To the Members of the Utah State Board of Education:

We the undersigned are among the many Utahns who value local control of education and do not want the Utah State Board of Education to renew the ESEA/NCLB waiver.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a failed law. It failed schools, it failed teachers, and it failed children.

To receive a waiver from NCLB, Utah agreed to option A, which required Utah to show proof that we had adopted Common Core. In other words, the state was coerced into agreeing to a reform package that exerts a far greater control over our state education system than NCLB.

The waiver should not be renewed as it solidifies and gives credence to the pattern of federal involvement in Utah’s education system.

The U.S. Constitution gives the federal government no opportunity to be involved in Utah education.  By renewing the waiver Utah will be obligated to continue with their Common Core commitment to the Federal Government which is in violation of both the federal and state constitutions. Trading one bad government mandate for an even worse government mandate is irresponsible.  It is the State Board’s responsibility to work to reduce federal involvement in education and promote general state control, and pass everything possible down to the local school and district level that should appropriately be governed there.
Utah law states that we can and shall be flexible with our funding to utilize it to meet state goals and objectives over federal goals and objectives.

Concerns that there MAY be a reduction in federal funds affecting Title I schools should not stop the board from doing the right thing.  It will be the responsibility of the legislature and the Governor to make sure that the Title I schools have the necessary funding.  

Please do not sign the waiver.