LET DISTRICTS DECIDE HOW TO SPEND FUNDS

There's a proposal on the table to provide a direct check of federal dollars to public education. Interestingly, the legislation is tied to Missouri lawmakers in both the U.S. House and Senate.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has introduced a direct-check-for-education bill in the House, patterned after a similar measure introduced by U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond in the Senate.

It is an idea whose time has come. But to truly work, the federal government needs to reduce the massive red tape imposed on local districts so schools can really spend the money where it is needed most, not where Uncle Sam directs.

Under the proposed legislation, federal dollars districts receive would be based on the number of students. The allocation could be used for textbooks to computers, construction of school buildings to job training, literacy to alcohol and drug abuse programs. Local schools -- not federal bureaucrats -- would decide.

Many districts would certainly welcome more freedom to spend dollars where they're needed. School districts are labor intensive. About two-thirds of most school district's budgets are tied up in salaries and benefits of all employees, leaving less flexibility for other spending.

Federal educational dollars are immense. Over five years, the proposal would funnel about $20 billion in direct checks to local schools. In Missouri, the measure could provide a substantial $60 million or more each year.

Strings currently attached to federal dollars prove difficult for many schools. Just over one-third of federal education funds are spent on operating 760 federal educational programs spread out between 39 agencies. That means only 65 cents of each federal education dollar is making it to the classroom.

While many federal dollars are available through grants, the process is burdensome. It can take six months and some 487 steps from beginning to end to apply for a Department of Education grant. And there's no guarantee funds will be approved. This grant-writing process takes valuable time and dollars from the classroom.

And let's not forget where the money comes from in the first place: taxpayers in local school districts who should have some say in where the dollars are spent.

The nation's public schools need fewer federal mandates and programs awash in red tape. This direct check for education may be the answer to getting more dollars spent on the real needs of local students and teachers.