On the recordMay 13, 2011
Today I will introduce the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act, the first in a series of proposals to reform education in America. There is an urgent need to fix what is broken in our Nation's education system. Roughly two-thirds of eighth graders lack basic reading and math skills. Only 70 percent of students graduate high school. Meanwhile, Federal education spending is at an all-time high. The Department of Education currently administers more than 80 programs tied to K-12 classrooms. Many of these programs are duplicative, several have been deemed inefficient, and others are simply a poor use of taxpayer funds. It is time to trim the fat. Today, I will introduce legislation that will eliminate, not consolidate and not defund, but eliminate 43 wasteful K-12 education programs. At a time when approximately one-third of American fourth graders can't read, we must concentrate on education initiatives that have a track record of putting the needs of the students first. I encourage my colleagues to support the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act. ____________________
