Letter to My Kansas Representatives

October 3, 2007

My Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510

REAUTHORIZATION OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

I am writing you to express my recommendation that you strongly consider not reauthorizing the NCLB law. Our country's constitution does not give the enterprise of education to the federal government. Most state constitutions make it their primary responsibility. We need to do more to insulate education policy from politics, because in my experience, kids' true interests are very poorly represented by the political machine. Since the creation of the Department of Education, there has been a slow erosion of local control of schools.

Intuitively, we all know that problems are best solved at the level closest to the problem. Federal interventions into the complex issues our public schools face are not empowering the people who can make a difference in children's lives! Jim Collins in his book Good to Great points out the need for organizations to analyze what they do and to "stop doing" those things that are counter-productive.

The levels of bureaucracy that the United States Department of Education adds to the education of our children need to be tossed aside. I recommend that you seriously consider simple block grants to state departments of education with the simple directions that the money needs to flow to the classrooms, where the rubber meets the road. Local boards of education and teaching staffs are in a much better position to make the critical decisions necessary to effectively target this money. I'd also recommend that a portion of the block grants be set aside to reward and recognize the local schools and districts that are showing exceptional results for all children.

I realize that you may take some heat for this type of change. Some may say you don't support education. I say that responsible stewardship and leadership requires the courage to do what is right, not what is popular. The right thing for the children of America is to place public education policy back into the hands of the leaders closest to the children they are serving.


RANDL G. RIVERS
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS