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Standards Concern State School Board

Posted on: Thursday, 13 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

By David Klepper, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Oct. 12--LAWRENCE -- While Kansas Board of Education members applaud rising test scores, they say federal law that mandates school progress has them a little scared.

That's because the state's own school standards -- adopted after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind law -- mandate 100 percent proficiency in math and reading by 2014.

At its meeting Tuesday, the board debated whether the state should change education standards members now say might be unrealistic. All members agreed 100 proficiency was a praiseworthy, if lofty, goal. The latest assessment scores, released Tuesday, show academic improvement in almost every category.

But board members worry that getting to 100 percent may take more money than Kansas has.

Last summer, state Senate Vice President John Vratil, a Leawood Republican, and Attorney General Phill Kline called the proficiency mandate unrealistic and suggested the board look at its options. Otherwise, they warned, the proficiency requirement could eat up more state dollars and open the state to lawsuits.

The push may get another boost from the state's new education commissioner, Bob Corkins. Corkins' appointment as commissioner, and his salary of $140,000, was confirmed Tuesday by the board 6-4. He has said he is in favor of asking the federal government for more flexibility in dealing with the standards in No Child Left Behind.

Board member Connie Morris of St. Francis suggested replacing the word "standards" -- as in proficiency standards -- with the word "goals" to safeguard the state against lawsuits. But board attorney Dan Biles said the switch would have little practical effect in the face of a lawsuit.

The Legislature increased school funding by $290 million this year after a court ruled the state had not spent enough on education. Lawmakers and board members say unrealistic federal requirements could put the state in further legal trouble.

Reneging on part of No Child Left Behind, however, could put the state in jeopardy of losing federal education dollars. But board Chairman Steve Abrams of Arkansas City said the state would save some money, too -- money now used to ensure the state meets No Child Left Behind requirements.

"Would it be a net gain or a net loss? I can't say," he said.

But other board members said they did not want to take any action that would lower educational standards, and they questioned whether the board even had the power to sidestep the federal government or the courts.

"It really doesn't matter what the board does, it's whether the kids are learning," said board member Bill Wagnon of Topeka. "That's what everybody cares about."

Kansas isn't alone in objecting to some parts of the No Child Left Behind law. Many states have looked at legislative remedies to soften the burden of the law. Connecticut has sued, arguing the law is an unfunded and unconstitutional mandate.

Because of the national debate, Kansas officials may not have to do anything but wait until Congress bows to pressure and reshapes key parts of the law, state school officials said Tuesday.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri)

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