Education: Reform for Students, Teachers

In 2009, John Kline was chosen by his peers to serve as the ranking Republican on the 49-member Education and Labor Committee. “I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner with Chairman [George] Miller to be an advocate for education and advancing priorities for workers and their employers,” Kline said. “I am ready to take the lead.”

First joining the Education and Labor Committee in 2003, Congressman Kline has been a strong advocate for greater flexibility and local control in education, and increased federal funding for special needs and low income students. “Rep. Kline has been a diligent, hard-working member of our committee,” said Chairman Miller.

Congressman Kline has authored legislation to increase the availability of federal education funding at the local level, for which he was honored with the “Star of Education” Award by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. 

To view video of Congressman Kline asking Dept. of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to fully fund special educaiton, please click here.

 

Op-ed: Important ‘Cradle to Grave’ Battles Being Waged in Education and Labor Committee
Op-ed: A Promise Made To Our Children Should Be a Promise Kept
Video: Time is Overdue to Fully Fund Special Education
Video: Fully Funding Special Education Should Be a Priority
News: John Kline Hosts Superintendents Roundtable to Discuss Education
News: John Kline Visits Minnesota Career Colleges
News: Kline Rejects Government Takeover of Student Loan Programs
News: ‘Green Schools’ Bill Misplaces Education Priorities
Star Tribune: Kline Emerges As GOP Spokesman
Red Wing editorial: Congress Should Meet Obligations to Fund Special Education
Washington Post: John Kline, GOP Leaving ‘No Child’ Behind

 

Op-ed: Important ‘Cradle to Grave’ Battles Being Waged in Education and Labor Committee

June 30, 2009

By John Kline

When I first made the decision to run for Congress, I was motivated primarily by what I saw as a dearth of military experience in the legislative branch of government at a time when our nation was facing serious global threats. Upon my election, I was pleased to be appointed to the House Armed Services Committee, which gave me an opportunity to put to use the lessons I learned during my 25 years of experience in the United States Marine Corps. At the same time, I also was asked to serve on what was then called the “Education and Workforce” Committee. Little did I know how much that assignment would shape the course of my Congressional career.

During the course of my nearly seven years in Congress, my involvement in this committee, which is now called “Education and Labor” has put me on the front lines of the serious battles that affect Minnesotans – and all Americans – from cradle to grave. From student loan relief for our men and women in uniform to securing the pensions of Northwest Airline employees, I have been able to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to achieve meaningful progress for students, parents, workers, and employers.
Last week I was chosen to serve as the senior Republican on the committee, and we face no shortage of contests in the weeks and months ahead.

One of my legislative priorities since arriving in Congress – ensuring the federal government fulfills the commitment to paying its share of special education costs – will become one of my first orders of business in my new role. I have heard too many stories from schools in Minnesota and across the nation who have been forced to choose between cutting bus routes, eliminating extracurricular activities, or increasing class sizes to cope with shrinking budgets. If the federal government paid what it promised, we would enable schools across America to direct limited resources to address their specific needs – whether it is state of the art classrooms, additional teachers, or new textbooks – and make it possible for teachers and administrators to focus on the important job of providing the best education possible for all our children.

Already on the front burner of the committee’s agenda – and at the forefront of the national dialogue – is the issue of health care. I hear regularly from Minnesotans who are concerned about being able to afford quality care for themselves and their families. I think we all agree quality health care should be affordable and accessible for every American, but there are vastly different ideas as to how we can make that happen. I believe those who like their current coverage should be able to keep it. I believe Americans should be able to get the care they need – when they need it. For these reasons – and many others – I oppose a government takeover of health care. Such a move would raise taxes, ration care, and empower government bureaucrats to make decisions that rightfully belong to families and their doctors. As the lead Republican on one of the committees with jurisdiction over health care, I will fight for solutions that keep doctors and patients in control of their well being.

