Kline Opposes No Child Left Behind Waiver

While Lakeville's education leaders are , the news isn't good for everyone.

U.S. Congressman John Kline, (R-Second District), of , who is also the chairman of the U.S. House education committee told the Star Tribune that he's opposed to the waiver issued to 10 states, including Minnesota, by President Barack Obama.

“As you know, I have significant concerns about the administration’s waivers plan. Simply put, this plan does not constitute the long-term reform families, schools, and students need,” Kline said in November, according to the Star Tribune report.

“It’s a temporary band-aid on a problem that must be resolved through legislation—not executive fiat. Right now, states facing budget strains are dedicating limited resources to meet new requirements dictated by the Secretary of Education that could easily be changed by Congress of the next administration," Kline told the Star Tribune.

Under the waiver, rather than simply being judged on proficiency levels of students taking their annual Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests, schools and districts will now be graded on year-over-year measurements of student growth on MCA tests as well as school district graduation rates and strides toward closing achievement gaps.

Lakeville Area Public School District officials say that's a good thing.

"That should really help Lakeville schools, because even those schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress (under NCLB)—they were making huge strides in their learning," said Jason Molesky, the Lakeville school district's assessment and accountability coordinator. "It'll offer a more comprehensive picture of the whole school."

Meanwhile, Kline was also working on reforming NCLB. The Star Tribune reported introduced two bills on Feb. 9 which would formally reform NCLB.

The Student Success Act and Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, "would significantly reduce the federal footprint in education reform," according to the Star Tribune report. The legislation would also give districts greater flexibility, Kline said, by cutting or consolidating programs to free up funds and drop federal teacher qualifications, the story said.