Carter Votes to Return Education to Local Control

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Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (GA-01) voted in support of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, today to improve K-12 education and reform the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.

"As a father and grandfather, I know firsthand how important it is for our children to have access to the best education possible," Carter said. "It's clear, however, that our education system is not adequately serving our children and it's not going to be fixed by Washington bureaucrats who think they know what is best for our children. Our education system can only be fixed by those who know students best -- parents, teachers, and communities."

H.R. 5 will reduce the federal footprint in education and restore local control while empowering parents and education leaders. It repeals out-of-touch teacher qualification programs and allows state and local officials to determine who is qualified to teach their children. It also eliminates excessive ineffective programs and prevents one-size-fits-all standards like Common Core.

"The bill prohibits the federal government from coercing states into adopting standards, including the train wreck of Common Core," Carter said. "Without the Student Success Act, the Department of Education could prohibit funds from being sent to Georgia unless we adopt Obama's federally prescribed education standards. We all know that each child learns differently and at their own pace and they should not be punished for this. I voted for this bill to put restraints on the Washington intrusion into classrooms, rein in the Department of Education, and put the keys to our children's education and future back in local control."

H.R. 5 -- STUDENT SUCCESS ACT:

Replaces the current national accountability scheme based on high stakes tests with state-led accountability systems, returning responsibility for measuring student and school performance to states and school districts.

Ensures parents continue to have the information they need to hold local schools accountable.

Eliminates more than 65 ineffective, duplicative, and unnecessary programs and replaces this maze of programs with a Local Academic Flexible Grant, helping schools better support students.

Protects state and local autonomy over decisions in the classroom by preventing the Secretary of Education from coercing states into adopting Common Core or any other common standards or assessments, as well as reining in the secretary's regulatory authority.

Empowers parents with more school choice options by continuing support for magnet schools and expanding charter school opportunities, as well as allowing Title I funds to follow low-income children to the traditional public or charter school of the parent's choice.

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