An issue of great importance to American workers is protecting and preserving the right to a secret ballot election when deciding whether to join a union. One bill currently being considered by Congress would take away this right, replacing it with a “card check” system that notoriously leaves workers open to coercion, pressure, and outright intimidation. The right to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that should be defended and protected. If unions and employers are sincere in their declared missions of protecting and serving workers, the real question should be how all sides can work together to defend workers’ rights.

I am honored to have been chosen to lead my Republican colleagues through these and the many other battles that lie ahead. And I look forward to amplifying the views and values of Minnesotans in these debates as I work with Chairman Miller and my Democratic colleagues to advance policies that benefit families and workers in Minnesota – and across the nation.

John Kline represents the Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his fourth term in Congress, he is the Senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee.



Op-ed: A Promise Made To Our Children Should Be a Promise Kept

Sept. 25, 2009

By John Kline

As students throughout Minnesota settle into a new school year, area schools, like many around the country, are coping with the stifling effects of the recession. School districts throughout the state are facing multi-million dollar deficits, and Minnesotans see the tangible effects the financial shortfalls have on our communities and our students.

As a member of Congress, some of the factors leading to these cuts are out of our control, but some should not be. Since being elected to Congress in 2002, I have focused my attention on ensuring the federal government keeps its financial commitments to our nation’s schools and removing some of the most burdensome requirements that come from Washington.

I strongly believe Congress can and should provide the funding schools were promised under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – or IDEA. And Congress should ensure we do so before we even consider authorizing new programs.

Almost 35 years ago Congress authorized IDEA to ensure children with disabilities would receive the same educational opportunities as their peers; along with IDEA came a promise to fund 40 percent of the excess cost of special education and related services. However, since 1975 we have never met that promise. In fact, we have never even come close. Even with this year’s one-time boost in stimulus funding, which will disappear in a little more than a year, we still fall far short of our guarantee.

Most Minnesotans know what this means for individual schools and districts. I have heard from too many educators and administrators forced to decide between paying for new textbooks or increasing teacher salaries. While fully funding the federal share of IDEA will not provide an endless pot of gold, it will free up thousands of dollars that could be dedicated to the most pressing needs in individual schools. That funding would enable schools across America to direct limited resources to address their specific needs – whether it is state of the art classrooms, additional teachers, or new textbooks – and make it possible for teachers and administrators to focus on the important job of providing the best education possible for all our children.

Yet instead of delivering full funding to IDEA, Congress is once again creating new programs, mandates, and obligations that will further stretch already limited resources. Already this year, the House has passed legislation that puts the federal government in the school construction business, dramatically expands its role in the daycare and early childhood education business, and reshapes its approach to job training through new community college initiatives – each of which carries a multi-billion dollar price tag. And history suggests that once created, federal programs do not go away, instead adding billions more in entitlement spending each year. Congress and the President have done this while funding IDEA at last year’s level – freezing the percentage of excess costs at 17 percent – and cutting funding for the Title I program by $1.5 billion.

While these new programs may be beneficial, we have not seen evidence of their success. Challenging economic times are not the time for new and expensive experiments that siphon funds from existing programs and impose massive, unfunded mandates on state and local school officials.

Instead, we should devote our limited resources – both time and energy – to those programs with which schools are already required by law to comply.

In addition to providing funding for IDEA, Congress also needs to dedicate its time to reforming the program itself. We must take steps to ensure children’s needs are recognized and correctly identified so they receive the appropriate services. Right now, too many children who are unable to read – or who are low-income or minority – are placed in special education environments unnecessarily. This dramatically increases the cost of educating students with disabilities and is a disservice to these children who belong in the traditional classroom setting. Similarly, we must find a way to minimize the unnecessary lawsuits that drive up the cost of educating our special needs children and further burden the already underfunded program.

Meaningful reform and full funding must go hand in hand. For almost seven years, I have worked to persuade my colleagues to keep their promise to our nation’s schools, and I will continue my fight as Senior Republican on the Education and Labor Committee. With my new position I have the ability to amplify that voice in the national debate and bring attention to the struggles of schools throughout Minnesota and across our great land. It is our duty, as Congress, to honor our commitments. On behalf of all of our American students, we should work tirelessly to that end.

U.S. Rep. John Kline, of Lakeville, is the Senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.

 

Video: Time is Overdue to Fully Fund Special Education
For the fourth time in four months, Minnesota Congressman John Kline introduce legislation to increase funding for special education.

The amendment Congressman Kline introduced today to the annual spending bill for the U.S. Department of Education would have increased special education funding by $1 billion for the coming year by decreasing spending on ineffective and low-priority programs.

You can view the video by clicking here.


Video: Fully Funding Special Education Should Be a Priority
Minnesota Congressman John Kline introduced an amendment that would fully fund special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), freeing up desperately needed funding for schools nationwide.

You can view the video by clicking here.

The news releases have come almost daily, with Kline accusing Democrats of looking to pass a "1,018-page monstrosity" and "orchestrating a full government takeover of our classrooms and communities."

Broader GOP plan
This new, more aggressive image is emblematic of an effort across the Republican Party to present a more unified opposition to Democratic initiatives.

Kline's committee spokeswoman, Alexa Marrero, described it as providing "principled opposition and positive alternatives."

"That is a change for him because he usually is not one of the more visible people in Congress," said David Schultz, a political analyst and professor at Hamline University. Schultz said Kline can effectively lean right because he represents a fairly safe -- and conservative -- district in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities.

Kline's voting record has always been reliably conservative, and this session he's voting with his party 98 percent of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly. But the new role has also brought him into close contact with Republican leaders who chart the course for the party, particularly Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor.

"He has talked about this a little bit, where he has not only the higher-profile role publicly but also within the leadership, within the House," Marrero said. "I think members on both sides are getting to know him a little bit more and looking to him to really be shaping the agenda more."

The congressman and his staff say his positions on the issues haven't changed, though the volume of words has increased -- especially on health care and higher education.

Kline said in a recent interview that he is "under encouragement from leadership to get out there and talk about the issues." But, he added, so are many others.

"I don't look at it as trying to make the issues sharper, although I'm sure that's what's happening," he said.

A larger portfolio
Other Republicans in Congress increasingly view Kline as an emerging leader on their side of the aisle, said Ken Spain, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

While some have speculated that Kline's higher profile is part of an attempt to seek a leadership role in the party, his deputy chief of staff, Angelyn Shapiro, dismisses that suggestion. She said the new position "came about rather surprisingly." Kline had considered seeking the [committee] leadership job, she added, but he only "entered the process full force" after being encouraged by colleagues. Given his lack of seniority -- there were several more senior Republicans on the committee -- Kline seemed an unlikely candidate.

Coming out of a military background (he once carried the "football" of nuclear missile launch codes for President Ronald Reagan and was a military adviser to President Jimmy Carter), Kline had seemed destined to carve out a niche on the Armed Services Committee. It is now clear his portfolio will be much broader.

Dan Hofrenning, a professor of political science at St. Olaf College, said the move indicates Kline has reached a more influential phase in his congressional career.

"Kline is at a point where he's moved out of the rookie stage and is trying to establish his persona," Hofrenning said. "It looks like it's going to be something different than the role taken by either Bachmann or [Jim] Ramstad -- that is, he's neither the moderate nor the strident social conservative. And it looks like he's going to work more in tandem with the House leadership, and that's interesting."

Red Wing editorial: Congress Should Meet Obligations to Fund Special Education
Red Wing Republican-Eagle

Twice in May U.S. Rep. John Kline introduced an amendment that would fully fund special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Schools desperately need those funds. More importantly, students need the programs they will ensure.

The amendment would require the federal government to fulfill the 40 percent funding level it has promised.

IDEA, which became law more than 30 years ago, ensures that all children, regardless of a physical or learning disability, have access to a quality public education. Unfortunately, Congress has fallen far short of meeting its share of the funding responsibility. Congress updated the act in 2004, establishing specific steps to reach 40 percent by 2011. Sadly, those graduated increases haven’t materialized.

Funding remains woefully below that necessary level. This isn’t a partisan issue. Indeed, it’s something that former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton fought hard to rectify. He knew the money would resolve funding problems for tens of thousands of districts across the nation.

We urge Congress to act now.    



Washington Post: John Kline, GOP Leaving ‘No Child’ Behind

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post

As the Obama administration considers new legislation to fix schools, House Republicans have chosen an education policy leader who is eager to turn the page on the No Child Left Behind era and roll back federal mandates for testing students.

The ascent of Rep. John P. Kline (Minn.) last month to ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee marked a watershed. For the first time since enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2002 under President George W. Bush, the top GOP member on a congressional education committee is not someone who voted for the landmark law. Kline wasn't even in Congress at the time.

Unlike his predecessors, who gave Bush crucial support for the law, Kline said he is not committed to the core requirement of testing all students in reading and math in grades three through eight, and once more in high school. He said he wants to give states "maximum latitude."

"I'm not looking to tweak No Child Left Behind," Kline said. "As far as I'm concerned, we ought to go in and look at the whole thing."

President Obama is jettisoning much of the rhetoric and symbolism associated with No Child Left Behind, but he has yet to offer a detailed proposal to revise the law, which has waned in popularity and is overdue for reauthorization.

Experts say it is unlikely that the president would seek to scrap the testing requirement. If anything, he appears to want tougher tests.

House Republicans have almost no power to block the Democratic majority. But Kline and a growing number of like-minded members of his party devoted to local control of schools are likely to complicate Obama's efforts to build a broad bipartisan coalition for the next generation of education reform. Bush overcame many Republican doubts about enlarging the federal role in school policy. It remains to be seen whether Obama can do the same.

The law requires states to report test scores separately for groups of students, including racial and ethnic minorities, poor students, those with limited English skills and special-education students. The spotlight on scores is meant to force educators to focus on narrowing any achievement gaps. Schools must advance toward a goal of 100 percent student proficiency by 2014, and those that repeatedly fall short can face interventions that include a management takeover.

Rep. George Miller (Calif.), now the committee chairman, was one of two key Democrats who teamed with Bush on No Child Left Behind. The other was Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), now chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Sen. Mike Enzi (Wyo.), now the ranking Republican on Kennedy's committee, also voted for the law.

As ranking House Republican on the Education and Labor Committee, Kline succeeds Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (Calif.), who took the GOP's senior slot on the Armed Services Committee. Current House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) was the education committee chairman when the law was enacted.

Kline, 61, a retired Marine officer who carried the emergency nuclear-attack briefcase known as the "football" for Presidents Carter and Reagan, won his House seat in 2002. At first, he was willing to give the new education law a chance. But he said he soured on it after fielding persistent complaints from educators and parents.

"Let's back the federal government out of dictating to schools how they're going to do their business," he said.

He said he hopes to find common ground with Democrats to increase special-education funding and expand independently operated, publicly funded charter schools. But he criticizes Democrats for failing to reauthorize a program that provides low-income D.C. students with vouchers for private-school tuition, and he opposes Democratic efforts to expand direct government lending to college students.

Dan Lips, a Heritage Foundation analyst, said Kline's rise coincides with "an opportunity for Republicans to return to their more conservative roots [on education], favoring moving decisions back to the states."

Amy Wilkins, of the Education Trust, which supports efforts to close achievement gaps, said Kline's stance harks back to a "pre-Bush" view on schools. "There is still a set of Republicans who see a legitimate federal role in driving education reform forward," she said. But within the party, "they may be in the minority now."

Last week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan paid Kline a visit on Capitol Hill.

"He feels the same sense of urgency I do, that we need to get dramatically better," Duncan said later. Duncan said he told Kline that he wants to push for higher academic standards but giving schools more flexibility to achieve them -- "be much looser at the local level, let folks innovate." Duncan said that message "seemed to resonate with him."