Shumer vows to 'nationalize' education

[Spencer]

NH (and any other state) can opt out of all federal control over education by refusing to accept federal dollars.  No Child Left Behind requires that the states implement and administer various teacher qualification standards and student tests; the "price" of retaining local control is not qualifying for / receiving federal funds.  I'd be willing to donate $20 to make up for the federal funds just to see the looks on the faces in Washington if NH opted out of all federal education mandates.

[Quantrill]

I've got $100 on it.

[tracysaboe]

his exact quote on the Hardball show was this - in his book he proposes...

"50% higher math & reading scores by a voluntary, almost nationalization of the schools and a 50% lower property tax"

Do people buy that crap? Local governments will invent more reason's for higher property taxes, and local education will become more beaurocratic and bloated and the only thing it'll cost is --- Higher income taxes?

What does he mean by volentary? Does he mean government won't come and raid my house if I refuse to pay it? Or does me mean that local school boards can choose to join and then the fed gets to point guns at our heads to cover the extra expenses?

Tracy

[Spencer]

For 2003-2004, NH received $120 million in federal funds for elementary and secondary education out of a total budget of $2.1 billion.  This is 5% of total education funding for NH.

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/sresult.asp?mode=full&displaycat=2&s1=33

In a state with a population of 1.2 million, we need a contribution of $100 per resident to kick the feds out (this assumes no savings from eliminating the jobs required to verify and report compliance with federal requirements).

[eques]

What about reducing expenditures by 5%?

[anthonybpugh]

you'd have a lawsuit right away by someone saying that refusal of federal money is denying them some entitlement or something silly like that.  I'd guarantee that. 

The federal mandates cost more than the money the states receive from the feds.  They would be able to cut far more than the 5.6% by refusing federal funds simply because they would no longer be required to fulfill some silly federal requirement. 

[Atlas]

Would Schumer just drop dead already?

[Spencer]

Would Schumer just drop dead already?

I'll send him $20 if he agrees to do so.

[FrankChodorov]

Would Schumer just drop dead already?

the premise of his book is spot on though - the DP has to address the issues of the shrinking middle class to stay electorally relevant...

part of that will be a big movement out west towards libertarian voters that are abandoning the RP and the plain speaking that people experienced by listening to Jim Webb give the rebuttal to the state of the union address...

[KBCraig]

Would Schumer just drop dead already?

I'll send him $20 if he agrees to do so.

Pledgebank! 

[slim]

Would Schumer just drop dead already?

Ahh that would be a happy day if he did Please don't blame me for chucky I never voted for him. He was elected by the labodomized population of the (queue up the star wars music) EMPIRE state. Chucky won't even write me back, I have been writing my congress critters for about 2 years now at least one letter a month and never got a reply from Chucky or one of his staffers.