Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., is drawing some fire over Common Core from a potential Republican primary opponent in the 2016 presidential race.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., came out swinging at Common Core at a media event in Washington, D.C., on Monday, calling for a debate on the education standards in the Republican presidential primaries.
"When it comes to moving power away from federal government, that's obviously the debate today about Common Core," Jindal said on Monday. "I think this is a good debate and a good discussion within the Republican primary and the general election: what is the proper role of the federal government?"
Jindal framed the issue as a contest between Americans and the federal government in Washington.
Do we trust the bureaucrats in D.C., or do we trust parents and local officials to make these decisions? Jindal asked. I come down on the side of trusting local parents, local teachers and local officials, trusting competition, not thinking it is better to have an unelected elite, a group of bureaucrats in D.C., making these decision for us.
Clearly on Jindals mind is Bush who has supported Common Core and No Child Left Behind during his time in public life. Bush is one of the leading Republican candidates in most national polls and surveys of key states while Jindal is almost always found at the back of the pack. In December, Bush announced he was exploring running for the presidency while Jindals name has garnered some attention as a possible candidate.
Through America Next, a conservative policy group with ties to the Louisiana governor, Jindal showcased his own education plan on Monday which includes less federal regulation, more local control, increased school choice options and more educator freedom.Bush will be in Tallahassee focused on education this week as his Foundation for Floridas Future meets on Tuesday.
Looking to kill two birds with one stone, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hit both Republicans on the issue.
Today, Governor Bobby Jindal delivered a speech this morning on education and critiqued the education records of some of the GOP field namely Governor Jeb Bush. And given Bushs record, we have to agree with him, the DNC emailed the media on Monday.
Bush supports the Ryan budget that would yield draconian cuts to Pell Grants that low-income and middle-class families depend upon and make sweeping reductions in Title I funding that provides resources for K-12 education, the DNC added. Its nothing new from Bushs take on education as governor. In Florida, he supported a change to a school funding formula that slashed millions from large urban school districts and even oversaw a 50 percent rise in in-state tuition for the Florida State University system after proposing millions in cuts. For a guy claiming that everyone has a right to rise, Bush has spent his entire political career only letting one thing rise the cost of a decent college education for working and middle-class families.
But heres what the Louisiana governor got wrong: hes not the solution, the DNC continued. Jindals Louisiana ranks near the bottom of key measures of educational achievement. Instead of attacking this unfortunate reality head on, Governor Jindal has had the wrong priorities and sacrificed critical higher education funding with some of the highest cuts in the nation. The result has been fewer opportunities for Louisiana families facing higher tuition. Under Jindal, higher education faculty and staff at LSU are facing furloughs and layoffs and they are considering eliminating classes and shutting down academic programs. For two folks pretending to be so at odds over education policy, when it comes to the effects of their administration, theres not all that much of a difference. Both of their irresponsible education policies hurt children and families in Florida and Louisiana who are looking to get the tools they need to succeed in a 21st century economy.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
