Asa Hutchinson: “While no one questions the sincerity of the desire of my colleague from Washington to lower the class size and the…”

“While no one questions the sincerity of the desire of my colleague from Washington to lower the class size and the student-teacher ratio, I think it once again reveals the huge philosophic chasm that has been evident time and time again during this debate on education and the amendments that have been offered on the floor of the Senate, the difference between the approach and the philosophy that we can best do things controlled out of Washington, DC, that knowledge and wisdom flows from this city and this institution, and that we want to concentrate the power and the control over education in this country in Washington. The effort here to support the President's plan for hiring 100,000 new teachers at the Federal level, I think, is once again evidence that those of us who believe that there needs to be flexibility with local control cannot accept this as moving in the right direction. One size does not always fit all. While some schools may benefit from reduced class sizes, other schools may not benefit from reduced class sizes. In fact most teachers--most teachers --in this country are satisfied with current class sizes. For example, according to a survey by the Department of Education, 79 percent of the teachers in my home State of Arkansas are satisfied with current class sizes--79 percent.”