Virginia's NCLB Pullout Now in Hands of State BOE

From the Virginan-Pilot:

The General Assembly won't recommend the state try to pull out of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, under a compromise measure agreed to by the House of Delegates on Friday.

Instead, the governor will likely get a bill that leaves it to the Virginia Board of Education to recommend what to do if federal officials don't grant the state waivers from the landmark education law. HB1425 and SB490 originally said that if the waivers weren't granted, the state board would develop a plan to withdraw from NCLB by July 2009.

Senators kept removing the language, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has frowned on withdrawing. Del. Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave, said he ceded to the tamped-down measure in an effort to get a bill passed. Both the House and Senate version were amended Friday and passed by the House. The Senate is expected to pass them as well.

"Even though this is a scaled-back version of the original bill," Landes said, "it definitely keeps the issue out there."

Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Kaine, said the amended bill appears to be more palatable. Hickey added that Kaine "supports the concept. He is opposed to withdrawing from NCLB."