, May 1993._

_Sidebar: [ref002]Simonds' 'exceptionally successful platform'_


NACE/CEE
PO Box 3200
Costa Mesa CA 92628
(714) 546-5391 tel
(714) 546-5938 tel
(714) 546-6323 fax

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Copyright 1995 IFAS
The Freedom Writer / ifas@crocker.com

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