News Release

Laredo Parents, Teachers, School Employees
Stand Up for Children, Sign on to Unprecedented
Lawsuit Challenging Federal Education Law

Parents Want Federal Government Accountable for Law's Requirements

LAREDO, TX -- Kicking off the new school year, the Laredo United Independent School District (I.S.D) joined its counterpart, the Laredo Independent School District, and eight other districts from Michigan and Vermont to challenge the No Child Left Behind Act. In a show of solidarity and support to stand up for children in Laredo's public schools and across the nation, the groups said they filed the suit because the Administration has not heeded its own demands of accountability, which states:

"Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local education agency, or school's curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of State or local resources, or mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act."

Joining Roberto Santos, superintendent of Laredo United I.S.D., was Reg Weaver, president of the 2.7-million-member National Education Association (NEA) and Donna New Haschke, president of the Texas State Teachers Association.

"We are here to stand with the Laredo United Independent School District in standing up for children," said Weaver. "School districts, like this one in Laredo, invest in our children and have been struggling with billions of dollars in expensive rules and regulations under the No Child Left Behind Act. Today they are saying, 'put children before more standardized tests, paperwork, and bureaucracy.'"

Since the April filing of the lawsuit, Pontiac School District v. Spellings, the U.S. Department of Education filed for the case to be dismissed. NEA responded to the Department's filing  and another response from the department is expected to be filed late this week. Oral arguments for the request for dismissal will be heard on October 19.

There has been a $27 billion funding shortfall nationwide since the law's enactment in 2002 between what Congress was to provide schools to meet the law's regulations and what has been funded. A recent cost study conducted in Texas estimated that the price of the regulations to state taxpayers could run as high as $1.2 billion.

Aug. 18, 2005

For More Information, Contact:

Staci Maiers, (202) 270-5333 cell, smaiers@nea.org
Denise Cardinal, (202) 822-7239, dcardinal@nea.org

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, college faculty, school administrators, education support professionals, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.