The following is a statement from Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle), chair of the House Education committee, on the tentative agreement reached between U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Lamar Alexander on the No Child Left Behind rewrite:
“I welcome the news today about a compromise agreement in the United States Senate to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
“While I haven’t had time to review the bill in great detail, I’m particularly pleased to hear that this compromise will eliminate the need for state waivers from the punitive provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. If this agreement becomes law, local school districts will no longer be forced to set aside a portion of their Title I dollars. Full flexibility will be restored.
“I am grateful to Senator Patty Murray for her leadership, hard work, and dedication to reach a common sense resolution to this important and long-overdue matter. She understands the double jeopardy our state has endured as a result of flaws in the underlying policy and in the absence of Congressional action to reauthorize the ESEA. Her efforts to reform No Child Left Behind are deeply appreciated in statehouses and schoolhouses across the nation.
“With this tentative agreement in place in the other Washington, our Washington can now put the waiver debate to rest and return our focus to what really matters – the educational needs and the futures of our students.
“The House Education committee approved several bills this session that are student-centered and focused on student success. Whether dealing with House bills, Senate bills, Republican bills, or Democratic bills, we approved good policies regardless of who receives the credit or what happens in the other chamber. This is the type of government people want and deserve.
“Now that the waiver issue is off the table, I ask my colleagues in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee to return to the critical work before them. The House sent over many good policies, like creating a Breakfast after the Bell program, closing the opportunity gap, and expanding dual language instruction, which are currently stalled in the Senate committee. These bills deserve an opportunity for debate by the full Senate.
“Unfortunately, much of the education debate this session focused on a Senate bill that promised to restore school funding flexibility by linking untested student growth measures to teacher evaluations. The recent announcement from the U. S. Senate makes this defective state proposal completely unnecessary.
“I urge my Senate colleagues to move these policies to the Senate floor so that we can get closer to achieving equity and excellence for every child in Washington state.”