Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the senior Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today criticized legislation that creates a massive new federal school construction program. McKeon and other Republicans on the panel argued that taxpayers cannot afford a new, $20 billion foray into local facilities management, and that students and taxpayers would be better served by investments that improve academic achievement for disadvantaged children. The bill, the
21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), was approved by the committee over Republican objections.
“The federal government has always maintained a limited role in education, focusing on key academic priorities such as closing achievement gaps between disadvantaged students and their peers and ensuring services for children with disabilities,” said McKeon. “The construction and maintenance of schools are among the most fundamental rights and responsibilities belonging to communities. Federalizing this role is a stunning Washingtonpower grab; something that has become all too familiar in recent months.”
McKeon pointed to the estimated $2 trillion deficit in arguing against the legislation, noting that while there is a very real need for school construction and maintenance, it is states, local communities, and public-private partnerships that are best equipped to respond to local challenges.
“Americans aren’t interested in more federal bureaucracy and less control over their own schools and communities,” said McKeon. “With every state having unique and separate needs, the federal government should not be trying to control a state specific issue like school construction that can be handled by the school districts and local entities.”
The federal government’s primary responsibility in K-12 education has been – and, Republicans believe, still remains – providing additional resources and support for underprivileged students and students with disabilities. To retain the current focus, Republicans offered a pair of amendments designed to ensure that the federal commitment to existing education programs is met before taxpayers are asked to divert $20 billion to school building and maintenance. Specifically:
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Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) offered an amendment that called for Congress to provide the full authorized funding level for the Title I program for disadvantaged students before providing funding for a new school construction program. Although all Republicans supported the amendment, it was defeated by the panel’s Democrats.
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Rep. John Kline (R-MN) offered an amendment that required full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) before federal funding could be diverted to build and maintain schools. Federal passage of IDEA in 1975 called for the federal government to pay 40 percent of the excess cost to states of educating children with disabilities. More than 30 years later, the federal government has never reached that funding goal. Again, the panel’s Democrats defeated the amendment.
Although Republicans were strongly opposed to creation of an untested, $20 billion school construction program, they fought to insert new protections for taxpayers that would improve a program that could otherwise waste federal dollars by spending them where they are not needed. Specifically, Rep. McKeon offered an amendment that calls for an independent audit of school facility needs before taxpayer dollars are spent under this new program. He pointed out that estimates of unmet school construction needs vary widely, and argued that an independent assessment is needed to ensure dollars are invested where they are truly needed. Democrats accepted the amendment.
NOTE: Yesterday, USA Today reported that for the first time ever, the federal government “has supplanted sales, property and income taxes as the biggest source of revenue for state and local governments.” Republicans pointed to this fact as part of a disturbing trend toward federalization – from the banking and auto industries to the proposed takeover of student lending and school construction.
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