Joe Wilson's Common Core Fight Against Obama Joined by Florida Congressmen

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Joe Wilson's Common Core Fight Against Obama Joined by Florida Congressmen

Tom Rooney, Barack Obama, Joe WilsonHide

Conservatives in Congress are launching an effort pushing back against President Barack Obama on Common Core standards with members of the Florida delegation -- including Tom Rooney -- backing the effort.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson’s, R-S.C., “Local Control of Education Act” would stop the Obama administration from making states “adopt a specific curriculum, and would void any previous federal requirements established for states that have already adopted Common Core.” The Senate version is being backed by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

Around the State

In Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Wilson made his case against Common Core and why his bill was needed.

“The quality of our children’s education is too high a priority to rely on a one-size-fits-all approach,” Wilson said. “What works in New York or California may not work here in South Carolina, and the federal government’s overreach into our state’s school system is unprecedented.

“Over the past several years, the Obama administration has used a combination of education grants and waivers to coerce states into adopting Common Core State Standards, which has increased federal control over our schools’ instructional content, academic standards, and assessments,” Wilson added. “Currently, states that have adopted these standards face losing their waivers should they choose to repeal Common Core – meaning states and the taxpayer dollars they depend on are held at the mercy of bureaucrats in Washington.

“My bill would return control over education to the states by prohibiting the federal government from using grants or waivers to mandate, incentivize, or coerce states into adopting Common Core,” Wilson continued. “For states that have already adopted Common Core, it would ensure that any previous requirements for waivers would be void, and the U.S. secretary of education would be prohibited from requiring states to agree to any new conditions in order to keep their existing waiver.”

Wilson’s bill has drawn more than 30 co-sponsors including three Republican congressmen from Florida: U.S. Reps. Curt Clawson, Ron DeSantis and Tom Rooney.

Rooney explained why he was backing Wilson’s bill on Monday.

“The federal government has no constitutional business setting the curriculum for a teacher in a Florida classroom,” Rooney said. “If states, of their own volition, want to adopt a certain set of standards, then that’s their prerogative. I believe in states’ rights. However, the federal government should not be using carrots and sticks to coerce states into adopting Common Core or any other curriculum passed down from on high in Washington.

“I believe Florida’s teachers, principals and parents know our students and their needs better than any bureaucrat in Washington does, and decisions about education and curriculum need to be made as close to the student and teacher as possible,” Rooney added. “Our bill restores local control over education by prohibiting the federal government from using grants or waivers to coerce, mandate or incentivize states into adopting Common Core or other similar standards.”

Rooney said the Obama administration has used waivers from No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top funds to push states into embracing Common Core.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN