Kline knocks Obama over 'No Child' waiver plan

Minnesota's 2nd District Rep. John Kline says the Obama administration is setting a terrible precedent by granting conditional waivers from a controversial education law.

Last week, the White House said if states put strict academic standards in place, they won't have to label schools as failing. In an interview on MPR's Midday Thursday, Kline said states, including Minnesota, should be allowed to opt out of what he acknowledges are unachievable goals in No Child Left Behind.

"But this is a terrible overreach of the executive branch, it's sort of resurrecting the old, the old idea of an imperial presidency, where the president says 'Congress is not getting it done, so I'm going to do it,' " Kline said.

Kline, the chairman of a key education committee in the House, said the White House decision to grant waivers will actually get in the way of education reform. Kline said without pressure from states, Congress loses a big incentive to enact needed changes to federal education law.

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