A showdown is coming.

It’s “High Noon,” but instead of a western sheriff facing down a deadly outlaw, it’s members of the Legislature shooting it out with a nasty piece of federal law.

No doubt, lawmakers in Augusta who have proposed a new bill to fight the No Child Left Behind Act would like the comparison to Gary Cooper. But in this case, it’s a fitting, even if good-natured exaggeration.

No Child Left Behind was signed into law in January 2002. The intent was good: Help states improve their school systems, require accountability and improved teacher training, and provide the money to pay for it.

But since its bipartisan birth, the law has failed to meet expectations and now faces similar bipartisan opposition.

A bill before the Education Committee, sponsored by Portland state Sen. Michael Brennan and co-sponsored by Lewiston’s Peggy Rotundo, would prohibit the Department of Education from spending state money on implementing No Child Left Behind, and it asks for a complete accounting of how much the act will cost.

At first blush, the proposal appears to defy federal law. But this isn’t George Wallace standing on schoolhouse steps fighting integration.

According to Brennan, the NCLB law requires the feds to pay for the costs of the initiative. By prohibiting state spending, the bill would actual reinforce that provision. If there’s not enough federal money to pay, then a case – perhaps in federal court – can be made that Congress has ignored its own law.

Opponents are convinced that new funding is woefully inadequate to fund No Child Left Behind, and they cite studies from other states as proof.

The law diverts time and money away from the state’s successful Learning Results program.

Just opting out could cost the state as much as $110 million a year because it would put all the federal education funding at risk. A court challenge, built on a comparison of the program’s costs and federal funding, may be the only way to stop this new unfunded mandate.

In “High Noon,” Cooper stood alone. In this fight, the community should stand behind this bill and oppose No Child Left Behind.


Real winners
Lisbon’s girls’ basketball team has opened a new chapter, and these young women deserve special recognition.

Last Friday, the team broke a losing streak of 115 games, dating back to 1998, with a win against Monmouth. The team made it two in a row with a win Monday night against heavy favorite Wiscasset.

There are players on the team who have worked hard for four years, without feeling the exhilaration and vindication that goes along with winning. But they kept practicing, kept showing up for the games, kept trying.

Finally, it paid off. The Greyhounds even have a shot at making the playoffs this year.

If the team doesn’t win another game, this season will be a success. And while we applaud them for their efforts in the games they have won, the real recognition was earned during the 115 games they lost. It’s easy to show up when everything is going great, but it takes real dedication and persistence when things are in the dumps.

Mark down two Ws for Lisbon. But make no mistake, the players on this team were winners long before now.


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