Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor strongly criticized the House Republican education overhaul, which would cut support for Florida students by a whopping $437 million through FY 2021.

While the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as No Child Left Behind) is overdue for reauthorization and reform, Republicans produced a partisan bill that has been panned by leading education advocates and teachers.  U.S. Rep. Castor stressed that the Republican bill removes key standards for success and the 50-year commitment to equity in public education that ensures that all American children, regardless of where they live, have the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. 

View today’s House floor speech.

The White House has called the Republican bill, H.R. 5, “a significant step backwards.” A vote on final passage is expected by tomorrow, and U.S. Rep. Castor urged members to vote against it and “go back to the drawing board” so that we can keep the promise to students across America of access to a high-quality public education, no matter their background.

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