Garrett Gazette - July 16, 2007

Letter

Garrett Gazette - July 16, 2007

Dear Friends:

Last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that the federal budget deficit has dropped by more than half from what it was just three years ago. According to the Associated Press, this drop can be credited to "impressive revenue growth from the healthy economy."

The OMB estimates that this year's deficit will be nearly $40 billion lower than had been previously projected. It had originally been projected to be $244 billion, but these new estimates show the deficit at $205 billion. At 1.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), this is the lowest since 2002. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Labor announced two weeks ago that 123,000 jobs were created in June 2005, making that the 46th straight month of job growth and keeping unemployment rates at a low 4.5 percent. The good news was echoed on Thursday when the Dow Jones Industrials and Standard & Poor's 500 index broke stock market records.

There is obviously still work to be done to cut this deficit and a disciplined regimen of controlled spending and growth-inducing tax relief can keep us on the right track. But, the new leadership in Congress has said it is reluctant to extend the historic tax relief package that has spurred this strong economy. And, unless Congress acts:

* Starting with this tax year, single filers making $33,750 and married joint filers making $45,000 will be ensnared by the AMT.

* In 2010, the section 179 small business expensing cap will drop to $25,000.

* In 2011, the marginal income tax rates will increase to as much as 39.6% and the personal capital gains rate will increase to as much as 20%.

* Also in 2011, the marriage penalty will be restored, the child tax credit will be cut in half, and the death tax will be revived.

I will continue to press my colleagues in Congress to extend your tax relief and keep our economy moving strong.

Sincerely,

Scott Garrett

Member of Congress

ISSUE OF THE WEEK: GARRETT WORKS TO RETURN EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS

The House of Representatives is in the midst of its debate on the reauthorization of the landmark education policy proposal known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). At a recent town hall meeting I held to discuss this issue, I heard from many parents and educators who have serious concerns about how NCLB has impacted their children. I, too, have serious concerns about how it has displaced accountability, moving it away from your local classrooms and down to the halls of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. In case you missed it, I wanted to share the op-ed I wrote on this matter, which recently ran in Human Events Online:

Returning Education to the Basics by Leaving No Child Left Behind

by Rep. Scott Garrett

Congress is now in the midst of discussing the reauthorization of the landmark education law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). While some in Washington are interested in slightly altering the federal mandates in the law, fiddling around the edges isn't going to fix the problems our teachers, parents, and students have been experiencing these past five years. That approach will simply paper over some the current grievances without getting to the root of the problem. My bill, the LEARN Act (Local Education Authority Returns Now), would get to the real matter at hand and allow local and state governments to create and enforce public education themselves.

When President Bush first introduced NCLB, he was right when he said that the goal should be improving accountability in education. Parents demand it. Teachers demand it. And, it is the best tool that we can give them as they strive to make education work for their children.

But, NCLB entirely missed the mark. It centralized accountability in Washington with the bureaucrats and appointees at the U.S. Department of Education, completely bypassing the legislators in 50 state capitals, countless township school boards and local elected officials, and -- most importantly -- administrators, educators, and parents all across the nation.

Instead of encouraging teachers to be creative in engaging their students in the classroom, NCLB's testing requirements have forced teachers to "teach to the test." Many states have actually lowered their standards in order to maintain their federal funding. NCLB hasn't encouraged creativity or competition. Instead, it set standards to a lowest common denominator and established a race to the bottom.

Here's just one example: A school in my district that is consistently cited in publications as one of the top performing schools in the State of New Jersey was actually placed on the Department of Education's highly publicized "early warning list." But, this is not an underperforming school. In fact, every year, nearly 100% of the students graduate and go on to attend college and the school's average combined SAT score hovers at 1100. This is a school bursting at the seams with motivated teachers, students, and parents. But, it was put on the warning list because one student did not meet NCLB's requirement for what they deemed was "adequate performance."

This is not an isolated example.

It's important to note that all 50 states have taken some form of action, whether it is legislative or legal, against No Child Left Behind. You can view this link to see what specific action your state has taken. It's clear that states are speaking in unison that they don't believe NCLB is meeting the needs of their children. But despite the state action taken, NCLB does not allow states to opt out of these federal education mandates unless they are willing to give up the federal education funding that goes with it. I want to give states the ability to opt out without loss of their taxpayers' federal funding.

My bill, the LEARN Act, gives states the ability to opt out of NCLB and provides residents of those states a tax credit equal to the amount that they would have otherwise received in federal funding. This gives control back to the states, allowing them to pursue local and state educational initiatives based on what they believe will best help their students. States and local school districts then set their own standards, enforce their own penalties for failure, and establish their own goals for teachers and students. Accountability would be transferred from D.C. bureaucrats to the people who know the schools and the students personally.

Under my proposal, states that feel that the regulations of NCLB are both necessary and beneficial for their schools, teachers, and students can elect to remain under its purview. But if a state's residents feel that the responsibility for educating their children is best left in local hands, my bill will empower them to do so.

If we are truly interested in changing public education in America, we need to remove Washington bureaucrats from the equation and return the control and accountability to local communities where they can truly effect change in the areas they know it is needed the most.

CONGRESSMAN SCOTT GARRETT'S OFFICE COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU:

Congressman Garrett's staff will be holding Mobile Constituent Service Hours in a number of Fifth District towns this week. The Congressman's Constituent Service Officers are trained to act as your liaisons with Federal agencies. But, it's not always easy to make it out to one of the Congressman's district offices - in Paramus and Newton - to meet with one of them, especially when you are dealing with government red tape. These Mobile Constituent Service Hours sessions bring the Congressman's office to you. So, if you are having trouble with a Federal program, such as Medicare, veterans benefits, Social Security, or more, please feel free to come by. And, please bring copies of any relevant paperwork with you to facilitate their work.

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