Tom Feeney is Fighting for Choice and Accountability in Education

I. America's children deserve the best education, not the most expensive.

Today, the federal government spends more than $66 billion on K–12 education: more than $1,400 for every public school student in the United States. American taxpayers spend more than $440 billion annually on K–12 public education in the United States.

It's not how much you spend its how you spend it. Lack of money is not the problem. Increased funding has not led to increased achievement. Over the past three decades, per-pupil education spending has doubled, but test scores have remained stagnant. The U.S. spends more money per student than any other nation in the world and yet is not first in education. Source: HERITAGE FOUNDATION

The cost of sending our kids to college continues to rise. Colleges and universities have increased the cost of higher education at an alarming rate, far faster than inflation or increases in families' ability to pay. It is time to address the ever-rising cost of a college education.

Comprehensive Coverdell Modernization Act of 2007 (HR 2588) will keep Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) as a viable savings option for families as a way to pay for higher education expenses by increasing the annual contribution limit to Coverdell ESAs. It is important to empower parents with financial planning tools to prepare for educational expenses.

II. Local community leaders and parents know the education needs of children in their area better than distant federal bureaucrats. Control must be returned to those who best know a child's individual needs.

The A-Plus Act (H.R. 1539) Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) is sponsor and Rep. Tom Feeney a cosponsor -- This legislation gives states and localities the power and responsibility to determine their own education needs and policies. States may opt-out of No Child Left Behind's regulations, without losing federal funding, and instead maintain their own state assessment and accountability systems.
The Local Control of Education Act (H.R. 1857). Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) is sponsor and Rep. Tom Feeney a cosponsor -- This legislation gives the states the choice and responsibility to decide what is the best use of No Child Left Behind federal funding. This includes teacher evaluation and student performance.

Parents Deserve a Choice in the School their Child Attends - a parent's right to choose to homeschool their children must be protected. In February 2008, a California court declared that all forms of homeschooling by an unaccredited parent violate CA law. I firmly believe that the choice to homeschool their kids is a fundamental right belonging to all parents; the right to raise and teach their kids according to their faith, principles, and family values.

Resolution calling on the courts to uphold the fundamental and constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children (H.Res.1076) This legislation supports the right of parents to legally homeschool their kids without having to possess a teaching license. It calls upon the courts to uphold the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion that parents have a fundamental and constitutional right to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

III. We need to implement reforms to transfer dollars and power back to state and local governments so that local policymakers can enact reforms that best suit local community needs.

The Empowering Parents Through Choice Act (H.R. 1486) Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) is sponsor -- This legislation implements the Promise Scholarship program to allow parents of students in failing schools to send their child to a private school, to send them to an out-of-district public school, or receive extensive tutoring.

IV. We must attract high quality teachers to our schools for our children's education

Individual states should be able to set “alternative certification” guidelines and requirements for teachers (especially Math and Science) with practical experience.
The federal government should make it easier-not more difficult-for a NASA engineer or mathematician to teach science at a local school.

The 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362). to provide additional scholarships and training to math and engineering students and professionals in exchange for service as elementary and secondary school teachers.

We need to evaluate our teachers and reward academic achievements. Those teachers that are most effective should be rewarded with appropriate compensation.

V. We must Emphasize Math and Science Achievements for the Future of our Children and National Security

International testing continues to demonstrate that American students are lagging behind their foreign peers in math and science.
Rather than add more federal programs to the hundreds that already exist, Congress should enact a "Grace Commission" type review of the programs to determine what works, what doesn't, and redirect efforts accordingly.