This may sound like a funny question, but after attending today’s meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education, I’m really not so sure.

You see, the board discussed a number of different topics, but in a number of cases it turned out the board’s hands were being tied by strings from Washington curtesy of the carrot and stick of waivers from No Child Left Behind. For example, the US Department of Education apparently called the shots on the selection of Kentucky’s new high school graduation rate target in 2024 of 98 percent. The Feds have their nose under our tent in the area of performance evaluations for teachers and principals, too.

The board of education’s meetings are recorded and usually available on the web for viewing and listening a day or two after the event, so you will shortly be able to check this out for yourself by looking for the February 4, 2015 meeting listing here.

In the meantime, you’ll have to take my word that it certainly seemed like the waiver restrictions came up more than just once or twice today.

So, despite the US Constitution reserving control of education to the states, it seems like Kentucky’s education leaders are being played more and more by puppeteers in DC who seem out to federalize the whole education show in this country.