THE WRONG DIRECTION:

Federal education policy is not good policy. Federal oversight has not resulted in improved educational outcomes or innovation. Even worse, the No Child Left Behind Act is destroying the fabric of our neighborhood schools in North Carolina through frequent mandatory redistricting.

Subjecting children to a fifty-minute bus ride so a school district can meet its performance targets hurts students, the environment, and our local budgets. We need great neighborhood schools that meet the unique needs of every student, but that starts at home—not in Washington.

Federal education programs cost North Carolina billions. In 2007, the federal Department of Education cost us North Carolinians more than $60 billion. Our population-based share of that cost was approximately $1.8 billion. However, we only received $1 billion in federal funds for education. Does it make sense of us to send $1.8 billion in taxes to receive $1 billion of bad policy in return?

TOWARDS AN OPTIMISTIC FUTURE:

As your congressman, I will support local education solutions for our children’s educations, without regulatory burdens and unfunded mandates from Washington like the No Child Left Behind Act.

Good education policy comes from local and state accountability. One size does not fit all, especially when it comes to education. Local public schools should be able to meet their students’ needs without federal government interference. After all, they know their needs best.

Equally important is a fundamental right of parenting: home schooling, which should neither be infringed upon nor regulated by the federal government.

We must keep North Carolina’s money and education policy in North Carolina. We know our state and our children. Bureaucrats in Washington do not.