Andy Tompkins says the nation’s public schools are on the brink of onerous, invasive education reform ordered by the federal government.

And he’s for it.

Tompkins, Kansas’ commissioner of education, said Friday during a meeting with newspaper editors at Kansas University that a new era of education had dawned with passage of the federal law known as “No Child Left Behind.”

“This is the most prescriptive and intrusive federal law in our history,” he said. “It’s an interesting time.”

The law set specific academic achievement targets for students and defined sanctions for schools that don’t live up to the challenge, he said.

“It’s a strong and compelling vision. In my opinion, as a person who has been in it for 33 years, I’m for it,” Tompkins said. “The problem is always in the details. Schools are reeling from it. It’s things that are going to have some financial impact over time.”

What’s the law going to do?

 State assessment of students will greatly expand.

 Federal funding of schools will hinge on the law’s implementation at all schools, not just schools getting federal aid.

 Staff training standards will rise, especially for paraprofessionals assisting teachers.

 Broader public reporting will be required of academic performance in schools, districts and the state.

 Severe consequences will be given for failure to abide by the law. After five years of weak performance, schools lose accreditation.

Tompkins said his strategy in Kansas would be to make steady progress implementing No Child Left Behind.

“What we’ve got to do is keep it on an even keel  and on a long-term vision of helping Kansas kids, without it becoming so overwhelming,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Dale Dennis outlined the state’s precarious financial condition, which will likely lead to a second phase of cuts in public-education funding before the end of the 2002-2003 school year. The state could be nearly $600 million in the hole by next June, he said.

“There’s got to be another round of cuts coming,” Dennis said. “This bothers the heck out of me. It’s embarrassing, as a true-blue Kansan, to be broke.”

In August, Gov. Bill Graves cut state spending by $41 million. About $17 million was sliced from public schools, prompting the Lawrence school district to impose a hiring freeze and dig into its reserve fund.

Improving public schools will be difficult if the state keeps shrinking district budgets, said Lawrence Supt. Randy Weseman in a later interview.

Weseman said he supported No Child Left Behind but remained puzzled by rising expectations accompanied by shrinking budgets.

“We’re being asked to make a major structural change while taking away resources,” Weseman said. “That’s going to be the big hurdle for us.”