“We have sought to recalibrate the federal role, undoing the excesses of the past,” said Kline, whose bill is supported by the National School Boards Association. Several Republicans said they would have liked to delete the federal government’s involvement altogether. “Many of my Republican colleagues and I feel the federal government should be out of education,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), adding that the bill was “a step in the right direction.” Read more

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC5), who co-sponsored the legislation, said “North Carolina teachers, parents and administrators – not Washington bureaucrats – should be in charge of making education decisions in our state. The Student Success Act I cosponsored centers around the theme of empowering the people closest to students with the authority to make education choices in their respective states and communities. By scaling back Washington’s one-size-fits-all micromanagement of classrooms, this legislation takes positive steps toward ensuring local educators have the flexibility required to meet the diverse needs of their students." Read more

“I have the attitude that there is no role for the federal government in education. If I had my way about it, we would have gone a lot further with this legislation,” said North Carolina Representative Virginia Foxx. Read more

“As a grandmother, educator and former school board member, I know students are best served when those at the local level are the driving force behind improving education. Washington red tape, duplicative programs and coercive standards compound the negative effects of flawed federal education laws on American schools. I will not allow Washington policy to compromise education quality, and the Student Success Act begins the process of getting Washington out of the way.” Read more

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said many would like to eliminate the federal government's role in education, but the bill was "a reasonable first step in empowering the people closest to the students to make decisions for those students." Control from Washington has not brought educational improvements, she said. Read more

"These waivers are a short-term fix to a long-term problem and leave states and districts with uncertainty about whether they will again be subject to the failing law, and if the administration will change the requirements necessary to receive a waiver," Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said. Read more

But Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., a senior member of the education committee, is fully on board, even though the bill doesn't go as far as she would like. In a perfect world, Foxx said, the feds wouldn't have a role in K-12. But she thinks this bill is a major improvement over NCLB. "I can't understand why some people would just say no," she said in an interview. "They let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Read more

“This is not a perfect bill, and the chairman admits that. I think most everybody does,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), vice chair of the Rules Committee, as debate began on Wednesday. “Everybody’s heard me say: If I had my way about it, the federal government wouldn’t be involved in education in any fashion.” Still, she said, the bill is a move in the right direction. Read more

A bill designed to reduce the regulatory burden on higher education through the repeal of several federal regulations was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 10, 2013. H.R. 2637 - the "Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act" - is cosponsored by Education and the Workforce Committee chair John Kline (R-Minnesota), Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training chair Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) and Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Florida). Read more

“It’s unfortunate, is all I can say,” said Foxx. “They tout themselves as the place where you can get bi-partisan agreement on things. So what do you think about the prospects moving forward? I’m always optimistic. And again, the differences between us and the President are very minor, very technical in nature.” Read more