Schwartz Statement on Republican Rewrite of No Child Left Behind

Statement

U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA-13) issued the following statement today after House Republicans passed legislation (HR 5) to revise the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.

"The House Republican bill includes devastating budget cuts to public education that will harm our nation's students and families. Pennsylvania's schools already face significant challenges due to deep state budget cuts. With this legislation, Republicans are exacerbating the problem by slashing federal education support by more than $1 billion next year and locking in the harmful sequester cuts.

"Our nation cannot afford these draconian cuts to education if we expect to maintain our competitive edge in the rapidly-evolving global economy. The No Child Left Behind law is flawed and must be reformed, but the House Republicans' ideologically-driven plan is not a serious solution.

"This bill allows states to lower academic standards, it weakens protections for disadvantaged students and it fails to support our nation's teachers. Most importantly, it jeopardizes our commitment to ensuring that all children receive a high-quality education. Our children, families, teachers and schools deserve better."

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