Rep. Stephanie Bice Questions Sec. McMahon on Education Department Reforms and Funding

Declining Student Performance and School Choice

• 📉 Reading and math scores have significantly declined across the United States, indicating a need for different educational approaches.
• 🏫 School choice programs, such as charter schools and specialized institutions like Good Shepard (for students with developmental disabilities) and Mission Academy (for substance abuse recovery), are highlighted as vital for meeting diverse student needs.
• ⛪ The speaker shares a personal anecdote of choosing private Catholic school for her children, emphasizing the importance of parental choice in education.

Reforming the Department of Education

• ✂️ Efforts are underway to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Education and return control to the states.
• 📉 The department's employee count has been reduced by approximately half, with a focus on ensuring the right number of people are in the right roles.
• 🏢 A reduced physical footprint in terms of rent, utilities, and building space is contributing to cost savings.

Contract and Program Review

• 📊 A significant cost-saving measure involves cutting over 40% from contracts related to programs, surveys, and research that were not being utilized by schools or teachers.
• 📚 The NAEP scores (Nation's Report Card) will continue, with existing contracts in place for the next four to five years.
• 💰 The department is moving away from a 'status quo' approach, actively examining contracts and programs for efficiency.

Addressing Antisemitism in Schools

• ⚠️ The issue of 2,500 antisemitic incidents on college and K-12 campuses under the Biden administration is raised.
• 😔 A personal account is shared about Jewish students being targeted, leading to their parents removing them from a public school and enrolling them in a private institution due to the school's inaction.
• 🙏 A call is made for continued efforts to combat antisemitic rhetoric in schools across the country.