Byron Dorgan: “Well, as the Senator from Pennsylvania notes, we are not down the road far enough at this point to understand exactly…”

“Well, as the Senator from Pennsylvania notes, we are not down the road far enough at this point to understand exactly what the U.S. Department of Education is going to do in terms of allowing States to deal with their specific needs. I can tell you, having dealt with many Federal agencies for a long time--I know the Senator has as well-- having watched some of these statements coming from the Department of Education, we will at some point be on the floor talking about these circumstances because we will have Federal Rules imposed by the Government in a way that simply does not match the needs or interests of the small local school districts. I will be happy to work with the Senator as we proceed so that if he indicates--and he did earlier--he believes flexibility is the hallmark and a watchword, you have to have flexibility and common sense, then he and I need to be very vigilant in making sure that both the State plans but also especially and most importantly the Federal Rules with respect to how those plans are evaluated give us the opportunity for some common sense and flexibility.”