Marco Rubio Breaks with Jeb Bush, Says Arne Duncan Does Not Have the Authority to Grant NCLB Waivers | Scathing Purple Musings

Marco Rubio Breaks with Jeb Bush, Says Arne Duncan Does Not Have the Authority to Grant NCLB Waivers | Scathing Purple Musings:

Marco Rubio Breaks with Jeb Bush, Says Arne Duncan Does Not Have the Authority to Grant NCLB Waivers

by Bob Sikes

In a stunning development, Republican Senator Marco Rubio broke from the influence of Jeb Bush’s desires on education and informed Arne Duncan he did not have the power to grant waivers to states from NCLB guidelines. Here’s some of the letter published by Michelle Kirk in BizPacReview.com

As you may know, a rising number of parents, teachers and administrators from across our
nation have expressed concerns regarding the Department of Education’s recent announcements relating to the issuance of waivers from No Child Left Behind (NCLB); particularly the stipulations expected to be attached to those waivers. The issuance of conditional waivers is detrimental to our country’s shared goal of educational success for every student.

Our principal concern is that the Executive branch does not possess the authority to force states into compliance with administration-backed reforms instituted through the issuance of waivers. We acknowledge that NCLB allows the Secretary to grant waivers for existing provisions under the law,