Senator Richard Shelby is the senior United States Senator from the State of Alabama. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and is currently in his sixth term. Senator Shelby is the current vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, of which he previously served as chairman. He is a senior member on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, as well as the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, of which he is the longest-serving member in the history of the committee. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
I believe that providing our nation’s children with access to a quality education is a direct investment in the future of our country. As we work to provide children in Alabama with the tools they need for a successful future, we must also prioritize and prepare them to compete in the global marketplace of today.
I strongly believe that education decisions are best made at a local level where the needs of students can be properly identified and met. Federal intervention into our nation’s education system leads to bureaucratic red-tape and ultimately reduces the autonomy of parents and teachers. Rather than top-down federal mandates, I support efforts to send money directly to the classroom so that state and local officials can address the needs of their communities. We must also explore new ideas, such as giving parents alternatives to underperforming public schools through the possible use of voucher programs and the promotion of new techniques, such as charter schools, which have proven successful in areas across the country.