McCain Fails Lesson on Education Funding

We already know that the recently announce economic plan by John McCain is going to be a boon for corporations and the most wealthy. We also know that his plan will do very little to help the average American, and in many cases will be hurtful to them and their interests. To pay for even just a portion of his massive giveaways, McCain will have to pull from critical funding and services. One good example of this is in the area of education.

As part of McCain’€™s economic plan, he has called for a yearlong moratorium on increases in discretionary federal spending. He projects that this move will save some $100 billion but he conveniently forgets to mention that he has included the education of our children in this funding cut. This McCain proposal would take even more resources away from public schools that have already been deeply underfunded by the current administration. According to the National Education Association, McCain’€™s plan would shortchange some 4.2 million disadvantaged children in reading and math assistance. It would also cost states and schools $12.5 billion in reduced services to children with disabilities.

One would think that lessons would have been learned from George W. Bush’€™s severe underfunding of No Child Left Behind over the years. That move has cost us dearly from state capitols all the way to individual classrooms. Unfortunately John McCain has ignored the lessons of the past and plans to continue the mistakes of the current administration and to even go well beyond it. Given the massive corporate handouts planned by McCain, education will be only the first casualty if he is allowed to turn his rhetoric into a troubling reality.

UPDATE:  Take a look at how much McCain’s proposals will actually shortchange education in Wisconsin.