Political Quotes

“today I come to the floor in opposition to the resolution to repeal regulations that help States and districts implement important provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act. In the last Congress, Members of Congress did what seems nearly unimaginable today. We passed a bipartisan bill, the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, to fix No Child Left Behind. After 14 years, Democrats and Republicans in both Chambers came together on compromise legislation to reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It gave States and districts flexibility to develop their own plans for holding schools accountable and encouraging improvements. At the same time, it included important Federal guardrails--including through regulatory authority--to fulfill the civil rights legacy of the original ESEA, ensuring that all students have equal access to high-quality public education. Today, we should be focusing on the implementation of ESSA and providing critical resources to students, teachers, and schools. But, instead, we are on the Senate floor debating a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval that would gut the regulations that help maintain the important balance that ESSA strikes between local control and making sure that States are held accountable for educating our students. After listening to teachers, parents, principals, and superintendents, the Obama Administration issued the final accountability regulation last November.…”