SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 74
(By Senators Plymale, Edgell, Bailey, Dempsey, Hunter, Oliverio,
Unger, White and Guills)
[Originating in the Committee on Education]
Requesting the President of the United States and the United States
Congress improve the quality of the nation's public schools by
substantially increasing funding for the No Child Left Behind
Act, the Higher Education Act, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and other education-related
programs.
Whereas, West Virginia has long pursued the goal of improving
the academic performance of all students; and
Whereas, The Legislature, therefore, applauds the President of
the United States and the United States Congress for putting forth
the same goal in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and
emphasizing the urgency in improving the performance of these
students; and
Whereas, The No Child Left Behind Act has encouraged some
needed changes in public education and was initially accompanied
with modest increases in federal funding for public elementary and
secondary education; and
Whereas, Increases in federal funding since the first several years of the No Child Left Behind Act have been minimal; and
Whereas, The federal government has decreased funding for No
Child Left Behind in the fiscal year 2006 by $793 million;
decreased funding for post-secondary education by $166 million; and
decreased funding for programs that serve students with
disabilities by $21 million; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the President of the
United States and the United States Congress to improve the quality
of the nation's public schools by substantially increasing funding
for the No Child Left Behind Act, the Higher Education Act, the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other education-
related programs; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature requests the President
of the United States, the United States Congress and the United
States Department of Education offer various states waivers,
exemptions or whatever flexibility possible regarding the
requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act in any year that
federal funding for public elementary and secondary education is
decreased to prevent states from spending state and local resources
on activities that have not proven effective in raising student
achievement and may not be the priority of an individual state;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the President of
the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
Secretary of the United States Department of Education and each
member of West Virginia's congressional delegation.