DeMint amendment would’ve averted education waivers

First the US Dept. of Health and Education handed out waivers to organizations and corporations that realized the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was a legislative nightmare. That happens when your congressman doesn’t read the bill he signs.

Now the US Dept. of Education is handing out waivers. Those waivers wouldn’t be necessary had Democrats agreed to an amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

The problem is the same as it’s always been. Students aren’t passing muster on standardized tests. CNS News said DoED secretary Arne Duncan claimed “82 percent of U.S. schools could be labeled failures next year if No Child Left Behind is not changed.”

Some experts question Duncan’s claims.

A long forgotten amendment introduced by Sen. Jim De Mint (R-S.C.) might have prevented the woes states face today over the No Child Left Behind provisions. DeMint's amendment would have made the waivers unnecessary.

DeMint, in his book ‘Saving Freedom,’ described how he introduced a state flexibility amendment. To accommodate President George W. Bush, DeMint withdrew his amendment after the president promised it would be added at a later date. That never happened, DeMint said.

The amendment was dropped because Democrats disagreed with the concept of state flexibility. That is ironic because teachers’ unions normally back Democrats.

Despite the fact the feds have increased funding for the DoED repeatedly, student gains remain flat. Unlike some other countries, the U.S. tests every student and every student is eligible for a free education even if the student doesn’t speak English.

Libertarians have consistently called for dismantling the Education agency; Republicans have waffled on that matter. President George W. Bush increased funding.

If Bush had been a Democrat, it’s likely he’d still be praised for his education policy. CATO pointed out, “The Department of Education itself has grown by 69.6 percent between 2002 and 2004: from $46,282 million in FY2002 to $60,600 million in FY2004.”

The DoED website said, “ED currently administers a budget of $69.9 billion in discretionary appropriations (including discretionary Pell Grant funding) under the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution annualized level and operates programs that touch on every area and level of education.”

Yet the government agency site also notes, “[I]t is important to point out that education in America is primarily a State and local responsibility, and ED's budget is only a small part of both total national education spending and the overall Federal budget.”

Legislators who have never spent time in a classroom may continue to throw federal money into the agency, but it is not likely positive results will follow. The parent is the biggest missing piece in the public education quagmire, and anyone who spends time in a public classroom will soon come to realize that.

Additional Articles

Education spending skyrockets (The Heritage Foundation)

Obama address to children: Inartfully worded…(The US Report)

Pelosi’s healthcare scandal: Waivers… (The US Report)

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/August 8, 2011)

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