Romney On Department Of Education – Smaller Not Gone

MSNBC is reporting that at a fundraiser last night Romney said he’d shrink the Department of Education but not get rid of it:

“The Department of Education: I will either consolidate with another agency, or perhaps make it a heck of a lot smaller. I’m not going to get rid of it entirely,” Romney said, explaining that part of his reasoning behind preserving the agency was to maintain a federal role in pushing back against teachers’ unions. Romney added that he learned in his 1994 campaign for Senate that proposing to eliminate the agency was politically volatile.

Isn’t this backwards?  Is it a coincidence that some of the strongest pushback/rejection of the straight teachers union party line happened at the very time the Department had more money at its disposal than ever before – in the wake of the 2009 economic recovery package? Besides, if education is a national crisis – as Republicans keep saying it is and the evidence would support – how do you square that with walking away from national solutions and leadership?

7 Replies to “Romney On Department Of Education – Smaller Not Gone”

  1. Far be it from me to defend Governor Romney’s vision for the Department of Ed, but in my view the pushback against the “union party line” in 2012 was less about money and more about a Democratic President gave political cover to Democratic state legislators who wanted to break from the union view. Hard to see that dynamic repeating itself if Romney were to be elected and increasing fed $$ on education.

  2. There’s a national crisis in education? A mostly manufactured one, yes.

    Actually, Romney’s Bain Capital experience will come in handy as he cuts jobs and ends careers all across government. Not having a social conscience comes in handy.

  3. The only crisis in education is our expectations, and the national focus is feeding on that. But there’s no point in telling you that, as you makes your living pushing the opposite.

    What idiot thinks giving more money to the Dept of Education will improve a thing? The last thing we need anywhere in education is money.

    Yes, it is a coincidence (that the strongest pushback comes at this time). The reason the “pushback” is happening is because “elite” Dems are pulling away from “union” Dems. Nothing to do with the money.

  4. Backwards? No. If elected he also controls Dept. Ed and can increase the push back. Interesting though, it does suggest that he thinks Obama is pushing back at teacher’s unions; the opposite of anything he would dare plainly say.

    As far as a crisis, its an economically segregated situation; the bottom 25% are at or well past a crisis, the other 75%, on aggregate, rank number one in the industrialized world. There really is no public education crisis, public ed is the canary in the coal mine. It is the first place that the effects of poverty get measured and we are shooting the measuring device instead of attacking the illness.

  5. Mr. R,

    Is there any field in which you do not consider yourself to be an expert.

    I do not consider myself to be an expert at journalism. How can anybody? It is opinion masquerading as fact.

    And let me get your logic straight.

    Taxpayers need to spend MORE money to break a teacher’s union? So we replace one form of concentrated distant, unacceptable power with another?

    And now the FDOE carries REAL POWER and can ORDER parents against their will not to opt out of testing or their children will face consequences.

    So, tell me R, is that a better solution?

    Do you really mean it? Do you really advocate that?

    What have you done other than put a new ultimate power at the top?

    In fact, it is entirely undeniable that the FDOE carries much more authority than some hackneyed teacher’s union ever did.

    Meet the new boss, meaner than the old boss.

    Welcome bigger, more powerful government.

    Parents, you no longer have any influencer authority over your child. That is now in the hands of R and the FDOE.

  6. Eliminate the FDOE.

    And let the chips fall where they may.

    States that adopt honest, rigorous standards, get the economic growth. Those that do not, get nothing.

    California has the most rigorous math standards in the nation. Check them out. Sal Kahn knows that.

    The edu-debate has run its course. Teachers and their unions lost, but their opponents have no solutions other than to continue the “enemy within” schtick.

    The battle is over, R. You have the ball. Now run with it.

    Time is running out for your team.

    Get the results parents demand, or head to the bench.

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