Everyone wants to know what a Republican-controlled House of Representatives will mean for ESEA reauthorization. Here’s my take: it will mean less money, and less reform. And on the whole, that will be a good thing.
There’s little doubt that the GOP will close the spigot of federal spending, including bailout dollars for our schools. This will have a beneficial effect of indicating to superintendents and school boards nationwide that the day of reckoning has arrived; let the de-leveraging begin. The spending bubble is behind us. No more adding staff at a pace outstripping student enrollment; no more sweetheart deals on pensions or health insurance; no more whining about “large” class sizes of 26. It’s time to live within our means.
