Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A resolution that supports the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has been signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
SJR0650, sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27), affirms that the United States Constitution establishes a federal system that reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states and the people and that education is not a power delegated to the federal government and has historically been governed by states and local communities accountable to families.
In creating the U.S. Department of Education, federal involvement in education was significantly expanded leading to increased federal spending and regulation which imposed substantial administrative burdens on states and local education agencies without leading to improvements in student outcomes.
The resolution supports efforts to return primary authority over education to the states and “the orderly transfer of appropriate responsibilities from the U.S. Department of Education to entities better suited to administer those functions.”
In addition, the resolution calls on the governor to establish a task force for “educational leadership” to be made up of representatives from the Tennessee General Assembly, the governor’s office, the Tennessee Department of Education, the Attorney General’s office, and other stakeholders that the governor deems necessary.
The aim of the task force is to develop and publish “a comprehensive plan for assuming responsibility for education programs currently administered by the U.S. Department of Education, including, but not limited to, Title programs, special education, and civil rights enforcement.”
The task force will also be responsible for recommending statutory changes necessary for the state of Tennessee to assume administrative control over federal education programs including waivers, transfers, or block grants to be requested from the federal government; identification of federal education mandates from which the state may seek relief; and recommendations for legislation for consideration by the General Assembly.
The Tennessee Department of Education will be tasked in “conducting an inventory of federal education programs and grants administered by the state, including the funding amounts, statutory authority, and reporting requirements” while the Office of the Attorney General and Reporter is “encouraged to review state statutes and rules that reference or incorporate federal education statutes or regulations to identify areas in which greater state autonomy may be pursued.”
Upon the task force completing all of its work, the recommendations and copies of the resolution are to be sent to the President of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and each member of the Tennessee Congressional delegation by the Chief Clerk of the Tennessee Senate.
Following an executive order that President Donald Trump issued last March that would close the U.S. Department of Education, just over half of Tennesseans polled a year ago said that they supported the federal department’s elimination.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
