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Lincoln Chafee on Education
Independent RI Governor; previously Republican Senator (1999-2007)
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Supports NCLB’s standardized testing, if federally funded
Q: Is No Child Left Behind succeeding as a national standard? WHITEHOUSE: When NCLB passed, there was a promise from the Bush administration that the additional burdens that NCLB puts on the public schools would be funded by the federal government.
They broke that promise. Things that are important to the learning of children--have been thrown over the side so teachers can teach to that test.
CHAFEE: I do believe that some kind of testing is a good idea. We had some in Rhode Island before
NCLB came along -- we in Rhode Island were already doing it. Nationally, I do think it’s a good idea to have some kind of standard testing--some parameters to see how everyone’s doing at various grade levels. The difficulty is in the funding. We can
mandate this testing but it’s expensive. If we don’t provide the resources, it ends up going to the local level, which is the property tax, and I think that’s wrong. If we’re going to mandate something at the federal level, we should pay for it.
Source: 2006 RI Senate debate, by RIBA and WPRI-12
, Sep 13, 2006
Fund special education before tax cuts for the wealthy
Q: Your views on tax cuts?CHAFEE: You want to return any kind of tax cuts you can to the citizens and every politician likes to do that. That’s popular. But at the same time, I wanted to be responsible, having been a mayor and then going to the
Senate, my view was let’s help the property taxpayer before we help the tax cuts for the wealthy. The way we do that is fund a program that the Congress started in 1970 for the special education that helps in our schools which is all the property taxes
and fund that special education. We promised in 1970 to get to 40%. We’re not above 20%. So I said before we cut the taxes for the wealthy, let’s fund this special education program. Get it up to the 40% we promised back in 1970, and that goes right to
the property taxpayer before we help the wealthy.
LAFFEY: First, Chafee failed on funding the IDEA program. Two, he has voted for No Child Left Behind which is about $27 billion and counting unfunded mandate that’s going on seemingly forever.
Source: 2006 R.I. Republican Senate Primary debate on WPRI
, Aug 24, 2006
Supports parents choosing schools via vouchers
Senator Chafee believes that the Congress, the President and the Department of Education must help the thousands of communities across the nation provide a solid, comprehensive educational foundation for every American child.As Mayor of Warwick,
Senator Chafee demonstrated a strong commitment to the improvement of public schools. In Congress, Senator Chafee has championed an array of programs designed to promote the education of all children, including those with special needs.
Source: Senate web site, “Commitment to public schools”
, Sep 19, 2000
Supports vouchers & charters, plus more public funding
Supports the following principles concerning education: - Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- Support teacher
testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
- Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
- Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test
, Jan 1, 2000
Voted NO on $52M for "21st century community learning centers".
To increase appropriations for after-school programs through 21st century community learning centers. Voting YES would increase funding by $51.9 million for after school programs run by the 21st century community learning centers and would decrease funding by $51.9 million for salaries and expenses in the Department of Labor.
Reference: Amendment to Agencies Appropriations Act;
Bill S Amdt 2287 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-279
on Oct 27, 2005
Voted NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies.
To provide an additional $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Voting YES would provide:- $2.5 billion for targeting grants to local educational agencies
- $2.5 billion for education finance incentive grants
Reference: Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment;
Bill S Amdt 2275 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-269
on Oct 26, 2005
Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget Resolution that would adjust education funding while still reducing the deficit by $5.4 billion. A YES vote would: - Restore education program cuts slated for vocational education, adult education, GEAR UP, and TRIO.
- Increase the maximum Pell Grant scholarship to $4,500 immediately.
- Increases future math and science teacher student loan forgiveness to $23,000.
- Pay for the education funding by closing $10.8 billion in corporate tax loopholes.
Reference: Kennedy amendment relative to education funding;
Bill S AMDT 177 to S Con Res 18
; vote number 2005-68
on Mar 17, 2005
Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors.
Vote to authorize a federal program aimed at reducing class size. The plan would assist states and local education agencies in recruiting, hiring and training 100,000 new teachers, with $2.4 billion in fiscal 2002. This amendment would replace an amendment allowing parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-103
on May 15, 2001
Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors.
Vote to pass an amendment that would authorize $200 million to provide grants to help states develop assessment systems that describe student achievement. This amendment would replace an amendment by Jeffords, R-VT, which would allow parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-99
on May 10, 2001
Voted YES on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction.
Vote to reduce the size of the $1.6 trillion tax cut by $448 billion while increasing education spending by $250 billion and providing an increase of approximately $224 billion for debt reduction over 10 years.
Reference:
Bill H Con Res 83
; vote number 2001-69
on Apr 4, 2001
Voted NO on Educational Savings Accounts.
Vote to pass a bill that would permit tax-free savings accounts of up to $2000 per child annually to be used for public or private school tuition or other education expenses.
