Federal Meddling in State Standards to Continue

If Wyoming needed a better reason to begin removing itself from the entanglement of federal education funds, here it is. In a recent article, Cato's Neal McCluskey points out what many Common Core critics already know about the federal government's involvement in Common Core - it's not going to be a one- time occurrence. Federal government meddling and dictates over state standards is here to stay.

This excellent article discusses President Obama's 2015 Education Budget, which outlines 5 major government initiatives including standards requirements, universal preschool, and expanding statewide longitudinal data systems. Under the pretentious title "Increasing Equity and Opportunity for All Students," the Obama Administration intends to tie Title 1 funds to "college and career ready standards" -- another name for Common Core. By renaming and reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title 1 funds, the Obama administration would succeed in imposing a national standard and national curriculum on states that take the bribe.

Wyoming policymakers should be greatly concerned by this relentless push by Washington to require states to adopt standards foreign to their home culture and traditions. Wyoming currently receives about $70M in Title 1 funds and overall accepts $231M in federal education funds, or around 12% of our state education budget. Now is the time to say no to those funds and take back our educational freedom. Delay would have disastrous effects on our students, our educational system, and our way of life.