Ted Cruz on Education Republican Texas Senator

School choice is the civil-rights issue of the 21st Century

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined the co-chairs of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), in introducing a resolution designating January 21st-January 27th, 2024, as National School Choice Week.

Upon joining the resolution, Sen. Cruz said, "For over a decade, I have been the leading advocate for school choice in the U.S. Senate because I firmly believe that school choice is the civil-rights issue of the 21st Century. Every single child deserves access to an exceptional education regardless of their zip code, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. I will continue to stand up for our students in Texas and across the country because building a stronger America starts in our K-12 classrooms."

In just world, teacher's unions would support school choice

In a choice world, teachers unions would enthusiastically support school choice. After all, the mass majority of teachers go into education because they want to help children, and teachers see first-hand the maddening bureaucracy, red tape and barriers to qualify teaching that today's system often creates. But the union bosses who lead the teachers' unions have decided that school choice is an existential threat to their power, and so they demand partisan fealty beyond all else.

Private school vouchers is civil rights issue of our time

Ted Cruz (R): Yes. Called "civil rights issue of our time." Introduced bill to allow tax deduction for costs of private & religious schools.

Beto O'Rourke (D): No. It funnels public school $ into private schools. "Ted Cruz's private school give-away will cost taxpayers $500 million to subsidize wealthy."

Race-to-the-Top is blackmail against the states

The Obama administration has abused executive power in forcing common core on the states. It has used race-to-the-top funds to effectively blackmail and force the states to adopt Common Core. Now, the one silver lining of Obama abusing executive power is that everything done with executive power can be undone with executive power, and I intend to do that.

Beyond that, I intend to work to abolish the federal Department of Education and send education back to the states and back to the local governments.

And let me say finally, the most important reform we can do in education after getting the federal government out of it, is expand school choice; expand charter schools and home schools and private schools and vouchers, and scholarships. And give every child in need an opportunity to access to a quality education.

Abolish the U.S. Department of Education

• March 2015.The Department of Education: "We need to abolish the U.S. Department of Education." March 2013.
• Common Core: "We should repeal every word of Common Core. Education is far too important to have it governed by unelected bureaucrats down in Washington. The federal government has no authority to do things like set the curriculum in education. That needs to be at the state level or, even better, at the local level."
• March 2015. Curriculum and local control: "If [curriculum is controlled] at the local level, you can go to the [local] school board meeting, and if the curriculum being taught to your kids doesn't make sense, you can make your voice heard, you can speak out and say, 'This isn't right.' Every one of us should have control over what's being taught to our kids."

The rich already have school choice; give it to the poor

• March 2015.School choice: "School choice, in my view, is the civil rights issue of the twenty-first century. It is an issue I have been passionately involved in for decades. And I think it is the right thing to do, but I think it also represents a tremendous opportunity."
• March 2015.Broadening school choice: "School choice has been here since the dawn of time. The rich and middle class have always had it. All it is about is giving kids whose parents don't have the resources the same ability to choose an excellent education as the rich and middle class kids."
• March 2014.Homeschooling: "Education reform, school choice, and home schooling have been passions of mine for decades. Every parent has a right to educate his or her children--to provide the home, to teach the values that the parents believe are right for their children."

Supports ending racial preferences for college admissions

• June 2013.Affirmative action: "Today, by a 7-1 vote, the Supreme Court vacated the lower court ruling [in Fisher v. University of Texas] upholding the University of Texas's use of racial preferences in admissions. Discriminating because of race is wrong, and this was a victory for our color-blind Constitution. In recent years, universities have made major strides to expand admissions for minorities and low-income students, working hard for the American dream. Universities should continue to do so, expanding opportunity for everyone--but that can be accomplished without discriminating on the basis of race."
• Sept. 2012.Financial aid: "Student aid is critically important. In my life, education opened doors for my parents and for me that never would've been opened. We should take the funding, give it to the states, and put the states in the position to make the decisions how to have the greatest impact in their communities."

Right to education: public, private, charter, or homeschool

At Liberty University in March 2015, Cruz said, "Imagine embracing school choice as the civil rights issue of the next generation. That every single child, regardless of race, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of wealth or zip code, every child in America has a right to a quality education. And that's true from all of the above, whether it is public schools or charter schools or private schools or Christian schools or parochial schools or home schooled. Every child."

We should thank parents who homeschool

In 2015, Cruz said, "Imagine that every single child in America has a right to a quality education, whether it is public schools or charter schools or private schools or Christian schools or parochial schools or home schooled. Every child."

Local control of education instead of Common Core

School choice is a deep passion of mine

Facilitate school choice for poor Americans

Education decisions best made at local level

• Do you believe education decisions are best made at the local level, and will you support efforts to allow states to opt out of the No Child Left Behind law?
• [The SCF endorsed Cruz].

Denounce the Common Core State Standards.

Congressional summary:: Strongly denouncing the President`s coercion of States into adopting the Common Core State Standards by conferring preferences in Federal grants:

• Whereas the development of the Common Core State Standards has transformed into an incentives-based mandate from the Federal Government;
• Whereas the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 prohibits the establishment of a national curriculum by the Department of Education;
• Whereas President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced competitive grants through the Race to the Top program to adopt `internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace`;

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
1. States and local educational agencies should maintain the right and responsibility of determining educational curricula;
2. the Federal Government should not incentivize the adoption of common education standards; and
3. no application process for any Federal grant funds should provide any preference for the adoption of the Common Core State Standards.

   Opponent`s argument against (CoreStandards.org): The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. 45 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards [not adopted in TX, NE, AK, MN, and VA]. The nation`s governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative. Teachers, parents, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders provided input into the development of the standards.

   Source: HRes.476 & SRes.345 14-SR345 on Feb 6, 2014

   Block funding for Common Core; it's too heavy-handed.

   Cruz signed Letter from 11 Senators

   Letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services, and Education: `Eleven U.S. senators signed a letter asking Senate appropriators to block the use of funding to the Education Department to promote the Common Core education standards. The senators wrote a letter asking for appropriations legislative language `to restore state decision-making and accountability with respect to state academic content standards.` Text of the letter:`

   While the Common Core State Standards Initiative was initially billed as a voluntary effort between states, federal incentives have clouded the picture. The selection criteria designed by the U.S. Department of Education for the Race to the Top (RTTT) Program provided that for a state to have a reasonable chance to compete for funding, it must adopt a `common set of K-12 standards` matching the description of the Common Core.

   Source: Letter on Sen. Grassley's Senate website 15_Lt_Edu on Apr 4, 2014

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