NEWS

a division of Home School Legal Defense Association	September 1, 1999

The ESEA Scheduled for Reauthorization

HSLDA is working on several important parts of the Elementary Secondary Education Act reauthorization including the Teacher Empowerment Act H.R. 1995 and the Straight A’s Act H.R. 2300 and S. 1266.

We support the Teacher Empowerment Act for two reasons. One, it will eliminate Goals 2000 and two, it will zero fund the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Home schoolers have been fighting for the elimination of both these programs for nearly 10 years because they threaten to restrict home school freedoms through increased regulations.

This bill has already passed the House and is being worked on in the Senate. Please continue to pray for its complete passage.

The Straight A’s Act will allow states to completely reorganize the way they spend federal money. Instead of receiving money from the federal government with burdensome paperwork and regulations attached, states will instead be given power to spend the money as they see fit. If states meet their own educational goals after two years, they will then be allowed to continue receiving federal funds free of federal strings.

This change to the ESEA is a huge step in returning educational decisions back to state and local levels. Straight A’s is being worked on in both the U.S. House and Senate and should begin movement within a few weeks.