2015: Schweikert Voted For An Amendment That Would Allow States To Withdraw From Common Core Standards. In July 2015, Schweikert voted for an amendment that would allow states to withdraw from Common Core Standards. According to Congressional Quarterly, the amendment would, "allow a state to withdraw from the Common Core Standards or any other specific standards." The underlying bill would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "reauthorize[d] the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and would make fundamental changes to many of its programs through Fiscal 2019." The vote was on passage and the House passed the amendment 373 to 57. The underlying bill was received in the Senate, but the Senate took no substantive action on the legislation. A separate bill, the Every Child Succeeds Act became law, which "explicitly prohibits the department from requiring states to adopt the Common Core State Standards." [House Vote 410, 7/8/15; Congressional Quarterly, 7/8/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/1/15; Congressional Actions, S. 1177; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 53; Congressional Actions, H.R. 5]
"Common Core Is A Set Of High-Quality Academic Standards In Mathematics And English Language Arts/Literacy." According to Core Standards, "The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live. Forty-two states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the Common Core." [CoreStandards.org, Accessed 10/26/15]
Common Core Was A Response To No Child Left Behind, States Collaborated On Benchmarks. According to Newsweek, "To understand how this happened, you need to know that Common Core was in part a reaction to the oft-criticized No Child Left Behind Act, the 2001 law that poured vast new federal resources into education and demanded that school districts meet performance thresholds or face sanctions. Even though No Child Left Behind passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support---the late Senator Ted Kennedy championed the George W. Bush proposal---it soon drew enemies from all sides, including teachers who found it meddlesome, parents who tired of the endless emphasis on testing and politicians, left and right. Common Core was meant to be different. First, these standards weren't some burdensome federal mandate. The states collaborated on new benchmarks---third-graders should be able to work with fractions, for example---and they were meant to promote best practices for how to teach English and math." [Newsweek, 9/28/15]
Rep. Zeldin (R- NY): Amendment Would Allow States To Withdraw From Common Core Standards With No Penalty From The Federal Government. According to a floor speech by Representative Lee Zeldin, "Mr. Chairman, I rise this evening in support of my amendment that sends a very clear message to States that if they choose to withdraw from Common Core, there will be no penalty whatsoever from the Federal Government. [...] While some States embrace Common Core, not all States' needs are the same. My amendment would allow States currently using Common Core to opt out without punishment." [Congressional Record, 2/26/15]
Supporters Claimed States That Withdrew From Common Core Could Be Penalized By The Department Of Education. According to Breitbart, "Anti-Common Core activist site Education without Representation says states can opt-out of Common Core but 'the feds bribe states not to, and states don't.' In an article for Breitbart News, education expert Dr. Sandra Stotsky surmised that the US Education Department (USED) could penalize a state if they wanted to do so for dumping Common Core. Although not the bulk of the dollars, they could could withhold 'at most 5%-10% of the 1% Title I funds set aside for administrative functions.' Breitbart News also reported that the Obama administration zinged Oklahoma for withdrawing from the Common Core by rescinding the state's NCLB waiver. This forced them to meet old standards of 100 percent reading and math proficiency under NCLB. The waiver releases schools from that requirement. Stotsky also flagged Title I dollars as an atypical casualty. When a state relinquishes its NCLB waiver it does not necessarily mean schools lose their federal funding; those dollars are redirected towards tutoring allocations, if a school chronically fails to meet the NCLB proficiency mandates." [Breitbart, 7/11/15]
Opponents Said States Were Already Able To Withdraw From Common Core. According to Breitbart, "Zeldin said he introduced the amendment 'to address the issue where states are not withdrawing from Common Core out of fear that they will be financially penalized from the federal government.' Critics call the amendment window dressing. 'States have always been able to adopt or withdraw from Common Core,' said pro-Common Core business coalition High Achievement New York spokesman Steve Sigmund, Capital New York reported. The Zeldin Amendment asserts that states do not do so out of fear of financial reprisals." [Breitbart, 7/11/15]
2015: Schweikert Voted To Prohibit The Federal Government From Directly Or Indirectly Mandating Education Policy On The States As Part Of The FY 2016 Republican Study Committee Budget Resolution. In March 2015, Schweikert voted for effectively removing federal oversight of education. According to the Republican Study Committee, "Instead of forcing states to adopt Common Core, the RSC budget calls for the passage of Representative Joe Wilson's Local Control of Education Act. This legislation would stop the federal government from mandating a one-size-fits-all approach to K-12 education standards." The underlying budget resolution would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] for $2.804 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2016, not including off-budget accounts. The substitute would call for reducing spending by $7.1 trillion over 10 years compared to the Congressional Budget Office baseline." The vote was on the substitute amendment to a Budget Resolution. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 132 to 294. [House Vote 138, 3/25/15; Republican Study Committee, FY 2016 Budget; Congressional Quarterly, 3/25/15; Congress.gov, H. Amdt. 83; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]