PRINTER'S NO. 1541
No. 237 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY WAGNER, KUKOVICH, KITCHEN, FERLO, COSTA,
TARTAGLIONE, O'PAKE, LOGAN, STOUT, BOSCOLA, GORDNER, LAVALLE,
C. WILLIAMS, MELLOW, MOWERY, WONDERLING, SCHWARTZ, KASUNIC,
WOZNIAK AND STACK, APRIL 13, 2004
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, APRIL 13, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study
2 the State's cost associated with complying with the Federal
3 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
4 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth and the Pennsylvania school
5 districts are finding it difficult to raise sufficient funds to
6 fully fund and comply with mandated requirements linked to the
7 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB); and
8 WHEREAS, The State of Ohio conducted a study showing a budget
9 shortfall of $838 million needed to cover NCLB requirements the
10 Federal Government did not fund; and
11 WHEREAS, The high cost of meeting NCLB requirements has 12
12 states, including Virginia, Utah and Oklahoma, approving
13 measures that protest NCLB and its costs; and
14 WHEREAS, The cost of NCLB includes new assessments, new data
15 collection requirements, teacher quality improvements and
16 support for schools not meeting NCLB requirements; and
17 WHEREAS, In its 501 school districts, the Commonwealth has
1 1,091 schools that did not meet NCLB requirements last year; and
2 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania will receive significant cuts in
3 Federal education funding next year, including $7.5 million in
4 Title I; and
5 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Education is
6 considering participation in a national consortium of states to
7 find the true cost of NCLB in Pennsylvania; therefore be it
8 RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Legislative Budget and
9 Finance Committee to conduct a study to assess the cost for the
10 Commonwealth to meet requirements mandated by the Federal No
11 Child Left Behind Act of 2001 that the Federal Government does
12 not fully fund; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the committee report its findings to the
14 Senate no later than 180 days after adoption of this resolution.
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