'No child' hypocrisy

Dear Editor,

There is a level of hypocrisy between what the federal government says and what it does that stuns most public school employees.

A perfect example is curbing the dropout rate in America's public schools.

President Bush's No Child Left Behind law requires public schools to lower the number of dropouts. Failure to do so results in unfavorable actions being taken against local schools, school districts, and individual teachers.

In his latest budget, President Bush cut the federal money for dropout programs to ZERO. The requirement stays in place. The punishments stay in place. The money to help schools reach the goal and avoid the punishments no longer exists.

No Child Left Behind sounds great. We can all support the goal. But when it comes to providing the dollars to make his slogan a reality, the Bush Administration seems to be the first to cut and run.

It's hypocrisy of stunning proportions.

Jess Wolf,

President

Nebraska State Education Association