NSBA Editorial: Congress vs. the voters
6/06/06 -- Are members of Congress doing the work that voters in their local communities sent them to Washington to do? When it comes to education funding, NSBA’s recent poll of likely voters indicates that the answer is a resounding “No.”
NSBA’s poll shows that 74 percent of likely voters believe that Congress has its budget priorities wrong.
Eighty-eight percent believe that if Congress can spend $29 billion on “pork-barrel” projects (like building a teapot museum), it can certainly fulfill its commitment to fund education mandates. And 70 percent believe that funding for Title 1 (which supports the No Child Left Behind Act) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act should be restored to the funding levels authorized for fiscal year 2007.
At the time the NSBA poll was being conducted, the disconnect between members of Congress and their constituents was plainly evident. The House of Representatives was putting the final touches on its FY 2007 budget resolution, which sets a broad framework to guide the development of appropriations levels for specific programs.
During the deliberations, Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a leader of the moderate Republicans, was denied a hard-fought opportunity to even offer an amendment to the $2.7 trillion budget that would have restored $7 billion to various domestic programs, including education, to their fiscal year 2005 funding levels.
House leaders let the Castle amendment go forward in a way to allow members to vote in support of the $7 billion without actually incorporating it into the budget.
Hence, this became a non-binding measure that enabled many members to go on record as supporting more money for education even though some were really opposed.
For example, some of the House members who supported this measure previously had voted against an identical amendment in the Budget Committee that would have actually allowed more funding to be provided.
Fortunately, members who typically support domestic spending voted against this political sleight of hand to help keep the record straight.
Meanwhile, Congress continues to reject even symbolic opportunities to rearrange its priorities to match those of its constituents. For example, within days after completing the budget resolution, an agriculture appropriations bill was brought up on the floor. By wide margins, House members defeated a series of amendments to strip even a few token pork-barrel projects from that bill.
With Congress’s voter approval ratings so low, it seems odd that federal lawmakers would want to pick a fight with their constituents over education -- especially over such a small portion of the federal budget. Perhaps they don’t think the folks back home will find out, or they think they will be able to “razzle-dazzle” them with misinformation like their recent budget vote.
School board members are elected by the very same constituents who elect members of Congress.
Therefore, they have a unique role -- if not responsibility -- to help their congressional representatives and local community understand how off base our federal lawmakers are in representing the priorities of the folks back home and serving the interests of their communities’ schoolchildren.
To help school board members make this important case for America’s children, the Federal Action Alert accompanying this edition of School Board News (mailed to National Affiliates) will provide important background information. Watch for additional funding campaign materials in the coming weeks.
| Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2006, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |