Re: Arizona House OKs NCLB Withdrawal

[aburke5054@aol.com]

This should send a powerful message to Arizona citizens to dump 
representatives who would advance such a loony bill.

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>
To: ARN Main List <arn-l@interversity.org>; ARN State 
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Sent: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:28 am
Subject: [arn-l] Arizona House OKs NCLB Withdrawal

Even if fear of the financial consequences results in these bills not
becoming law, the action by state legislatures sends a powerful message
to Washington.


HOUSE OKs BILL TO QUIT NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT

Arizona Republic -- March 27, 2008

by Mary Jo Pitzl


The Arizona House of Representatives is on the verge of opting out of
the controversial No Child Left Behind Act, President Bush's premier
educational accomplishment.


On a voice vote Wednesday, the House approved a bill sponsored by state
Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, that would make Arizona the first state 
in
the nation to leave behind the act and its education mandates. It would
take effect on July 1, 2010.


But it would leave the state with a $600 million hole in its schools
budget, as it would lose federal education dollars by opting out of the
program.


That's a cost that some lawmakers, as well as state Superintendent of
Public Instruction Tom Horne, say isn't worth it, no matter how big the
principle at stake.


"The problem is, we would lose over a half-billion dollars a year," he
said. "And it would go to the schools that need it the most: the
low-income schools."


House Education Chairman Mark Anderson said opt-out bills are nothing
new to the Legislature, where most members have bristled at the level 
of
federal control in No Child Left Behind. But this year, the idea seems
to be gathering steam. House Bill 2392 could come up for a formal vote
as early as next week. If it passed, it still would need Senate 
approval.


"I'm baffled this has gotten as far as it has when it has a price tag 
of
$600 million," said Anderson, R-Mesa.


Some of the support stems from a change Schapira added to the bill
Wednesday. If the state would not reimburse local school districts for
the amount of lost federal dollars, Arizona would stick with No Child
Left Behind.


Rep. Jackie Thrasher, D-Phoenix, who voted against an earlier version 
of
the bill, said Wednesday's amendment won her support. Thrasher is a
high-school teacher and said she didn't want to see the schools take a
financial hit.


Authorities in other states also have become increasingly dissatisfied
with No Child Left Behind. A bill in the Virginia General Assembly this
year called for that state to opt out even though Virginia would stand
to lose $300 million a year. A compromise this month would leave it up
to the Virginia Board of Education to recommend what to do if the
federal government doesn't exempt the state from some provisions of the 
law.


Anderson said the potential cost of the state making up the money that
would be lost from the federal dollars is staggering, especially at a
time when the state is trying to climb out of a $1.2 billion budget 
deficit.


Sure, he said, the state would save some money by not having to comply
with No Child Left Behind mandates, but the savings would be minimal
compared with $600 million.


"If you want to send a message, OK," Anderson said. "But don't opt 
out."


The Arizona Education Association has essentially the same message.
Although the federal act has its problems, the money that's attached to
it is too lucrative to give up.


"It's not a position we can support over the long term," association
President John Wright said. "The federal money is too important,
especially for the at-risk kids in our public schools."


Anderson said a more prudent approach is his own "message bill," which
passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday on a 5-2 vote. It
urges Congress to support the federal A-PLUS Act, which would allow
states to opt into a federal education program with more local control.


Schapira voted for that bill but said it doesn't cancel out his
opposition to No Child Left Behind.


"I don't like the mandates it puts on our teachers," said Schapira,
himself a former high-school teacher.


Decisions on what should be taught should not come from a central
command in Washington, D.C., he said.


  http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0327nochild0327.html

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