White House Slams House Rewrite of No Child Left Behind
Passing the bill could cost schools billions, the Obama administration says.
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White House officials targeted House Republicans Friday in a report denouncing a bill to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Act, saying the measure would have "disastrous" fiscal consequences for schools nationwide.
The House bill, the Student Success Act, would reduce funding for schools by more than $7 billion in the next six years compared with the administration's proposal, laid out in President Barack Obama's2016 budget, the White House said in the report.
It's the first time the White House itself has directly responded to congressional efforts to update No Child Left Behind, formally known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In January, Education Secretary Arne Duncan detailed his priorities for an updated law, foreshadowing some proposals in the president's budget. The White House report takes particular issue with the House bill's funding levels, inclusion of portable Title I funds for disadvantaged schools and students, and removal of a "maintenance of effort" provision that ensures states keep funding levels relatively constant year to year.
"After an economic crisis that hit school budgets and educators very hard, this bill attempts to cut our way to better schools … denying students and teachers the resources they need," Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said in a call with reporters Friday.
The House education committee late Wednesday passed a bill that among many things would significantly reduce the federal footprint in schools nationwide and allow funds for poor students to follow them between public schools. Democrats on the committee took a strong stance against the bill, saying they had no input in the process. No amendments offered by Democratic members were adopted.Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic members of the Senate education committee have renewed their efforts to draft a bipartisan reauthorization bill. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who leads the committee, previously released a working draft of legislation and held several hearings on what needs to change in the law. While Alexander's draft bill included many provisions similar to proposals in the House bill – including Title I portability – it's unclear if they will remain in the final draft. The Title I topic, in particular, is a sticking point for the Democrats Alexander needs to woo.
Those who support Title I portability say it's a matter of helping disadvantaged students get out of failing schools and keep the resources they need to succeed.
Nearly 24 million students in more than half of all public schools benefit from Title I, the largest program in the sweeping education law, the White House report said. While the House proposal would lock in Title I funding at current levels, which haven't increased since 2012, Obama's 2016 budget seeks to increase the federal investment in Title I by $1 billion. Adding dollars and federal programs to the reauthorization bill was a non-starter for House Republicans, who on Wednesday during the bill's markup session blocked any amendment that would do so, including measures to reduce testing, beef White House Denounces House Bill to Rewrite No Child Left Behind - US News: