The Obama Administration has threatened to veto a bill from Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline that would rewrite the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The House is set to vote as early as Thursday on Kline's bill, which would scrap much of the landmark legislation that George W. Bush signed into law more than a decade ago.
Kline's "Student Success Act" would erase dozens of federal school improvement programs, grant state and local districts more freedom to implement reform plans and prevent Education Secretary Arne Duncan from encouraging states to implement national standards.
The bill also would send to states money in a block grant to teach English language-learners, students from poor families and rural students. The states would then decide which students would benefit most from those dollars.
The plan has drawn almost unanimous opposition from Democrats, including President Obama. Civil rights groups and teachers' unions also have criticized the bill.
In a statement of official policy to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget said the bill "would represent a significant step backwards in the effort to help our Nation's children and their families prepare for their futures."
"If the president were presented with H.R. 5, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill," the statement concluded.
Democrats have called the legislation the "Letting Students Down Act," arguing that it weakens accountability for schools.
