Virginia passes legislation to allow state to opt out of NCLB
Virginia's Board of Education would be directed to recommend whether the state should pull out of a federal school accountability system under legislation that has cleared the General Assembly Saturday. It now awaits consideration by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The measure that passed the House on Friday and the Senate on Saturday would not have an immediate impact. If the Board of Education recommends withdrawal from the federal accountability system, the bill would require the board to present a plan to the governor and legislature by June 30, 2009. Congress is considering whether to amend the 6-year-old federal law. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) has said he plans to introduce a bill this spring. The law has been credited with revealing pockets of struggling students. But states and localities have complained they are stuck with too much of the cost. Some also argue that the law is too rigid. In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit revived a lawsuit by the National Education Association and several school systems that challenged the law as an unfunded mandate. The U.S. Education Department is appealing.
Source: Washington Post, 3/9/08, By Maria Glod & Anita Kumar
[Editor’s Note: For more information on Virginia’s contentious history with NCLB requirements see first link below. For NSBA’s position on proposed amendments to NCLB, see the second link below. More details on the Sixth Circuit (KY, MI, OH, TN) decision are at the third link.]
NSBA School Law Pages on Virginia NCLB criticisms
NSBA Advocacy pages on NCLB reauthorization
NSBA School Law pages on Pontiac v. Spellings