Scott Garrett: “with the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind before us this year, we all have an obligation to consider reforms that…”

“with the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind before us this year, we all have an obligation to consider reforms that both further education policy, and also maintain consistency with our constitutional duties. The Federal Government began its interference, if you will, in education through land grants, and over time has transformed into a bureaucracy that we see today. I would like to highlight some of the serious flaws in this tangled web we have weaved and pose a question to my colleagues and our constituents as well. Are we better off today with the Federal Government's involvement in education as it has been over the years? Since 1965, American taxpayers have invested more than $778 billion on Federal programs for elementary and secondary education. The GAO, the Government Accountability Office, reported in 1994 that 13,400 Federally funded full-time employees in State education agencies work to implement Federal education programs. That is three times the number then working at the Department of Education. The same report found that state education agencies are forced to reserve a far greater share of Federal and State funds for State-level use by a ratio of 4-1, due to the administrative and regulatory burden of Federal programs. And because it cost so much to allocate a Federal dollar than a State dollar, 41 percent of financial support and staffing of State education agencies was a product of Federal dollars and regulations.”