Texas Rejects Federal Control of School Curriculum
By Brooke Dollens Terry, Education Policy Analyst
Center for Education Policy

The federal government continues to abuse its power of the purse in seeking to dominate issues traditionally reserved for state and local governments. The Texas Public Policy Foundation continues to support efforts to push back against such interference.

Last spring, Washington, D.C. pushed states to grow their unemployment insurance programs and increase the number and type of individuals eligible for benefits. More recently, Congress has sought to co-opt state budgets through the Medicaid expansions contained in federal health care legislation. And now, the federal government is looking for even greater control over our nation’s classrooms.

The stimulus package passed by Congress included $4.35 billion in federal funds for education grants. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is trying to use this “Race to the Top” money to push states to adopt the Obama Administration’s preferred education reforms. Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said “thanks but no thanks.”

This was the proper decision for Texas, and here’s why:

* First, education has historically been a state issue, with power in Texas delegated to the Texas Legislature and the State Board of Education. Texas lawmakers control funding and school requirements, and the State Board makes decisions about curriculum. All of these are elected positions directly accountable to the voters at least once every four years.

* Second, states such as Texas may have to spend state funds to access the federal dollars. The Texas Education Agency estimates that Texas would have to spend $3 billion just to have the chance to access, at most, $750 million.

* Third, the federal funding will dry up. As we are seeing with other stimulus funds, states and local school districts would need to find funding for the reforms after the federal money goes away.

* Fourth, what if the “reform” could be a step backwards for quality of a state’s education system?

It seems that if Texas continues to hold out on moving towards a national curriculum, Texas will lose points on its application for “Race to the Top” funds. Why should a state that has steadily improved the rigor of its own K-12 curriculum be forced to adopt national curriculum standards that have not been developed and could wind up being weaker than what we already have in place?

Since adding more math and science course requirements and college-readiness components, Texas is in the process of updating its textbooks and designing state end-of-course exams that align to the new curriculum. Yet according to the Texas Education Agency, if Texas were to scrap its own curriculum in favor a national curriculum, Texas would have to spend an estimated $3 billion—$2 billion to purchase new textbooks and $1 billion to redesign our state tests.

Last week, 40 states decided to apply for Race to the Top funds and President Obama is requesting an additional $1.35 billion for Race to the Top in his latest budget proposal. This new pot of grant money would be open to local school districts, allowing them to end-run state leadership altogether.

While we may agree with some of the education reforms that President Obama and Secretary Duncan are pushing such as lifting the cap on charter schools, education is ultimately a state issue, and the federal government has no business dictating academic standards, reforms, or curriculum to states.