House ESEA Update: Bill Pulled from Floor After Principals' Victory
March 16, 2015 — The process to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) continues to unfold with unexpected developments. Here is a brief update on the action and where things stand as Congress continues to work quickly to renew the law. Both the House and Senate continue to push forward; their goal is to pass bills by the middle of this month.
Originally thought to sail through the House, the House bill proposal for ESEA (H.R. 5, the "Student Success Act") was abruptly pulled from the House floor in the middle of debate on Friday night. Congress instead turned its attention to a funding issue that threatened to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. However, as the bill was pulled from the Floor entirely, doubts about the likelihood of it passing at all began to surface. As it turns out, the real delay is conservative opposition to H.R. 5 that could take out the bill entirely.
In developments that continue to unfold, House conservative lawmakers from the newly formed Freedom Caucus have criticized the bill, arguing that it does not go far enough for the right. House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) has been coordinating a strategy to reauthorize ESEA with the "conservative stamp," while Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has been working with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) on a potential bipartisan track to produce a more middle-of-the-road ESEA. This approach sets up negotiations on a final bill, should the House and Senate proposals make it to a conference committee. However, now that the House bill has hit an unforeseen snag, it is uncertain if the bill will make it back to the floor to finish up debate.
There is, however, an upside to these activities that took place in the House late last week. Before the bill was pulled, a key provision was adopted on the floor by voice vote. It defines a "school leader" as a principal inside the school building. This is a major victory.
Principals who were attended NAESP's National Leaders Conference in February advocated for this definition change. The principals' organizations in Washington (NAESP, NASSP, and AFSA) also issued action alerts to mobilize and engage principals across the country. Because of the state and local response on this important provision, we have moved ESEA in the right direction. Congratulations to all principals who participated in the process. YOUR VOICE MATTERED!
Stay tuned as the ESEA reauthorization process continues. It is far from over.