Muskego-Norway Schools Welcome Chance to Waive No Child Left Behind

The head of Muskego's public schools said President Barack Obama's plan to allow states to opt out of the federal No Child Left Behind law will allow Wisconsin's public schools to pursue "real reform." 

"I have every reason to believe that real reform is what Superintendent (Tony) Evers has in mind as well and what will be detailed in his application on behalf of Wisconsin," said Joe Schroeder, superintendent of . "So the waiver effort can be seen as an effort to move reform forward rather than to avoid it. If nothing else, it certainly is a way to move out of the current years-long impasse on this issue in Congress."

The Obama administration announced recently it would waive problematic and burdensome regulatory requirements of NCLB, which has not been re-authorized by Congress. The program was up for reauthorization five years ago, but Congress has yet to act. 

Schroeder said its clear that Evers, the elected head of Wisconsin's schools, was going to apply for a waiver from NCLB's mandates. The move would "allow for some degree of greater flexibility on use of federal funds than current through this approach," he said.  

The only hitch may be money. It's unclear how the Obama administration's plan will affect federal aid to schools. 

"The devil will be in the details and will depend greatly on the specifics of what Superintendent Evers includes in the application and what ultimately gets approved by the U.S. Department of Education," Schroeder said.

National public school advocates are applauding Obama's move, too. 

“The proposed NCLB regulatory relief plan is a positive step as it could provide much needed assistance to local school district efforts to improve student achievement,” said Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director for the National School Boards Association.  “However, the effectiveness of the plan will depend upon the details of the application requirements, the specific locally needed relief states ask for, and whether the merit of a state’s application is judged adequate by the U.S. Department of Education to receive the relief that it asks for.”