SF 1092

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing the Congress of the United States to 
  1.3             refrain from expanding No Child Left Behind 
  1.4             requirements to high schools. 
  1.5      
  1.6      WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has only been 
  1.7   in effect since 2002 and is still being interpreted and 
  1.8   implemented by the state of Minnesota and its school districts; 
  1.9   and 
  1.10     WHEREAS, NCLB has been a costly measure for state and 
  1.11  federal governments, both in terms of dollars and in time 
  1.12  required of personnel; and 
  1.13     WHEREAS, the controversy surrounding NCLB from its 
  1.14  enactment has not subsided as education is still believed by 
  1.15  Minnesotans to be a state and local, not federal, responsibility 
  1.16  and prerogative; and 
  1.17     WHEREAS, state commissioners of education continue to 
  1.18  repeatedly seek waivers and reinterpretations of NCLB 
  1.19  requirements that are not sensible when applied to Minnesota; 
  1.20  and 
  1.21     WHEREAS, NCLB is a uniquely lengthy, complex, and intrusive 
  1.22  federal law with numerous mandates and shortcomings identified 
  1.23  by the Minnesota legislative auditor in its March 2004 report; 
  1.24  and 
  1.25     WHEREAS, although originally seeking to establish basic 
  2.1   competencies by the 2013-14 school year in the areas of English, 
  2.2   math, and science with its main focus on grades one through 
  2.3   eight, proposals are now being made to greatly expand NCLB 
  2.4   mandates to high schools and high school students; NOW, 
  2.5   THEREFORE, 
  2.6      BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
  2.7   that it urges the Congress of the United States to refrain from 
  2.8   expanding NCLB to our nation's high schools at this time. 
  2.9      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any expansion plans are 
  2.10  extremely premature until the original NCLB can be considered a 
  2.11  success by meeting the goals it has set for student achievement 
  2.12  in the 2013-14 school year and by receiving widespread public 
  2.13  support. 
  2.14     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the 
  2.15  State of Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this 
  2.16  memorial and transmit them to the President and the Secretary of 
  2.17  the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the 
  2.18  United States House of Representatives, and Minnesota's Senators 
  2.19  and Representatives in Congress so that they may be apprised of 
  2.20  the sense of the Minnesota Legislature in this matter.