WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve King released the following statement after introducing the Choices in Education Act of 2017. This bill would both promote and protect school choice by ensuring States the ability to carry out their education voucher program and by giving parents the ability to choose the best form of education for their children.
“As the spouse of a former Iowa teacher, I understand that it’s the right thing for our children to take education decisions out of the hands of the federal government, and back into the rightful hands of parents who know how best to meet the educational needs of own children,” said King. “The Choices in Education Act does so by repealing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and therefore, limiting the authority of the Secretary of Education. This bill will ensure that the Secretary is properly making payments to the States regarding voucher programs and that the States are complying with school choice requirements.
“In order to receive a grant or voucher under my legislation, the State must ensure that the funds be distributed appropriately on a per pupil basis. Additionally and most importantly, this bill makes it lawful for the parent to make the ultimate decision between public, private or home-school education for their children. This freedom of choice will result in parents being able to send their children to safer, better schools by taking Federal dollars from failing programs like No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Common Core, reinsuring them direct control over important educational decisions. This is an opportunity to work for the well-being of our country by reclaiming our culture. This bill instills competition back into our K-12 schools. The result will be better, more effective schools, public or private.
“Finally, this legislation also includes my previously introduced bill – the No Hungry Kids Act which would repeal the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new standards that have left children across the nation hungry due to calorie rationing throughout the school day. The original goal of the school lunch program was – and is – to ensure students receive enough nutrition to be healthy, and to learn. The misguided nanny state, as advanced by Michelle Obama’s misnamed ‘Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act’ as interpreted by former Secretary Vilsack, forces every child on a diet because some kids are overweight. This act replaces those standards, prohibits the USDA’s from rationing calories, and protects the right of parents to send their children to school with the foods of their choice. Schools must be serving our students as much nutritious food as they need, so that our students can grow, learn, and excel, in school and out of school – in the classroom and on the playing field.”
To view the original text of the bill, click here.
Great job, Mr King! Funny how all you libs are pro choice until it comes to schools. Then it’s “screw the kids” we gotta protect our union jobs.
There is no government money. It’s OUR MONEY. Too bad libs want to enslave poor families kids in crappy public schools.
The party is over for public schools. Tax payers are sick of giving you more and more money every year to watch you piss it away on bloated administrator’s salaries. All the while student performance continues to slide.
Apparently, you didn’t read my post. We already have choice. And a voucher system isn’t going to help poor families. First, a voucher only provides a certain amount of money. Each school in King’s world, will have a tuition to pay. If you get a voucher for $5000 and the school you want to send your child to has tuition fees of $10000 you are out of luck if you can’t come up with the extra 5 grand, you are out of luck. If the school you want to send your child to (because it has a great automotive program) is located 30 miles away, or even across town in the larger cities, you have to get your child there and back each day. That cost isn’t covered. To top off your nonsense, you say administrators are paid too much. How is that a teacher’s fault? Administrator pay isn’t bargained like teacher’s salaries are. Administrator salaries are determined by the local school board. If you don’t like how much they pay, run for the school board. Or at least go to a meeting.
I am the taxpayer, I am the one paying the bill. If I can get by giving a child a 5.000 voucher for a education VS paying 10.000 -12.000 to educate at a public school, why is it a good deal for me, the one paying the bill, to have to choose the highest priced education. If EVERYBODY chose homeschool, private school, or charter school, the cost to ME the taxpayer, would be cut in half?
Why do I have to pay the most for the least?
The cutting edge of a marble.
Yup. Burned my bra and shit my pantie hose reading them posts from LVS
Oh, Stevie boy, you must be getting a lot of that DeVos money. School choice is already happening in Iowa. Kids can choose to home school their kids, send them to parochial schools, or send them to the school in the neighboring town. Now, Steve wants to give people money to send their kids to different schools. Home-schooled children’s parents receive tax breaks on their educational expenses, schools like Newman offer scholarships to kids who can’t afford their tuition and when a student goes from Mason City to Clear Lake to attend school, the state money per pupil goes with them. What Mr King wants to do is provide more money for private schools that are being run for profit and that don’t have any government oversight. Most of Ms. DeVos’ charter schools in Michigan fall behind public schools in assessment and proficiency. Most of them cost so much that even with the vouchers they are out of reach of the middle class and lower middle class. The home school money goes often times to a parent who has no real educational training and who has found a new way to cheat the government out of money. This is so wrong.
Cheat the government out of money? Its not the governments money! Its their money.
Its time to think outside the box with many things.
Education just keeps getting more and more costly, and results are getting less and less.
Why do we keep building multi million dollar buildings when a child can sit at home with the best computer made, and learn from the best teachers in the world. No bulling, completely safe.
Reguardless, its time for a change
It is sad but true that you didn’t understand anything I said and you know absolutely nothing about education. One kid, sitting in his room, misses out on a great deal of education that goes on in a classroom. He doesn’t get to hear opposing viewpoints; he doesn’t learn to express himself to others; he doesn’t get the one on one help he may need. When I said cheating the government of money I was referring to those people who wouldn’t do any educating because they don’t know how to educate someone. Gonna keep that 5 year old at home by herself while mom and dad work so she can get on the internet and ‘learn’? On-line education has some benefits but socially and economically it sucks.
I understand this much, right now we pay the most and get the least. Its time for change
You are entirely correct. They have tried it their way for years and years and the children are just getting less and less education and it cost more every year for substandard education. We have a bunch of entitled liberal teachers that have totally ruined what used to be a decent education system. Kill their union and make them go back to work. Take away their government paid pensions and put the money back into education.Time to clean the swamp.
So, how does this plan of King’s propose to improve education?
Anonymous, it is evident that you despise education and teachers. You continually harp that they are paid too much and schools should get less money each year despite the fact that their costs increase every year. I imagine you have never had to teach a class room full of students nor have you put thousands of dollars into your own educational needs. You have a misguided idea that people go into education for the money which is, of course, a fallacy and your own opinion. You seem to think that by getting rid of the teacher’s associations you are going to improve education. My question for you is what have you done to help teachers out? Did you go to your children’s conferences? Did you ask questions of the teacher about how you could help your child? Did you offer your time and apparent expertise to help out at the school? Did you follow up on that offer if you did offer or did you just do it one time and walk away? How are you helping today?
You just don’t get it do you. Pretty stupid for a over educated boob. You and people like you ARE the problem with our children today. We need to drain the swamp and take back the money you didn’t earn.
Nice comeback there sport. I can tell you are an educated man.
I don’t need a lot of education to be smarter than a entitled, over educated wast of time and space like a retired teacher still sucking off the public.
I always know when I am conversing with LVS because he never has anything to say that is factual, he just starts calling you a name.
You can’t converse with LVS as the stupid old coot is too much of an idiot to carry on any kind of reasonable conversation.
It is not a name. It is a description and the truth.