Reference:
Bill S.1134
; vote number 2000-33
on Mar 2, 2000
Focus educational resources to help those with greatest need.
Chafee adopted the Republican Main Street Partnership agenda item:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) helps to fulfill the most basic mission of federal education programs—equal opportunity for all children. To help improve the federal role in education, the Republican Main Street Partnership has identified the following areas that should receive priority during the reauthorization of IDEA:
- Focus resources to help those with the greatest need, particularly the disadvantaged and disabled
- Target Title I funds, those specifically designed to aid disadvantaged students, to students with the greatest need
- Although Title I funds are already allocated according to population and poverty, more funds must be targeted to our neediest schools. We propose funding, for the first time, grants that send at least a portion of Title I funds solely on the basis of need.
- Increase the maximum award under Pell Grants to help first-generation & low-income students continue their education
- Increase the maximum award for students
from low-income families to restore the balance between grants and loans, particularly among those with the greatest need.
- Continue efforts to increase federal funding for IDEA to help states and locals offset the cost of providing a ëfree appropriate public educationí for students with special needs
- Move federal funding toward its goal of providing up to 40 percent of the average cost of educating a disabled child.
- In addition, we need to better evaluate the effectiveness of this program and ensure that federal funds for IDEA—particularly in light of recent funding increases—are being targeted to our students with real learning disabilities.
- Finally and most important, any fiscal incentives must be examined to ensure that the overidentification of learning disabled students is prevented, and our efforts must focus on the regular evaluation of the program to ensure that our special needs children are truly being provided a "free appropriate public education."
Source: 2001 GOP Main Street Partnership Action Agenda for Education 01-RMSP2 on Jul 2, 2001
Require state standards, regular assessments, and sanctions.
Chafee adopted the Republican Main Street Partnership agenda item:
To help improve the federal role in education, the Republican Main Street Partnership has identified the following areas that should receive priority: - Require states to implement high standards of achievement in core subject areas, such as reading, math, writing, and science, for all students.
Nearly all states have established high standards for education content in reading, writing and math. To continue to be eligible for Title I funds, we must ensure that states meet these standards. - Require states to demonstrate success in raising the performance of all students -- from those who score below basic to those who are already proficient -- and narrowing the gap between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.
Without regular assessments, we cannot determine how well students are achieving with respect to each state's performance goals. Although states are required to have assessments aligned with their content and performance
standards by the 2000-2001 school year, it now seems that no state will be approved in time. To continue to be eligible for Title I funds, states must continue to work toward this goal and waivers must be provided only for those who are making substantial progress toward the implementation of their aligned assessments. - Establish a meaningful system of rewards for schools that significantly increase student achievement and sanctions for those that fail.
Schools that consistently fail to make progress toward their stateís own performance goals, after assistance and opportunity to improve, must be sanctioned with corrective actions ranging from the reconstitution of the school staff to the authorization of students to transfer to another public school. Schools that meet or exceed their performance goals should receive monetary awards through a new grant program designed to reward achievement.
Source: 2001 GOP Main Street Partnership Action Agenda for Education 01-RMSP3 on Jul 2, 2001
Support Ed-Flex: more flexibility if more accountable.
Chafee adopted the Republican Main Street Partnership agenda item:
To help improve the federal role in education, the Republican Main Street Partnership has identified the following areas that should receive priority: - Provide flexibility in exchange for increased accountability.
- Encourage more states to take advantaged of the Education-Flexibility waiver to better align federal programs with state and local priorities.
- Currently, 15 states have Ed-Flex authority and, according to GAO reports, the waiver authority promotes a climate that encourages state and local educators to explore new approaches to education. Ultimately, the states must make the decision to apply for the waiver, but education leaders must encourage states and schools to be innovative in their approach to education improvement.
- Enact new legislation to give states the option to combine education programs and funding in exchange for demonstrated improvements in student achievement at all levels
- In exchange for new flexibility, a participating state would have to show how it would combine and use funds to advance education priorities, improve student achievement and narrow the learning gap. If, after three years, the state has failed to meet its own requirements, the flexibility authority would be terminated and administrative funds would be withheld.
Source: 2001 GOP Main Street Partnership Action Agenda for Education 01-RMSP4 on Jul 2, 2001
Rated 55% by the NEA, indicating a mixed record on public education.
Chafee scores 55% by the NEA on public education issues
The National Education Association has a long, proud history as the nation's leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 "to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States," the NEA has remained constant in its commitment to its original mission as evidenced by the current mission statement:
To fulfill the promise of a democratic society, the National Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all.
In pursuing its mission, the NEA has determined that it will focus the energy and resources of its 2.7 million members toward the "promotion of public confidence in public education."
The ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.
Source: NEA website 03n-NEA on Dec 31, 2003
Page last updated: Nov 29, 2014
