"No one has ever convinced me that it is better for our education tax dollars to be spent up here by Washington, D.C.'s Department of Education than back home by our local and state educators, administrators and communities," Lucas said.  "We are not going to see improvements in our education system until we give the power of change to schools' home states and communities.  Any plan otherwise will result in Washington bureaucrats throwing money at a problem that needs local expertise to be truly improved." 

Although the federal role in education makes up only six percent of all education funding, it is estimated that 35 percent of federal funds never make it to the classroom.  Instead, dollars get lost in a Washington bureaucracy.   

The "Dollars to the Classroom Resolution" focuses attention on learning in the classroom, and thus seeks to place priority on student-focused expenditures on direct learning tools, such as books, computers, maps, and microscopes.  H.Res. 303 calls on education agencies to work together to ensure that federal elementary and secondary appropriations are put to use on instructional purposes for youth in classrooms.

"Supporting the Dollars to the Classroom Resolution means making our kids the prime recipients of education tax dollars, " continued Lucas.  "Dollars to the Classroom means more local control.  It says that decisions and priorities will be determined by parents, teachers, and local educators.  That translates into more teachers, computers, books, and microscopes.  We need to empower teachers and parents with the tools to take our kids into the next century."