NEA Eyes Congress as High Court Refuses NCLB Case

Unfunded-mandate Claim Could Arise in ESEA Debate

Fresh from a snub by the U.S. Supreme Court, the National Education Association is turning to Congress to address its concerns that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—in the form of the 8-year-old No Child Left Behind Act—is an unfunded mandate.

Alice O’Brien, the general counsel for the 3.2 million-member NEA, said the high court’s June 7 refusal

“Our schools are now in a terrible economic crisis,” said Ms. O’Brien. Class sizes are ballooning and “we have curriculums that are being slashed,” she said. “To have federal mandates that are unfunded being placed on top of that really results...