Here we have a massive federal infrastructure costing MILLIONS to maintain.

And don't forget (and I'm sure you haven't) that its self-sustaining now.

The counter to getting rid of the DoE, is without some "standard" for all the states to measure themselves, and report to, that it (might) become impossible to figure out who knows what from where.

Not insurmountable, and there's certainly a lot of spread now (As well as some *ahem* fudging of the numbers (Going to school when SC was #50 in SAT scores, they were quick to tell us that part of that problem was that in SC, *anybody* can take the SAT. In other states (which we won't mention here (even if I did remember them)) that were close to, or at the top, you could only take the SAT (and have it "counted" if you passed some pre-reqs).

But the localities are subject to be hijacked (as in one Utah town, where all the kids were pulled out on orders from their Church Leader (splinter Mormon group), leaving something like 50 kids, total, in school.

A federal DoE doesn't fix that, but I have to admit, having only localities in any sort of charge (and especially the ones easily hijacked by the vocal Religious Right, and (attempting to) mandating school prayers, 10 commandments, getting rid of various science points that offend the biblical.....

That worries me, too.

the fact that the fed could convert all of that money into local block grants for schools..

(Or not take it in the first place... but I know, thinking like that comes HARD, even for the Great Refunder. :))

as someone who doesn't care about the future of America's children

Well, I've got some stories from my family, the teachers, that would astound most people. I don't know why *Anybody* bothers with public schools anymore.

Wait, sorry. Wrong Rant. :)

Ick. Still shuddering over that. :)

Addison