Johnson Votes to Return Control of Education Policy to Individual States

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5 – the Student Success Act by a vote of 218 to 213:

“Despite the fact that the federal government’s involvement in K-12 education is at an all-time high, student success remains stagnant,” Bill Johnson said. “Worse yet, one out of every five students nationwide have dropped out of high school in recent years. Unfortunately, too many have simply accepted this status quo. This must change.”

Johnson added, “Today, the House of Representatives took an important step towards reducing the federal government’s involvement in education and restoring state and school district involvement in measuring school performance and student success. The era of top-down, one-size-fits-all education policy must end. States and local school districts are better equipped to develop academic standards than bureaucrats in Washington. Parents and teachers know that what works in Marietta or Ironton, might not necessarily work in Lisbon or St. Clairsville. This is a smart, common-sense, and conservative bill that I was proud to vote in favor of.”