The renewal of a major piece of federal education law this month is of historic significance, Springdale Superintendent Jim Rollins said.
"The fact that we have gotten this far -- significantly further than in the last eight years -- is really encouraging," Rollins said.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was first signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was last reauthorized in 2002 as No Child Left Behind and signed into law by President George W. Bush. The legislation has been due for renewal since 2007.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version, the Student Success Act, on July 8 by a vote of 218-213. The Senate's revision of the law passed Thursday by a vote of 81-17.
The legislation affects federal requirements for testing and accountability of schools and federal money that goes to schools. The chambers will have to reconcile the bills and pass one bill to send to the president.
Rollins met in person with each of the six men representing Arkansas in the U.S. House and Senate last week to talk about proposals for renewing the legislation, which gives definition to the federal plan for education, explains how educational initiatives will be identified and how they will be funded.
Rollins represents Arkansas on the governing board of the American Association of School Administrators, a national organization of school superintendents. He was in Washington with 200 other superintendents from across the country for a legislative advocacy conference July 7-9. Conference organizers set aside July 8 for conference attendees to meet with lawmakers from their states.
Since No Child Left Behind passed, the federal government's policies have touched every classroom in the country, Rollins said.
"One size does not fit all," he said.
The proposals from the House and Senate recognize education as the responsibility of the states and would return decisions about curriculum and how to measure student performance to states, Rollins said. The federal government would have a role in supporting states.
"I see the federal government moving back to that role," he said. "Our national congressmen more than likely didn't run for that position to control instruction in classrooms of the country."
Now that the legislation is bound for a conference committee, educators are encouraged to increase communications with their representatives and senators, said Charles Cudney, a former superintendent who is director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative.
Waivers from federal regulations are approved on an annual basis, but reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would provide more clarity on what education is going to look like for a longer period of time, Cudney said.
The return of authority over education to states and local school districts is a positive change, he said.
Rollins, Fort Smith Superintendent Benny Gooden and other educators keep an open dialogue when substantive issues are being discussed, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said. He appreciates hearing diverse viewpoints but asks for candor and for factual, useful information in helping him make decisions.
"My goal has been and continues to be to put the decisions regarding the education of our children in the hands of the locals and get it out of Washington," said Womack, who voted for the House bill.
Rollins spent about 45 minutes with Womack, who said he juggled their conversations with voting on amendments to the Student Success Act on the House floor on the day it passed.
"It's kind of an awkward conversation that you have, but very important nonetheless," Womack said Thursday.
The superintendents association endorsed both bills, but prefers the Senate's version because of opposition to some provisions in the House bill, Rollins said. One troubling provision is the public school "portability" of Title I money, he said.
The Student Success Act gives states the option to restructure how Title I funds are distributed, including allowing federal funds to follow low-income children to the public school or public charter school of the parent's choice, according to the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Title I money has gone to assist public schools with high concentrations of poverty and high-need students, according to the superintendents association. If the money "follows a child," every eligible child in a state would receive the same amount of Title I money regardless of the concentration of poverty in the district the child attends.
While the provision is limited to public schools, it causes some concern about Title I money being allowed to go to private or religious schools, Rollins said.
Womack supports Title I portability, he said.
"I represent from an area that has a history of great [kindergarten through 12th-grade] education," Womack said. "I work in an area up here where there's always going to be concerns about people sending their kids to public school because of security issues and outcome issues."
Families need a proliferation of private institutions so they have options for choosing the best learning environment for their children, Womack said.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton heard from educators from across the state who expressed dissatisfaction with states having to apply for waivers every year, Cotton's spokesman Caroline Rabbit said. They told the senator reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would provide more certainty for planning purposes.
"This bill rightly provides educators and administrators with the long-term stability they need to establish better [curricula] and accountability measures," Cotton said in a statement released Thursday. "It empowers states to decide what's best for their students instead of Washington bureaucrats."
When Rollins met with U.S. Sen. John Boozman, the senator told Rollins about an amendment he planned to propose in the Senate version, Boozman's spokesman Patrick Creamer said.
"All the letters and emails we get from constituents weigh heavily in the decision-making process," Creamer said.
Boozman introduced the amendment Wednesday that the Senate included in the final version of the bill to integrate academics and career and technical training, a subject that interested both the senator and Rollins, Creamer said.
The amendment focuses on science, technology, engineering and math education. It gives states the option of developing programs that allow for problem-based curriculum developed by educators and industry representatives, Creamer said.
Boozman said, "Developing coursework to provide the appropriate training for today's jobs allows students to find employment that matches their skills and provides businesses the workforce they need to operate."
Metro on 07/17/2015