Education

Education

Before coming to Congress, I taught in the public high school classroom for 28 years. If there's one thing that experience taught me, it's that education is a local issue. Our education priorities in Utah should be established by parents and local teachers, not mandated by the federal government. I favor turning more control and power over to those at the local level who know the needs of their students and their communities better than any bureaucrat in Washington ever could. I fear that we are counterproductive when we waste money on one-size-fits-all federal programs that bind the hands of creative teachers and administrators at the local level.

I would also support tuition tax credits and vouchers. I believe that anything that gives more control, empowerment, flexibility, and involvement to parents for the education of their children is a good idea.

Education funding in Utah is always a hot issue. I commend the Legislature and the Governor for their efforts in trying to strike a balance for properly budgeting for Utah's schools. I feel the best thing that I, as a federal lawmaker, can do for them in this regard is to get the federal government out of their way and leave more money back in the State to begin with to give them more resources with which to work.