Congressman Wants States To Be Able To Cut Ties With The Federal Department of Education
ACUGovRelations/flickr
New Jersey Congressman Scott Garrett is behind a proposal to keep education funding at the state levels and enable states to withdraw from Common Core.
A New Jersey Congressman has proposed a bill that would allow states to bypass the strings which come with federal money.
During a Common Core briefing at the Cato Institute this week, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) said he would introduce the LEARN Act – Local Education Authority Returns Now. The proposal would keep education funding at the state level instead of moving it through the federal government.
“It’s time to return our education policy back to local communities,” Garrett said. “It’s time to start putting actually the students first and not anyone else.”
The bill would also make it easier for states to rescind their support of Common Core State Standards.
Florida is one of 45 states and the District of Columbia speeding toward the full implementation of Common Core State Standards in 2014-15. The standards focus on fewer subjects and aim to get more students college and career ready.
But there’s a push back from opponents who see Common Core as nothing more than government intrusion. Some states are having second thoughts.
Garrett’s website says the LEARN Act “seeks to empower state and local governments by cutting the ties of federal mandates and bringing taxpayer money back” to the states.
He said states have been too willing to accept federal mandates in exchange for federal money.
Lawmakers in a handful of states are considering a repeal or delay in rolling out Common Core. Their reasons include federal involvement, cost of implementation, and effectiveness of the new standards.
Florida, however, is pressing ahead.
The 2013 Common Core State Standards Summer Institutes begin next week. The Florida Department of Education is hosting seven training institutes around the state to get classroom instructors ready for a new way of teaching.
More than 1,500 teachers and administrators will attend the agency’s first two-day training institute at Gulf Breeze High School in the panhandle Tuesday and Wednesday.