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THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1316866&l=15842 >
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BUSH EDUCATION LAW NOT ADEQUATELY FUNDED, STATES CLAIM
President Bush asserted in his State of the Union last week that "the No
Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America's
children." But several states are taking issue with the president's
signature education law, including neighboring Virginia, whose
Republican-controlled legislature last week passed a near-unanimous
resolution calling on Congress to exempt it from the law's requirements.
The president warned those who would oppose the law, saying,"the status quo
always has defenders. Some want to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act by
weakening standards and accountability." But Virginia's House of Delegates
passed a resolution by a vote of 98-1 last week, claiming that the No Child
Left Behind Act "represents the most sweeping intrusions into state and
local control of education in the history of the United States. "
The president defended his administration's funding of education, saying,
"We're providing more funding for our schools -- a 36-percent increase since
2001." But key Republicans in Virginia argue that the new law will cost
"literally millions of dollars that Virginia does not have." The House
Education Committee Chairman added, "the damn law is ludicrous."
Virginia isn't the only state with a Republican legislature that has raised
questions about the federal funding of the No Child Left Behind law. Ohio
recently commissioned a study that found the No Child Left Behind law would
cost Ohio $1.5 billion annually. Washington's contribution last year to Ohio
totaled $44 million.
At least four other states, Utah, Vermont, North Dakota, and Indiana, have
commissioned studies to determine how much it costs to comply with the law.
This is viewed as a step towards considering rejection of federal funding in
order to avoid what they perceive to be harsh penalties for failing to meet
the standards of the law.
President Bush promised to increase funding in this year's budget by an
additional $1 billion , a figure that is still approximately 27% below full
funding for the program.
Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion. -->
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