Column: Local Solutions for Education

Statement

As Nebraskans, we are fortunate to have great schools filled with wonderful teachers. We owe a debt of gratitude to our teachers and administrators, who work incredibly hard day-in and day-out to provide our children with the knowledge and tools that they need for success. But in order to succeed, we must continue to seek the highest quality.

Ensuring that Nebraska's students receive the best education possible has long been a top priority of mine. Before serving in the Nebraska Legislature, I was active on my local school board and served as a Commissioner on the Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education. These positions helped shape my views on education policy as a state lawmaker and now as a U.S. Senator. Nebraska, like every state, has unique strengths and challenges specific to its schools and students -- and they begin at the local level. Parents, teachers, school administrators and the local community have the primary responsibility to meet the needs of the students in their communities. That's why I firmly believe education decisions should be made back at home, not by bureaucrats in Washington.

Unfortunately, there has been a steady increase of federal rules that also seek to micromanage our colleges and universities. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education released a set of proposed regulations that would affect our post-secondary schools and their teacher preparation programs. Specifically, the requirements would impose a complex wave of regulations tying federal grant money to student performance. This could negatively affect how teachers are trained and how they perform in the classroom.

During a meeting at Creighton University last month, I listened to concerns from faculty members and from staff of the Nebraska Department of Education. They informed me that this overreach could adversely impact K-12 programs. Complying with this federal red tape would also place increased strains on staff at colleges and universities. Ultimately, the new reporting requirements would result in higher tuition costs and place unnecessary strains on students and families.

These requirements would also change how teacher preparation programs are evaluated. Instead of permitting colleges or universities to assess their own programs, these institutions would be arbitrarily evaluated based on the test scores of students in their graduate's classrooms. Therefore, certain preparation programs might be hesitant to place graduates in schools located in underserved communities.

In response to these and other concerns, I teamed up with Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina to introduce The Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act. The legislation would prohibit these damaging regulations from the Obama administration and protect colleges and universities in Nebraska and across the country. By continuing to allow our colleges to complete their own evaluations of teacher preparation programs, we can provide incentives that will help our low-income students as well.

Teachers should be focused on the students in their classrooms, not on filling out government-mandated paperwork. I will continue my work to ensure that federal policy decisions help place students on the path for bright, successful futures. The last thing our teachers need is more federal regulation.

Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.

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