Hensarling Votes to Return Control of Education to Classrooms

Statement

Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177).

"One of the biggest complaints I hear from parents, teachers, and school administrators across my district is concerning No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its one-size fits all policy which allows Washington bureaucrats to assert control and influence in the classroom. While NCLB was well-intentioned, it has led to more federal spending, mandates, and bureaucratic red tape, while doing little to improve student performance. Furthermore, the powers granted to Washington by NCLB have allowed the Obama Administration to use waivers to virtually rewrite the law and to coerce states into adopting Common Core.

"The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaces NCLB's Washington control of our nation's classrooms with commonsense, conservative reforms that empower states and parents. In fact, ESSA represents the largest devolution of power out of Washington and back to classrooms in twenty-five years. Specifically, this bill completely guts the ability of the Obama Administration to use waivers, federal grants, or mandates to coerce states into adopting the one-size-fits-all approach of Common Core or any other particular standards. It also places new and unprecedented restrictions on the authority of the Secretary of Education, and ends the era of federally-mandated high-stakes testing.

"Though not perfect, ESSA sets us on a path to reducing the federal footprint in our nation's education system by paving the way for reforms that ultimately return control to state and local officials where it belongs.

"As a father of two school-aged children, I believe that the most powerful thing Congress could do to ensure that all children have the opportunity to receive a first-class education is to put control of that education back in the hands of the state and local leaders and parents who know our children best. The Every Student Succeeds Act begins taking us down the path to do just that."

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