Political Quotes

“it is clear to me that No Child Left Behind was broken and that it was not serving the best interest of children in Michigan or the rest of the country. That is why I voted to support the passage of the Every Child Achieves Act, which moves away from high stakes testing and puts decisions on education back in the hands of our States, school districts, parents, and the teachers, who are in the best position to make those decisions. However, I continue to have reservations about the Every Child Achieves Act, particularly the changes to formulas that govern how resources are allocated. The bill as drafted will reduce the support that Michigan schools have for recruiting teachers and school leaders at the same time as it reduces support for their professional development. It also cuts the future resources dedicated to the education of the most vulnerable low-income children in Michigan, sending that money to other States, using a formula that effectively rewards States for investing less in education. It is wrong to take resources away from one set of children and give them to another, and then call it equity. While I appreciate the efforts of the Senator from North Carolina to change his original amendment, the modified version would still have a negative impact on the children of Michigan. This is the reason I voted no on this amendment.…”