No Child Left Behind

[AlanM]

Utah State Lawmakers Rebel Against No Child Left Behind
By PAUL FOY, AP

SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 17) - For the second consecutive year, Utah's conservative Republican legislators are rebelling against President Bush's education centerpiece, angry over what they see as an unfunded federal mandate.

The Utah House passed a bill directing education officials to give priority to state education goals over the No Child Left Behind Act, and to spend as little state money as possible to comply with the federal program.

The bill was handed to the Senate on Wednesday. The legislation and a companion resolution represent the sharpest denunciation among 35 states taking up measures on No Child mandates, said the sponsor, Republican Rep. Margaret Dayton.

Opposition to the No Child program has united Democrats and Republicans, the teachers' union, the Utah School Boards Association and the conservative Eagle Forum.

"We believe the federal government, contributing only about 7 percent of our budget, should not control 100 percent of what we're doing in Utah," said state Superintendent Patti Harrington.

Utah takes exception to many mandates detailed in the more than 2,000 pages of federal legislation and regulation. One, for example, requires states to compare the academic achievement of third-graders in each school with the results of last year's third-graders. Utah officials see more merit in measuring the progress of the same set of students as they advance from second to third grade.

Dayton said she doubted the legislation would lead to federal sanctions against Utah or the loss of any of the $107 million the state receives in federal education aid.

Last year when Utah threatened to opt out of the No Child program, White House and education officials put on a full-court press at the Utah Capitol, lobbying to salvage support for the law and warning the state it could lose federal funding.

But legislators say they expect no such visits this year, and Republican U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch extended an invitation to the new education secretary, Margaret Spellings, who was sworn in Jan. 31.

The Senate put a stop to Dayton's legislation to take Utah out of the No Child program last year. Senate President John Valentine, a Republican, couldn't say Wednesday whether the latest bill would gain the support of his chamber, but he said he accepted the word of federal officials who promised to defer to Utah on some education goals.

[Russell Kanning]

It is amazing what progress we can make.....by just pitting one group of bureaucrats against another.
I really like the way the states are getting more of their own personality and getting sick of the Feds.

[AlanM]

I agree Russell. It's nice to see a state stand up to the Feds. At least a little bit. 

[Dave Ridley]

"No Child Allowed to Shine" LOL

Should be easy to get NH legislators lined up against NCLB...the liberals hate it; we hate it...everybody's happy it if it crashes here.

[Ron Helwig]

"No Child Allowed to Shine" LOL

I work for an e-learning company. We call it

"No Children Learning Better"

Ron

[dawn]

No Child Left Alone

I would LOVE to see NH get out of this NCLB scene! Maybe we can start at the state and town level - towns could do warrant articles to stop accepting NCLB funds and we could get a bill introduced in the legislature too (for next year!).