Local Governance in Education

Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, this summer parents across the country will be preparing their children for the coming school year. Whether unwinding on a family break, purchasing school supplies, returning summer reading books to the library or finishing summer camp, it will almost be time to go back to school.

We owe so much to our hard-working educators. They are the role models for our children who provide invaluable life lessons that go well beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. Years before I served in the Nebraska legislature, I served on my local school board, as president of the Nebraska Association of School Boards, and on the Nebraska School Finance Review Committee. These experiences helped shape my views on education policy as a state lawmaker, and they continue to inform my work here in the Senate.

Nebraska is truly fortunate to have excellent schools. Each school district has unique strengths, and they face challenges that are specific to their schools and to the students. Because of this, parents, teachers, school boards, and communities are in the best position to know the needs of their students. They are an integral part of every child's academic success.

That is why I believe education decisions are best made at the State and especially at the local level. The role of the Federal Government should be to promote policies that will improve the ability of individual States to meet the needs of their specific communities. To that end, I have worked with my colleagues, Senator King and Senator Tester, to offer an amendment promoting local governance in education.

The purpose of this bipartisan amendment is simple: to ensure that our local school districts are not coerced into adopting misguided education requirements. It ensures that our local stakeholders have a stronger voice in both the regulatory and the guidance process. This amendment would ensure that communities have ultimate authority over their school districts. It also strengthens the relationship among school board members and parents.

These changes are long overdue. We must limit Federal intrusion into local education policy. As we prepare for the first day of school, Nebraska is focused on providing students with a well-rounded education. We must ensure that our public policy enhances the classroom experience, provides essential resources to student success, and helps place our students on the path for successful futures.

I yield the floor.

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