easier for school systems to anticipate and contain legal challenges.”
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The effect of these
changes will make “...it more difficult for parents to protect the rights of their children,” argued
Calvin Luker, founder of Our Children Left Behind, an advocacy group for special education.
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But from the perspective of school officials, it will be easier for them to remove disruptive
students and avoid costly lawsuits. Bruce Hunter, representing the American Association of
School Administrators, pointed out the new requirements will bring parents and school officials
together in a “last ditch effort” to forge an agreement before going to court. This requirement
alone will solve problems and save school districts considerable money.
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Congress also changed the formula for college aid so that students whose parents earn
between $35,000 and $40,000 per year would lose their Pell grants. The effect of the change
would save the federal government approximately $270 million, but would reduce the number of
students eligible for Pell grants by about 84,000.
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Energy and the Environment
Controversy continued to characterize Bush Administration environmental policies.
Immediately after the 2004 presidential election, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) publicly labeled
Bush’s position on green house gases and climate change as “terribly disappointing.”
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McCain’s statement was merely the most recent complaint in a litany of criticism that has done
little to deter Bush from changing the direction of federal environmental policy. For Bush, the
development of additional energy resources and the protection of the environment are not
mutually exclusive options, as he stated in the introduction to his National Energy Policy:
“America must have an energy policy that plans for the future, but meets the needs of today. I
believe we can develop our natural resources and protect our environment.”
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Michael Leavitt,
director of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.), elaborated on the Administration’s
view on energy and environment by observing “There is no environmental progress without
Convention