Statement by Edward J. McElroy,
Secretary-Treasurer, American Federation of Teachers
on Senate’s Refusal to Fully Fund No Child Left Behind Act

(By a 46-52 party-line vote on March 10, the Senate voted against an amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to provide $8.6 billion to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some in Congress are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. First they pass the No Child Left Behind Act asking students and schools to do more, then consistently undercut their ability to do more by failing to fully fund the bill. Senator Patty Murray’s NCLB full-funding amendment would have corrected this problem. But the Republican-led Senate defeated the amendment, again by choosing to ignore the needs of our schools. In doing so, they and the Administration are walking away from their commitment. With this vote, the Senate majority is again telling schools struggling to meet high standards to do it on the cheap. This is not simply bad education policy; it is wrong.

The AFT supports the standards and accountability goals that help ensure that all of our children – particularly our disadvantaged children – receive the best possible education. The AFT urges Congress and the Bush administration to fully fund and properly implement NCLB so it can do the job it was intended to do.

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The AFT represents more than 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare workers, and state and local government employees.