Senate reins in No Child debate

The Senate Wednesday reined in renegade Republicans wanting to debate a bill challenging No Child Left Behind's reach into Utah schools — for now.

In the end, the Senate followed the negotiation plan state and legislative leaders hammered out Tuesday. But they wrote a letter to President Bush's education secretary threatening to run HB135 in an April 20 special session — with certain passage — if negotiations over NCLB flexibility don't go their way.

"This enables us to take a shot at who the real enemy is," said bill Senate sponsor Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, who was disappointed but committed to honoring the diplomacy leaders forged.

"This is really about who controls education," Hatch said. "It's . . . about principle."

At issue is Utah's desire for flexibility on NCLB implementation.

NCLB, Bush's controversial federal plan for education, aims to have all children, regardless of ethnicity, income or disability, reading and doing math on grade level by 2014.

But state leaders say regulations are impossible to work with, eat up education time and resources, and stomp on state's rights to govern public education.

"This is the biggest education issue since statehood," said Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem.

Dayton last year sponsored a bill to opt out of NCLB. But she pulled the bill once federal officials converged on Capitol Hill and explained Utah could lose $106 million in federal money.

Dayton came up with a new approach in HB135, which would give state education goals priority over NCLB when it comes to resources and deciding what's best for Utah students. The bill unanimously passed the House and initial Senate debates.

A companion bill, HJR3, sailed through the Legislature and awaits Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s signature. Sponsored by Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, HJR3 would have Utah use its U-PASS accountability program until NCLB is amended and adequately funded.

U-PASS includes the same tests as NCLB, plus more, and focuses on academic growth and getting help to students who need it. It soon will identify which schools aren't up to standards.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington, Huntsman and other officials continued negotiations with federal officials over the weekend on substituting U-PASS for NCLB and asking for other concessions.

Harrington, however, believes talks are not going well. But the governor wants to wait and see.