For the first time since 1989, all twelve of Congress’s annual spending bills have been rolled into one 1,600-page, $1.012 trillion “omnibus” package—and it’s tearing across Capitol Hill “like a greased pig,” going from introduction on Monday night to passage by the House on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to approve the bill on Friday, and it will land on President Obama’s desk before stopgap funding runs out on Saturday. It contains significant increases for pre-K ($8.6 billion for Head Start, $1 billion more than its current allotment and $612 million over its pre-sequestration level). However, the School Improvement Grant program will not see its funding restored to its high-water mark, remaining at its pared-down $505 million (though that’s still $505 million too much).
Representative George Miller—a leading Democratic voice on education and a crafter of NCLB—has announced that he will be giving up his seat on the House education committee in favor of an armchair. Hat tip to a fine career. In other news, Senator Chuck Schumer is looking for a new roommate: must love cold cereal and rats.
StudentsFirst released its second annual policy report card on Tuesday. Once again, Florida and Louisiana took home top marks (B-minuses—StudentsFirst certainly doesn’t grade on a curve), earning their ranks by ending teacher tenure, implementing merit pay, and issuing school report cards.
With New York City mayor Bill de Blasio’s rhetoric suggesting that “city schools had little to show for 12 years” under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Manhattan Institute’s Charles Sahm presents City Journal readers with a little history lesson. Before the New York State legislature gave Bloomberg direct control over the Big Apple’s public schools in 2002, Gotham’s education system was an unaccountable, incompetent, corrupt mess. Missteps there were, but de Blasio ought to build on Bloomberg’s legacy, not tear it down.
