‘Unacceptable’: Shelley Moore Capito Warns Of ‘Declines Of Achievement’ Across U.S. Schools

Forbes Breaking News

During Tuesday's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) delivered open remarks about Department of Education appropriations.

Transcript

00:00It's off to a good start here in the next work period.

00:04Thank you for coming to discuss the President's fiscal year 2026 budget request

00:08and your priorities for the Department of Education.

00:11I'm pleased to be joined this morning by my friend, Senator Baldwin, and ranking members.

00:15She's been on a wild trip all through her state, and so she's invigorated, right?

00:24I am definitely invigorated.

00:25All right, all right.

00:26As well as our full committee chair who will be joining us, Senator Collins and Vice Chair Senator Murray.

00:32We're all committed to return the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process to regular order,

00:37and these hearings are the first step in that process, so thank you.

00:41All Americans should have the opportunity to receive a high-quality education

00:44from preschool through post-secondary education.

00:47I know that education is a key to success

00:50and vital part of maintaining our strong communities across the nation.

00:54I've seen it certainly firsthand in my home state of West Virginia,

00:57where I actually began my professional career as a college counselor

01:01and advisor working closely with many first-generation college students.

01:05Through this role, I was able to personally see how education provides students

01:09with life-changing opportunities.

01:11Secretary McMahon, you have taken charge of the Department of Education

01:14at a critical time for our nation's students.

01:16According to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress scores,

01:21students have still not recovered from pandemic-related school closures.

01:26National scores on math and reading are worse than pre-pandemic levels in all tested grades,

01:31and in reading, student scores continue to decline.

01:35A third of eighth graders are not even reading at basic level,

01:39and that, I think you would agree, all of us would agree, is unacceptable.

01:42We know that throwing more money at the problem will not lead to a solution.

01:47These devastating declines in achievement are in spite of almost $190 billion

01:52in COVID relief funding provided for elementary and secondary education during the pandemic.

01:59Federal education spending, at a minimum,

02:01should be focused on ensuring that Americans' children can read and write at a basic level.

02:06That is why I strongly believe that federal education spending should support states

02:17and policies that afford kids the greatest opportunity to learn and achieve academically.

02:22Education decisions should be made by those closest to our students,

02:26those who know what they need to succeed.

02:29That is, local schools, local teachers, local school boards,

02:34and most importantly, local parents who are right there with their students.

02:38Formula grant programs like Title I, IDEA, and Career and Technical Education

02:43provide the crucial flexibility that states and local communities need

02:48to best meet the needs of all students,

02:50and I look forward to continuing to support these key programs in fiscal year 2026.

02:55Madam Secretary, I'm pleased that your budget proposes to increase another important program,

03:00the charter school program.

03:02While West Virginia is fairly new to offering charter school education,

03:06we are already seeing promising results

03:08and expanded opportunities for our public school students.

03:11For example, the Wynn Academy in Bridge Valley,

03:14at Bridge Valley Community and Technical College,

03:17is an early college charter high school

03:19designed to provide a free, accelerated, dynamic degree program

03:23for juniors and seniors in the Kanawh Valley.

03:26The school was started to help local hospitals address the severe shortage in nursing

03:30and has been so successful that it has already been expanded

03:33to include an advanced manufacturing track in partnership with Toyota.

03:38Students are enrolled in the college and graduate from high school

03:42ready to start their careers in high need while paying jobs.

03:46The school is meeting the intent of other charter schools

03:49using the flexibility they are granted to offer innovative learning opportunities

03:53to benefit students.

03:55With the additional funding for charter schools proposed in your budgets,

03:58I know that many more students across the country

04:00would benefit from opportunities like the West Virginia Wynn Academy.

04:04Secretary McMahon, this is a pivotal time for our nation's student loan borrowers.

04:09Borrowers have been forced to navigate an exceptionally confusing four years

04:13full of bad advice and unfair promises of illegal loan forgiveness

04:17from the prior administration.

04:19And as a result, one in four student loan borrowers is either in default

04:23or on a late stage of delinquency on their loans as of the beginning of May.

04:29And only 38% of borrowers are actually in repayment

04:33and current on their student loans.

04:36After years of confusion, the department must work to restore trust with borrowers

04:41by providing clear and consistent information about repayment.

04:44Student loan borrowers deserve that clarity in order to fulfill their obligations

04:48to repay their loans.

04:50I'm grateful that under your leadership, the department has begun the difficult task

04:54of getting borrowers back on the path to repayment,

04:57and I look forward to your continued progress.

05:00Secretary McMahon, the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process will be challenging,

05:05but I look forward to working with you to responsibly allocate our limited

05:08taxpayers' resources to programs that help provide the best opportunity

05:12for high-quality education for all students.

05:15Thank you again for being here today, and I look forward to your testimony.

05:18Now I will turn to Senator Baldwin for her opening statement.

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