HSLDA Media Release
| September 16, 1997
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Congress Moving to Prevent Clinton’s National Testing Plan; Opportunity to Kill Goals 2000 and School-to-Work
For immediate release
September 16, 1997
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Contact: Rich Jefferson
(540) 338-8663 or media@hslda.org
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Goals 2000 and School-to-Work Defunded!
An astounding development happened on September 11. By the narrow vote of 51 to 49, the Gorton Amendment passed in the US Senate and it will completely defund: Goals 2000, the School to Work Opportunity Act, the National Education Goals Panel, National Skills Standards Board, Vocational Education, and over $11 billion worth of other federal education programs!
The amount of money for these programs will be given in block grants straight to local education agencies (based on the census count of school aged children in each district) to spend as they “deem appropriate” (skipping the governors and state government bureaucrats). What is most significant is that all those programs listed above, especially Goals 2000 and School-to-Work, will be defunded and rendered irrelevant. One staffer explained that he believes the many calls from home schoolers contributed to the Senate victory.
On the evening of September 16, the House is scheduled to vote on the Hoekstra Amendment which mirrors the Gorton Amendment.
Pro-Family citizens are urged to call their Representatives as soon as possible.
Latest update on National Testing
On September 11, the Senate voted 87 to 13 to pass Senator Coats’ compromise amendment regarding National Testing. Although we made it clear to Coats’ office that we were opposed to any compromise, he still introduced his modified amendment.
Coats’ amendment establishes a National Test but places it under the authority of an “independent” board called the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). The members of this 26 member board have to be confirmed by the Secretary of Education.
However, as a result of the many phone calls to the Senate, home schools and private schools were completely excluded from national testing in Coats’ compromise amendment: “No state or local agency may require any private or parochial school student, or homeschooled individual, to take any test under this Act without the written consent of the student or individual.”
Although home schoolers are protected, we are still fighting for the Goodling Amendment in the House which is now scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, September 16. Goodling is standing tough and will not compromise.
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