Senate Approves Education Bill Keeping Feds in Charge of Education

Published July 17, 2015

On July 16 the U.S. Senate passed S.B. 1177, the “Every Child Achieves Act” (ECAA). This bill is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the update of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  The bill, written by Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D- WA), passed by a vote of 81–17.

The 17 Senators voting against reauthorization were:

Blunt (R-MO)
Booker (D-NJ)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Flake (R-AZ)
Lee (R-UT)
Moran (R-KS)
Murphy (D-CT)
Paul (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Scott (R-SC)
Shelby (R-AL)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warren (D-MA)

 

Passage of ECAA in the Senate clearly shows a desire to maintain federal control over education. Maintaining these federally mandated programs is stifling innovation for teachers and students. Education should focus on the students, not the system the ECAA perpetuates.