Utah Legislators Delay Action on NCLB Bill: Meetings between State, Federal Officials Precede Postponement

A nationally watched showdown between the U.S. Department of Education and Utah state officials over the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act came down to a cliffhanger in the last days of the legislative session when a final vote on a bill that calls for state education laws to take priority over the federal law was postponed. The feud between Utah and the federal Department of Education began in 2004, when state Rep. Margaret Dayton, a Republican, introduced a bill to let Utah opt out of the law entirely, though it could have cost the state $106 million in federal aid. Under pressure from Washington, she ultimately shelved her proposal, which she perceives as an issue of states' rights. In 2005, Dayton proposed a scaled-down version that calls for the federal education law to take a back seat to state measures--following the federal law only if there is federal money to pay for its requirements. This measure passed in the Utah House, but the Senate vote was delayed at ther request of Utah Governor John Huntsman, Jr., who, after meeting with President Bush and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, decided that he needed more time to consider the Utah education bill. Observers should not mistake the delay for a truce between Utah officials, who say the federal law is too invasive, and federal officials, who say its requirements are essential to improving schools.