Education
Education is a state and local responsibility and more importantly a parental responsibility.
Over the past 40 years, federal dollars have accounted for about 8% of total K-12 revenues but increased to more than 12% during the recession [1]. In Utah, K-12 schools received 12.6% of their funding from the federal government, similar to the national average [2]. However, the federal government imposes regulations on K-12 education whose impact is disproportionately larger than the amount of funding local public schools receive from the federal government.
I oppose increased federal interference in education. We should let states, school districts, charter schools, and parents determine how education should be administered and delivered. The challenges and opportunities that local schools face vary significantly from state to state. The challenges we face in Utah – rapid enrollment growth and large numbers of children as a percent of the population – are much different than the challenges in other states.
I oppose No Child Left Behind and support its repeal.
[1] National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_235.10.asp
[2] National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_235.20.asp