1/ Encourage local community choice for the form and delivery of education including the extent of school privatization. Under local control school vouchers would be effective for empowering citizens to upgrade educational performance.
2/ Discontinue all federal education mandates such as “No child left behind” because they simply have not worked, Discontinue all the myriad of "Titles" which dilute the best use of funds because they simply do not work as well as local control. Federal controls and mandates are unconstitutional and they just don’t make sense.
3/ A controlled transition from the current system to local control is absolutely necessary. This can be done by federal unrestrited direct grants gradually reduced over sufficient time for the local areas can replace income. This can be done by 2009 grants equal to 100% of 2008 total federal funds actually spent. Then these grants would be evenly reduced over 7 years to zero federal funds.
Note: It is likely that the current Congressional leaders will throw the economy into a recession in early 2008 for political gain in the fall elections. It is also likely that the housing value decline will be the reason for the overall economy decline. When that occurs the lower property values will produce local property taxes which will reduce income to the local governments. Bob’s plan is to return federal educational funds un-tethered to local government which will allow the local governments to adjust to the lower property taxes without a loss of local services.