Katie Porter: “The gentleman says that we here in Washington know that reduced class sizes are better for kids to learn, and we here in…”

“The gentleman says that we here in Washington know that reduced class sizes are better for kids to learn, and we here in Washington know that kids should not have to go to school in dilapidated classrooms. What makes the gentleman think that the local school board does not know those same things? What makes him think that we have to tell them how to spend their money? It seems to me that the argument that since 93 percent of the money is raised locally, we ought to be able to dictate how our 7 percent is used simply goes against the genius of public education in our country. The secret is not Washington control, it is local control. That is what we have done for 200 years in America, and it seems to me that we can trust them to make these decisions. They have made a lot of good decisions.”