12-23-2000

EDUCATION: Lawmakers Play Hooky On Major School Legislation

Education may have been a watchword during the campaign season, but the
106th Congress backed away from tackling significant changes to federal
education policy.


Congress was due during 2000 to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, which forms the bedrock of federal education policy. But a
Republican overhaul proposal ran afoul of President Clinton and his
congressional allies, and, for the first time since the ESEA was first
enacted 35 years ago, the law was not renewed on time.


Partisans on both sides agree that the practical impact will be minimal:
Money was provided, in separate appropriations legislation, to maintain
and even expand spending levels on education during fiscal 2001. The
combatants will simply resume their quarrels over the broader education
policies contained in the ESEA law during the 107th Congress.


To be sure, Democrats and Republicans-in their zeal to portray themselves
as the best friends of education-appropriated a record $44.5 billion for
education. Clinton received most of what he wanted for two key
initiatives: He got $1.6 billion in his quest to hire 100,000 new teachers
and reduce class sizes, as well as $1.2 billion for aid to urban and rural
schools to repair dilapidated buildings.


Republicans initially insisted that this money be provided in the form of
block grants that could be used by school boards for anything they
pleased. "We believe school officials and parents should make the
decisions about their most pressing needs, and not be told by Washington
how to do it," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. But Republicans
eventually backed down.


Nevertheless, Republicans won most of the money they wanted to help
reimburse local schools for the cost of educating children with
disabilities. They also managed to trim the President's request for
after-school programs and for Head Start funds. And the GOP's treasured
education block-grant program, which the President had zeroed out in his
own budget request, received $385 million, or $19 million more than in the
previous fiscal year.


The long-running fight between the two parties over local vs. federal
control of education is expected to continue during the new Congress.
While Republicans push for local control, Democrats argue that the federal
government has an interest in assuring that federal money is used to
address targeted national goals. The dispute has largely stymied any
sweeping policy changes in the ESEA law since 1995.


Meanwhile, Congress took little action on the major social policy issues
facing the nation. Many Democrats continued to push a long-stalled
conference committee to resolve differences on gun control legislation
passed in the wake of the April 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High
School. But the sense of urgency had subsided, and the power of the
National Rifle Association remained strong.


Lawmakers did pass a measure aimed at helping thousands of so-called sex
slaves who are imported into the United States by pornographers or
prostitution traffickers. The victims would be given special immigration
status in an effort to get their cooperation to crack down on sex
racketeering. "This is the most significant human rights legislation
in this Congress," said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.


David Hess and Michael Posner

National Journal