Posted on: Tuesday, November 23, 2004

State schools have enough money, federal officials say

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

The U.S. Department of Education has told a Hawai'i congressman that the state has received enough federal money and local flexibility to meet the No Child Left Behind law, adding that success happens "when individuals take action, rather than assign blame."

U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, asked the federal government last May to review how Hawai'i public schools are performing under the law out of concern that too many schools were failing to meet annual targets. The law requires schools to make gradual improvements so that all students are proficient in core subjects by 2014.

Case and other Democrats in Congress have said that the Bush administration has not provided enough money for states to meet the law's requirements, a claim the administration denies. In Hawai'i, analysts have estimated that the law has cost an extra $30 million a year, but state educators have not yet made federal funding a major issue.

In a September letter to Case, released by Case's office yesterday, Education Secretary Rod Paige said that it was wrong for the congressman to suggest the Bush administration has not adequately funded the law. "This is simply not accurate, especially in the case of Hawai'i," Paige wrote.

Paige said that Hawai'i has received a substantial increase in federal education money — including an 81 percent increase in money for schools that serve low-income students — since President Bush took office.

The secretary, who announced his resignation earlier this month, also criticized educators who link school achievement to factors out of their control, like funding, state governance and a lack of flexibility. "As I travel the country and hear from local educators and parents," Paige wrote, "I find that success is achieved when individuals take action, rather than assign blame."

Case was traveling with other lawmakers on a trip to Afghan-istan and could not be reached for comment yesterday. His staff said the congressman would likely again call for more federal spending on No Child Left Behind when lawmakers review the law next year. The congressman believes that schools should not face consequences, unless school administrators get enough resources to comply with the law.

State schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto has also asked Case to pursue a revision to the law that would give schools alternative methodsof measuring annual progress. Some Hawai'i schools with students in poverty or with learning disabilities are making improvements on student test scores but are still falling short of annual benchmarks. Educators have said these schools should be encouraged instead of being subjected to sanctions.

Last school year, 52 percent of Hawai'i schools made their targets under the law, a 12 percent increase from the year before.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.