Honolulu Civil Beat: US House Votes to Renew No Child Left Behind

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By Chad Blair

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly agreed to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law, "resurrecting a bill that Republican leaders were forced to pull from the floor earlier this year due to conservative opposition," says The Hill.

The bill passed 218-213, with all Democrats and 27 Republicans voting "nay."

The Hill explains, "Conservative lawmakers had pushed for the adoption of several amendments allowing schools to opt out of No Child Left Behind requirements. Only one of those amendments, from Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), was adopted, with lawmakers voting 251-178 to allow parents to exempt their children from testing."

Hawaii Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard voted against the Salmon amendment, and Takai released a statement following the vote on No Child Left Behind, which technically is known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA:

"The version of the ESEA that was presented in the House today drastically cuts funding for education, weakens protections for disadvantaged students, and fails to support the teachers we entrust to educate our keiki. In addition, by allowing portability of federal funds, this bill will undermine the efforts made so far to strengthen and provide support for our public schools across the nation."

Takai's office says that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the NAACP. President Obama is said to have issued a veto threat.

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