Huntsman to sign bill on No Child Left Behind

The governor will sign the bill challenging No Child Left Behind's reach into Utah public schools — but not this week, as once thought.

Instead, the signing will come in a May 2 ceremony in a Provo area school, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s chief of staff Jason Chaffetz said Friday.

The governor's staff had said HB1001, sponsored by Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, would be signed sometime this week.

"There was some talk to sign it the day it was passed, but we elected to do it in Margaret Dayton's district," Chaffetz said. "We worked with her and found a mutually acceptable date and location."

No Child Left Behind aims to have all children, regardless of poverty, ethnicity or disability, reading and doing math well by 2014. The idea is to close long-standing, somewhat masked achievement gaps between whites and minorities, the haves and have-nots.

But its all-or-nothing requirements and "labeling" of schools strikes Utah policymakers as unfair.

HB1001 prioritizes Utah resources above federal No Child Left Behind mandates, and directs state leaders to seek flexibility in putting the federal law into practice. The bill, characterized as a state sovereignty matter, received overwhelming support in this week's special legislative session.

Meanwhile, Utah continues negotiating with the U.S. Department of Education for flexibility, including letting the Beehive State use its own budding accountability system, U-PASS, to meet the law's requirements.

The later-than-anticipated bill signing has nothing to do with those negotiations, Chaffetz said. The governor has up to 20 days after a legislative session to sign or veto bills.

"We were very clear with the White House and the Department of Education, the governor intends to sign this piece of legislation," Chaffetz said. "He will be signing this bill."

Some lawmakers have said HB1001 has given Utah leverage in its negotiations with the U.S. Department of Education.

The day after the bill passed, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington announced the department appears to be warming to U-PASS's concept of accounting for students' growth even if they're not achieving state testing standards.

But later that day, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings indicated the Legislature's action would leave kids behind.

While state leaders make assurances, it's still uncertain how U-PASS will guarantee schools are held accountable for the performance of individual minority student groups.

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com