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Walz Digs Graves
06/13/08
03:58:39 pm, Categories: Announcements [A] Earlier today, David Hoff at Ed Week reported that:
Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., introduced H.R. 6239, the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act. H.R. 6239 would suspend NCLB’s accountability measures for one year or until Congress reauthorizes the law. In other words, in the 2007-08 school year, states wouldn’t publish AYP results . Rep. Timothy J. Walz, D-Minn., a freshman who is a former teacher, is co-sponsoring the bill.
Hoff also reported that Rep. Graves, with the help of the NEA and the NSBA, is trying to get the bill attached to the 2009 appropriations bill next week.
Democratic staff that we spoke to said they were told by Walz’s office and "some lobbyists" that "everyone was fine with the bill and the strategy."
Apparently, they were mistaken.
June 13, 2008
The Honorable Joe Baca
Chairman
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
U.S. House of Representatives
1527 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Ruben Hinojosa
Chairman
CHC Education Task Force
U.S. House of Representatives
2463 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Re: Opposition to NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act
Dear Chairman Baca and Chairman Hinojosa:
On behalf of the Hispanic Education Coalition (HEC), a coalition of 26 organizations dedicated to improving educational opportunities for the 45.5 million Latinos living in the United States and Puerto Rico, we write in strong opposition to the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act. This legislation would strip the No Child Left Behind Act of key provisions that are critically important to Hispanic student achievement.
The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act would suspend enforcement of Section 1116 of NCLB for all schools. Section 1116 of NCLB contains provisions to raise academic standards, assess student progress, hold schools accountable for results, and turn around low-performing schools. It is the backbone of NCLB, and the bulk of Title I funding under NCLB goes to implementing these provisions.
Because of these provisions, many school districts are for the first time taking the educational needs of Latino children and English language learners (ELLs) seriously and planning curriculum to meet those needs. Thus, we view the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act as inimical to the goals of our coalition, the Latino community, and all parents who want their children to receive an education that prepares them for college and the workplace.
We understand that the sponsors of this legislation intend to include it as a policy rider to appropriations legislation. Congress should soundly reject this legislation because it would circumvent the regular process for reauthorization. Moreover, it would use the appropriations process to make an expansive and dramatic change in federal policy, changing a law which took many years to pass initially and should only be amended after serious consideration by policymakers.
Most importantly, the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act would do substantive harm to students. Specifically, this legislation would:
- Provide hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to schools with no accountability for results
- Halt efforts currently underway to turn schools around, including implementation of school improvement plans required under Section 1116, efforts that improve curriculum and instruction for Hispanic and ELL children
- Deny all students, including Latinos, attending low-performing schools the opportunities to choose their public school and access supplemental services
Public schools have made great strides in improving the education of our nation’s Hispanic and ELL students. The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act would bring the progress schools have made under NCLB in educating Latinos to a screeching halt. We therefore urge you to oppose this misguided and harmful legislation.
Sincerely,
Erika Beltran
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
HEC Cochair
Roger Rosenthal
Migrant Legal Action Programs (MLAP)
HEC Cochair
cc: Rep. David Obey
Rep. James Walsh
Rep. George Miller
Rep. Howard Buck McKeon
Sen. Edward Kennedy
Sen. Mike Enzi
Sen. Tom Harkin
Sen. Arlen Specter
HEC Member Organizations
- American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations
- American Federation of Teachers
- ASPIRA Association, Inc.
- Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans
- Center for Advancement of Hispanics in Science and Engineering Education
- Cuban-American National Council
- Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities
- Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools
- Intercultural Development Research Association
- League of United Latin American Citizens
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- Migrant Legal Action Program
- Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy, Inc.
- National Association for Bilingual Education
- National Association of Latino and Elected and Appointed Officials
- National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education
- National Council of La Raza
——————————————————————————————————–
June 13, 2008
United States House of Representatives
Washington DC, 20515
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Re: Opposition to NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act
Dear Member of Congress:
The undersigned civil rights organizations write to express our strong opposition to the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act. This legislation would allow states, districts, and schools to receive federal funding under the No Child Left Behind Act with no accountability for complying with key provisions of the law.
NCLB is intended to expand educational opportunities to minority and other disadvantaged students. At the heart of the law is Section 1116, which focuses on raising standards, measuring academic progress, holding schools accountable, and requiring school improvement. These provisions are designed to ensure that all students receive the academic preparation necessary to pursue higher education and become productive members of the workforce. Therefore, the civil rights community has been consistent and clear in its support of NCLB and Section 1116 in particular.
In addition, the civil rights community has always believed that for civil rights laws to be effective, they must have strong enforcement provisions. The NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act would suspend enforcement of Section 1116 of NCLB for all schools.
Moreover, it is our understanding that the sponsors of this legislation intend to include it as a policy rider to appropriations legislation. As such, we believe this legislation presents a dangerous precedent.
Specifically, this bill raises questions about whether or not Congress will be expected to suspend accountability in other federal programs important to minority communities simply because they have not been reauthorized on schedule. For example, will the performance measures under the
Workforce Investment Act be suspended given that it was scheduled for reauthorization in 2003? Will Individual Education Plans be suspended until the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is reauthorized and fully funded?
In addition, we wish to remind Congress that attaching such substantive riders to appropriations bills has long been a tactic designed to preserve practices that are harmful to minorities. We believe that attaching the NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act to an appropriations bill represents an unwanted return of this nefarious strategy.
Clearly, this amendment represents dangerous and irresponsible policymaking. We urge members of Congress to oppose the rider if it is offered, and we urge the leadership of both parties to ensure that members are aware that riders of this kind are an improper way of legislating and an attack on civil rights laws.
Sincerely,
Citizens Commission on Civil Rights
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Council of La Raza
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