Nebraska to seek waiver from US education law

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska education officials are moving forward in seeking a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law.

After talking with federal education officials about the waiver for months, the Nebraska State Board of Education on Thursday discussed a draft statement indicating it and the education department’s intent to apply. It’s the first time the board said it definitely wants to start the application process, the Lincoln Journal Star reported (https://bit.ly/1xbYM4B ).

“We don’t want to wait two more years in the stranglehold of accountability,” said Molly O’Holleran, a state education board member.

Nebraska, one of the few states that has not sought a waiver, hopes to have an application ready by April.

More than 40 states and Washington, D.C. have waivers from the federal law, which requires 100 percent proficiency in reading and math by this year. The draft statement follows a recent report that shows only half of Nebraska schools met the 100 percent proficient targets.

The No Child Left Behind law, often criticized by education officials as unrealistic, should have been reauthorized seven years ago, but a gridlocked Congress hasn’t been able to do so.

In 2011, the Obama administration created the waiver process to allow states flexibility related to the law’s requirements and sanctions, such as requiring schools to offer tutoring services or to transport students who want to attend other schools.

Still, states have had issues with the waiver process, because it requires them to follow a process that includes adopting the voluntary Common Core standards and tying student test scores to teacher evaluations. But those requirements might change.

“The board is encouraged by the increasing willingness of the U.S. Department of Education to consider state plans that are designed by state-level policy makers and local school officials,” the board’s draft statement said.

Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt said some states like Utah and Illinois have been successful in getting more flexible waiver extensions. Next week, he said he’ll attend a national meeting where federal education officials are expected to discuss guidelines for the next round of waivers.

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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, https://www.journalstar.com