As a second wave of states prepare to submit applications for waivers to the No Child Left Behind Act, a pair of New England states have said no thanks, at least for the time being.
New Hampshire and Maine officials said they won’t be applying for the flexbility being offered by the Obama administration right away, citing the difficulty of putting in place a new accountability system, particularly in rural schools.
In a letter written jointly to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday, officials from the two states applauded the adminstration’s goals through the waiver process but said “the current timeline and the waiver guidelines will not work in New Hampshire and Maine, a common reality for numerous rural states.”
The states say they could still jump in the waiver game, after they look at the applications submitted in the first found. See my colleague Michele McNeil’s post at Politics K-12 for more details.
The concerns about the waiver process’ impact on rural schools is one that other holdout states have raised. See my previous story on their misgivings.