 | |||
| Publications | Issue List | Vote Analysis | Main Page |
| June 7, 2001 | |||
Vote to Preserve Local Control
Dodd Amendment Would Gut the Charter States/Straight A's Compromise
The concept of "charter states" or "Straight A's" frees states and school districts from numerous restrictions on the use of federal education funds on the condition that student achievement improve beyond what is normally required. Creating charter states is an important component of President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education blueprint.
The bipartisan agreement on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reached between Senate Republicans, Democrats, the White House, and Senator Jeffords includes a Straight A's demonstration program. The demonstration program is a compromise package that makes serious concessions from the Straight A's concept as originally conceived and as forwarded by Republicans in the 106th Congress. The compromise program would operate as follows.
- Participation. Up to seven interested states (charter states) and 25 interested school districts (charter districts) may participate. No unwilling state or school district would be required to participate.
- Consolidation. The following federal revenue streams will be consolidated for participating states and districts:
Title I Basic Programs (Title I, Part A). The agreement would retain targeting of funds to schools as provided in Sections 1113, 1124, 1124A, 1125, 1125A, 1126, and 1127 unless the state or district can demonstrate it will better target funds to low-income students.
Even Start (Title I Part B, Subpart 2).
21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title I, Part F).
Comprehensive School Reform (Title I, Part G).
National School Dropout Prevention Initiative (Title I, Part H, Subpart 2). This program will be included if appropriations exceed $250 million and it becomes a state formula grant program.
Teacher Quality (Title II, Part A, Subparts 1, 2, and 3).
State and Local Programs for Technology Use in the Classrooms (Title II, Part C).
Bilingual Education (Title III, Part A).
Safe and Drug-Free Schools State Grants (Title IV, Part A).
Public School Choice (Title V, Part A, Subpart 3, which is linked to Title I, Part A).
Section 310 of the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2000 (class size reduction).
Section 321 of the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2001 (school construction).
Any other provision of law that is not in effect on the date of enactment of this Act under which the Secretary provides grants to states on the basis of a formula.
The Reading, Homeless, Indian, Emergency Immigrant, and Migrant programs will not be subject to consolidation.
- Flexibility parameters. With some exceptions, participating states and districts would be able to use non-Title I funds as they see fit, provided the funds continue to serve disadvantaged students at a level proportional to or higher than they were previously under such programs.
- Accountability. Participating states and districts would be held to a higher standard than others under S. 1, the Better Education for Students and Teachers (BEST) Act. In exchange for added flexibility, states would be required to exceed adequate yearly progress (AYP) by a statistically significant amount. Participating states and school districts would be required to comply with the Title I standards, assessment, and school improvement requirements. If a state fails either to meet AYP for two consecutive years or to exceed AYP for three consecutive years, its participation will be terminated. A state may not re-enter the program until it meets AYP for two consecutive years.
- Evaluation. The General Accounting Office would be required to conduct an evaluation of the demonstration project.
- Funding. The negotiated language requires states and districts to maintain current local funding efforts, subject to student population fluctuations.
The compromise Straight A's program is already a whittled-down version of the Straight A's concept. The program is only available to a few states and districts, as opposed to nationwide. It retains a federal mandate that funds be targeted to the neediest children. It exempts the Reading, Homeless, Indian, Emergency Immigrant, and Migrant programs. It requires charter states and districts to comply with numerous Title I regulations. Republicans already have compromised greatly on Straight A's.
Dodd #382 - A Killer Amendment
An amendment (#382) by Senator Dodd would strip the program with the largest amount of funding from the Straight A's demonstration program: 21st Century Community Learning Centers (i.e. after-school programs; Title I, Part F). If it passes, even the demonstration program's charter states and districts would be required to spend Title I, Part F funds exactly as they are told by their supposed betters in Washington.
If the Dodd Amendment passes, states and districts no longer would have the flexibility they need to meet the performance standards in the Straight A's demonstration program. States will not commit to exceed AYP without adequate local control to get the job done. In short, the Dodd amendment would gut and destroy what is left of the Straight A's concept.
The Straight A's demonstration program in the Kennedy-Jeffords bipartisan substitute is students' last, best hope this year for taking control over their education out of Washington and returning it to local educators. The Senate should defeat the Dodd amendment.
Top Publications Issue List Vote Analysis Main Page