Democrats today criticized provisions of the U.S. Senate’s version of the $15 billion Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization bill that would give control of most federal education funds to governors instead of local educators.

S.2 embraces the "Academic Achievement for All" concept that would take all federal programs, including Title I, now sent by formula to local districts, and instead send those funds to each state’s governor for unfocused distribution.

"Block grant funds will be used to pay for things that have little to do with education," U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., warned fellow members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee as the bill was introduced today.

Specifically, the new section under Title VI, Section G of the bill would allow participating states to negotiate "performance partnership agreements" with the Department of Education to combine money from many ESEA programs. Monies would then be spent at the governor’s discretion as long as the state reached set goals.

S.2 is similar to the proposed Academic Achievement for All Act, known as the "Straight A’s Act," that Republicans have championed. The House approved a pilot version of that initiative last year.

Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., led the Republican push for the block grant provision during today’s committee meeting. He said the 7,000 public schools nationwide labeled as "failing" prove that the current funding process "has not accomplished a great deal."

Prior to today’s meeting, Kennedy and fellow Democrats on the HELP committee rallied opposition during a news conference Feb. 29.

"A block grant would cause a significant shift of federal funds from low-income schools and communities to wealthier ones," undermining the purpose of Title I and other federal programs, Kennedy said.

AASA echoed Kennedy’s message in a letter to HELP Committee Chairman James Jeffords, R-Vt., author of S.2.

"Federal dollars would be nothing more than a way for governors to offset the costs of their own pet projects," wrote Jordan Cross, AASA legislative specialist.

Cross also noted that inclusion of the block grant provision "seriously jeopardizes any chance of passing an ESEA bill this year."

The Clinton administration also opposes the block grant proposal, and President Clinton has threatened to veto such legislation.

Committee members are scheduled to begin offering amendments to S.2 on March 7. Unlike the House’s piecemeal approach, the Senate is reauthorizing ESEA in a single bill. The House is scheduled to consider the remaining pieces of its plan later this month. 

Natalie Carter Holmes, Editor