Murray: Conference Committee “Another Step Closer” to Fixing Broken No Child Left Behind
Murray delivers remarks as House, Senate meet to fix No Child Left Behind
Murray: “There is one thing everyone in this room agrees on: No Child Left Behind is broken, and it’s long past time to fix it”
(Washington, D.C.) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks at a joint House and Senate conference committee meeting to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In her remarks, Murray highlighted how the broken No Child Left Behind law needs to be fixed and called for continued bipartisan work to accomplish that goal.
Murray also highlighted key improvements in the Senate and House framework of the legislation, including giving states more flexibility, while including strong federal guardrails, reducing the number of unnecessary and redundant tests, and investing in states to improve and expand access to preschool programs.
Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s remarks:
“This framework for our discussion is the result of hard work, tough conversations, and serious compromises. And the feedback from all of you during this process has been critical. It’s not what I would have done on my own. And it’s not what any single member of this Conference would do on his or her own. But I am so proud that we were able to use regular order. We marked up and passed bills in each Committee and each chamber to get to this point. And together, we’ve worked to break through the gridlock and dysfunction that too often dominates here in Congress.”
“…my home state of Washington has been particularly hard hit by this broken law. NCLB has been so unworkable that the Department of Education began issuing waivers to exempt states from the law’s requirements. But last year, Washington state lost its waiver. Now, nearly every school in my home state is labeled as ‘failing.’ That is exactly the wrong message we need to be sending to teachers who put their heart and soul into their classroom. And it is the wrong message to send to parents and communities who deserve more certainty about the quality of education that their students receive at our public schools.”
“We’ve built on our two bills and made a number of key improvements. For example, we have a good path forward to give states more flexibility—a key priority for many people here today—but it will also include strong federal guardrails – a key priority for many others – so that students don’t get left behind. We also will include some good ideas for bringing the House and Senate bills together in a way that will help states and school districts reduce the number of unnecessary and redundant tests. And I am personally very glad that our recommendations set up a path to make strong investments in states to improve preschool programs and expand access, so more students can start kindergarten ready to learn.”
“Many of us agree about the importance of growing the economy from the middle out and making sure we have a workforce that can fill the jobs of the 21st century economy. And making sure our education system puts students on a path to success is one of the most important things we can do to accomplish that goal.So I am looking forward to taking another step closer to a future where teachers, parents, and communities can be confident that when our nation’s students step into a public school, they will have every chance to succeed, regardless of where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make.”
Full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
“I am so happy that both Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate have reached this point.
“Today marks another step toward a goal I know everyone in this room shares – fixing the badly broken No Child Left Behind law.
“I want to thank Chairman Kline, Chairman Alexander, and Ranking Member Scott, as well as their staffs for working with me to set up what I am optimistic will be a successful Conference.
“I also want to thank our Conferees for being here today. Throughout this process, I have truly valued the feedback and the input our Senate Committee members have provided. And I, of course, look forward to everyone’s remarks and continued work during this Conference.
“This week, we’ll be discussing recommendations for moving forward in this conference committee.
“This framework for our discussion is the result of hard work, tough conversations, and serious compromises. And the feedback from all of you during this process has been critical.
“It’s not what I would have done on my own. And it’s not what any single member of this Conference would do on his or her own.
“But I am so proud that we were able to use regular order. We marked up and passed bills in each Committee and each chamber to get to this point. And together, we’ve worked to break through the gridlock and dysfunction that too often dominates here in Congress.
“There is one thing everyone in this room agrees on: No Child Left Behind is broken, and it’s long past time to fix it.
“For one, the current law requires states to set standards for schools, but then failed to give them the resources they needed to meet those standards.
“And, my home state of Washington has been particularly hard hit by this broken law. NCLB has been so unworkable that the Department of Education began issuing waivers to exempt states from the law’s requirements.
“But last year, Washington state lost its waiver. Now, nearly every school in my home state is labeled as ‘failing.’
“That is exactly the wrong message we need to be sending to teachers who put their heart and soul into their classroom. And it is the wrong message to send to parents and communities who deserve more certainty about the quality of education that their students receive at our public schools.
“So I am very glad that after we passed bills through the House and the Senate, which had significant differences—we were able to continue working together to come into conference with a good framework for getting this done.
“We’ve built on our two bills and made a number of key improvements.
“For example, we have a good path forward to give states more flexibility—a key priority for many people here today—but it will also include strong federal guardrails – a key priority for many others – so that students don’t get left behind.
“We also will include some good ideas for bringing the House and Senate bills together in a way that will help states and school districts reduce the number of unnecessary and redundant tests.
“And I am personally very glad that our recommendations set up a path to make strong investments in states to improve preschool programs and expand access, so more students can start kindergarten ready to learn.
“We’ve come a long way in our work to fix the broken No Child Left Behind law, but we haven’t crossed the finish line yet.
“I’m looking forward to having a productive meeting today, meeting again tomorrow, and working together to reach an agreement on a bill that can pass both chambers of Congress and that the President can sign into law.
“This is so important for our children and families, but it’s also about the future of our country.
“Many of us agree about the importance of growing the economy from the middle out and making sure we have a workforce that can fill the jobs of the 21st century economy.
“And making sure our education system puts students on a path to success is one of the most important things we can do to accomplish that goal.
“So I am looking forward to taking another step closer to a future where teachers, parents, and communities can be confident that when our nation’s students step into a public school, they will have every chance to succeed, regardless of where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make.
“Thank you.”
