Statement on Congressman Obey’s “Edujobs” Amendment

We are witnessing a defining moment in education reform. The past year has been marked by a proliferation of bold new ideas and long-overdue change. Inspired by the Race to the Top competition, education leaders from across the political spectrum came together on a bipartisan, collaborative basis to improve our schools. They passed historic legislation to make teacher evaluations more rigorous and useful. They created ambitious statewide improvement plans that made student academic growth the bottom line. They began the development of new approaches for robust assessments of achievement. In the process, they cleared decades-old legislative logjams and challenged the status quo.

The engine behind these incredible achievements was the promise of significant federal funding that would enable states to put their plans into practice. Now, Congress must follow through on its commitment to the educators and policymakers of all political persuasions who have fought for these resources with remarkable courage, conviction and focus.

That means declining Congressman Obey’s proposal to strip $800 million of existing funds from the Department of Education’s most innovative grant initiatives in order to fund a new bill designed to address job cuts. Reducing teacher layoffs and their impact on students is a commendable goal, but backing out on reform initiatives that promise to modernize the teaching profession and transform the quality of education in our country is not the way to do it. Millions of students nationwide deserve better.

States answered the call to step up. Congress must stay true to its word.