Senator Roberts Continues Fight to Protect Local Education Decisions from Federal Intervention

Press Release

At a hearing today of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts again called for protections against federal intervention in education decisions, which are best made at the state and local level. Roberts made the remarks as the Committee discussed testing and accountability in the debate over reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). (audio and video here)

Using Kansas' battles with testing and the federal government as an example, Roberts said:

"Kansas created a statewide commission to develop and implement teacher and principal evaluations," Roberts said. "That, to me, sounds like a comprehensive state led approach to designing a robust evaluation system.

"The fact is that the Dept. of Education is going beyond the statute in issuing conditioned waivers to force state adoption of its preferred policies.

"In August 2014, after Kansas agreed to the Dept. of Education's prescriptive requirements, they were informed that their ESEA flexibility request was fully approved, and they would no longer be labeled high-risk status.

"This is a pattern we have seen nationwide.

"Furthermore, it's clear that the Obama Administration coerced states to implement Common Core."

Last week, Roberts re-introduced the LOCAL Level Act to explicitly prohibit the federal government's role and involvement in Common Core.

U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) have co-sponsored the legislation.

Roberts' bill would strictly forbid the federal government from intervening in a state's education standards, curricula, and assessments through the use of incentives, mandates, grants, waivers or any other form of manipulation.

Roberts went on to say, "I appreciate the Chairman's Every Child Ready for College and Career Act draft. It is going in the right direction in reducing the federal footprint, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Chairman to hopefully include my language in the final draft because I firmly believe it would prohibit the Administration from finding additional ways to promote a state's adoption of Common Core."

Believing that local control of education is the best control Senator Roberts introduced the LOCAL Level Act in 2014 in the previous Congress. Senator Roberts is also an outspoken opponent of the RTT grant program, a main vehicle the Obama Administration uses to force states to adopt Common Core. In addition, in June of 2013, during the Senate HELP Committee's consideration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Senator Roberts introduced an amendment to prohibit the U.S. Secretary of Education from offering waivers containing mandates in exchange for relief from onerous provisions of ESEA.

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