WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation, along with more than two dozen groups, today called on Congress to finish the job of returning education to the states.
The push comes as Education Secretary Linda McMahon has made substantial efforts to downsize the agency, set up agreements for other federal agencies to share key responsibilities, and allow states to apply for waivers from federal requirements.
Jonathan Butcher, acting director of Heritage’s Center for Education Policy, and Will Skillman senior research fellow in education policy, made the following statement:
“Education Secretary McMahon and her team are trying to help parents and students with measures to give families and state and local officials more authority in education. By collaborating with state lawmakers on waivers from federal regulations and designing agreements with other federal agencies to share key responsibilities, the Education Secretary has taken prudent steps to right-size her agency.
"Federal lawmakers should finish the job and show support for students across the country. The Education Department has used trillions in taxpayer spending over the last 40 years, yet taxpayer spending per student continues to increase while test scores have not."
The letter calls for Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to “consider bringing proposals to the floor of their respective chamber and collaborate with Secretary McMahon to sunset this failed bureaucracy."
Signers include: Butcher at Heritage as well as Center For Christian Virtue, Alabama Policy Institute, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Christian Education Network, Commonwealth Foundation, Concerned Women for America, CT Parents Union, Defending Education Eagle Forum, Family Policy Alliance, Freedom Foundation, Goldwater Institute, Gwen Samuel, President, Pride & Prejudice Inc., Independent Women, James G. Martin Center, Jefferson Forum, Louisiana Family Forum, Military Families in Support of Parental Rights, National Association of Scholars, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Our America Project Pathfinder, Richard Viguerie, Chairman of American Target Advertising, Inc., South Carolina Policy Council, The Honorable Bob Schaffer, U.S. House of Representatives (CO-4, 1997-2003), The New Criterion, Vicki Murray, Ph.D., Director, Center for Education & Paul W. Locke Research Fellow for Education, Washington Policy Center, Virginia Institute for Public Policy, Wyoming Family Alliance, and Wyoming Liberty Group.
Read the full letter here.
BACKGROUND: For decades, Heritage has called for the dissolution of the U.S. Education Department. A 2020 Heritage backgrounder laid out specific recommendations for ending the federal agency.