A bipartisan bill, S.5046, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, with two Republican cosponsors – Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – would prohibit the U.S. Department of Education from moving programs administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Postsecondary Education, and the Office of Indian Education through interagency agreements.

Background

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to advance the bipartisan legislation in a 13-9 vote. This response from the HELP Committee follows a letter signed by 86 Democrats in the House Education Committee to also block the transfer.

Collins said in a statement that these transfers are misaligned with their program purposes and that the change “fundamentally misunderstands” the intent and history of the programs within the department. Kaine stated that the quality of schools directly corresponds to students’ success and the strength of the economy, and he is glad that the HELP Committee passed his bipartisan legislation to stop the Administration from spinning off specialized agencies within the Education Department.

The Department of Education pushed back, stating that the system has failed students. Education Department Press Secretary Savannah Newhouse said that the era of coddling a failed status quo must end and that it is an insult to American families that Washington politicians are rushing to protect a system where roughly 30% of the nation’s students are proficient in math and reading.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.