Don’t need federal education department

The issue of cutting the federal budget down to size will be intensifying in the next several weeks. The question of where to cut is a legitimate one and there are many options. However, one of the most obvious, and the first that should be on the list, is the U.S. Department of Education.

Now I want to make it clear that I am all for public education and the ability for all to have a chance at the best education a community can offer its children. The emphasis, however, should be on “community.” Only a local community can make the decisions for what is right for its school system and its students. A centralized system in Washington cannot do this job adequately or efficiently by taking state dollars then “awarding” them back to the states with the inevitable strings attached in the form of nonfunded mandates.

The budget for the Department of Education is projected to be $71 billion this year. This money can be better spent by leaving these dollars at home for local school boards to use. And as for higher education, loans can best be managed by the schools themselves, state programs and private lending institutions.

The awarding of loans should be based on the perceived ability of the individual to repay these loans. If your proposed field of study warrants a $200,000 loan, based on the earning power of the individual once they are employed in that proposed field, then this loan would be seen as a good investment for the school, state or bank. If not, then this level of loan should be denied.

Let’s bring school management back to where it belongs. On the local level for primary and secondary education and at the state level for higher education.

John Ciribassi

Carol Stream