State to discuss No Child Left Behind

The Legislative Committee on Education meets Monday to discuss the impact of the federal No Child Left Behind law on Nevada schools.

Chairman Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said the agenda will include a review of schools designated as "not making adequate yearly progress" and those labeled "persistently dangerous." The rules governing those designations have raised serious concerns from local school district officials who say they are unfair and will eventually cause nearly all Nevada schools to be declared inadequate.

Perkins said the committee will meet monthly until the next legislature to recommend ways Nevada's schools can be improved and to look at issues including school discipline, safety, teacher qualifications, accountability and the availability of learning materials.

"We need to take a close look at the progress of Nevada's implementation of the No Child Left Behind legislation to see how it is actually working in our state and if the federal government is coming through with promised funds," said Perkins.

The funding has been a major concern since the federal government has added only about $19 million to the more than $80 million Nevada already receives in federal education funding and a substantial share of that will go to testing and reporting on the state's progress rather than to improving classroom offerings for students.

The meeting will begin Monday at 1 p.m. in the Legislature.