Laura Bush, House GOP-ers to mull No Child Left Behind

First lady Laura Bush will meet with several moderate House Republicans to talk about the future of the No Child Left Behind law, according to two members who will attend the meeting today.

Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) says the first lady requested the meeting last week with the members to talk about the program, which is up for reauthorization in the next few months. Congress will begin work in June.

{mosads}Castle spokeswoman Kaitlin Hoffman said the conversation between members, Laura Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spelling will cover “the goals and ideas for the reauthorization of the act.”

Hoffman added that there could be future meetings with other members.

Six members besides Castle will attend the meeting: Reps. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Ray LaHood (R-Ill.).

McKeon is ranking member on the Education and Labor Committee. Castle is also on that panel.

This is the second time this session the White House has met with members regarding the measure, according to McKeon. The first meeting was held on Jan. 8, the anniversary of the signing of the act.
Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) said he had no knowledge of the White House meeting.

The meeting marks the beginning of a renewed focus on the key Bush education initiative, which has gotten mixed reviews from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

 According to an Education and Labor aide, Reps. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), Castle, Miller and McKeon will host a three-hour closed listening session on May 16 to give members on and off the panel the opportunity to receive feedback from their districts regarding the act.

President Bush signed No Child Left Behind in 2002. The bill was designed to ensure that students make adequate annual progress in math, reading, and science at grade level, and that children receive the same quality of education regardless of their economic status.

But since the bill’s implementation, Democrats have charged that the program has been under-funded and failed to live up to its potential. They also say it has imposed impossible standards on low-income schools.
Republicans have generally argued the program is making significant progress and must be reauthorized. But earlier this year, several GOP members joined their Democratic colleagues in calling for legislation that would alter the bill to allow states to be exempt from the federal standards.