Biggert: District 68 Will Like Changes Coming in Federal Education Policy

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) came to District 68 Tuesday afternoon to talk to staff and administrators about the changes in store for public schools.

Biggert is a member of the Committees of Education and the Workforce; Science, Space and Technology and Financial Serves.

During her visit, she denounced No Child Left Behind and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Race to the Top program.

“The federal government has overstepped its bounds,” Biggert said. “Arne (Duncan) is overstepping what he should be doing."

She said No Child Left Behind has had an “obvious effect on every child." 

“We’ve harmed the basis of our education system by focusing on one test,” she said. “It’s not going to be that way…The changes made, you’re really going to like.”

Biggert said changes to federal education policy would return more power to the local level.

“You really know what schools need,” Biggert said. “Not us, and not the state.”

They would also focus more on student improvement and not on achieving annual yearly progress.

“For each student, are they improving?” she said. “It does not mean making 100 percent in so many years, but are they moving up? Are we able to move the kids forward? We just want kids to have a love of learning to be successful.” 

She said there would be a bipartisan effort in terms of changes to federal education policy. “Everyone cares about education,” Biggert said.

During her visit, she answered questions from  teachers and administrators on hot topics like Medicare, Social Security, merit pay, teacher pensions and the protests in Wisconsin, 

She also talked about her own background in education. Biggert ran for the Hinsdale Township High School District 68 in 1978, serving on the board until 1985 and as board president from 1983 to 1985. 

She went to high school at New Trier in Wilmette and said her goal in Hinsdale was to provide the same level of education. 

“What has driven me is education, seeing how important it is here and across the country,” Biggert said. “Education is the way to solve problems. We have to make sure we have really good teachers.”

Biggert’s visit was organized by Sara Butterworth, a sixth-grader teacher at Edgewood Elementary School and co-treasurer of the Woodridge Education Association.

Butterworth said she wanted to have Biggert come and visit but didn’t know how. A friend who works for U.S. Representative and Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) encouraged her to contact Biggert’s office to set up the meeting.