The federal Department of Education was invented in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter. It was opposed then by many who felt that it was an unconstitutional power grab by the federal government.

They were right.

People today are realizing that the DOE does not have students’ best interests at heart, but is focused on the progressive idea of centralizing all education decisions in Washington.

The current DOE budget is $68.6 billion and it has more than 5,000 employees. It has presided over the steady decline of the nation’s education system. The U.S. has fallen in rank to 48th in math and science results.

DOE-mandated programs, such as the infamous “No Child Left Behind,” have created bureaucratic nightmares for local administrators and teachers. Teachers who once loved teaching find their class time taken by mandatory testing and paperwork. Teaching is not fun anymore. In order to get federal funds, administrators force teachers to “teach to the test,” not the needs of the individual student.

Ever since President Ronald Reagan, there have been steady calls to abolish the DOE. With the massive $14 trillion debt the country faces, now is the time.

Let’s get the feds out of the education system, and give it back to where it constitutionally belongs — the states and their local communities. One size does not fit all.

Enough is enough. The federal Department of Education should be abolished.

George Mathews, Auburn