A Lawrence school board member wants the board to show support for a bill that would change the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Marlene Merrill has drafted a resolution that urges the state’s congressional representatives to co-sponsor the No Child Left Behind Improvements Act of 2007, introduced by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska.

“I think that our experiences with the way the law as it currently operates have led to some people to see some serious flaws in it,” Merrill said.

Merrill, a Lawrence resident and research and testing specialist for the Kansas City, Kan., school district, said she supports the legislation because it proposes moving to a testing system, known as the growth model, that emphasizes tracking individual students instead of giving tests at certain grade levels.

She also said that the current law focuses too much on requiring all students to be proficient by an “arbitrary date” and also that Congress has under-funded it.

“It sets schools up for failure. To leave it alone is just not a satisfactory end,” Merrill said.

She said more than 50 Kansas school boards have passed similar resolutions.

Board members will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. They also will have a study session to discuss staffing for next year and the budget at 5:30 p.m. in the board meeting room.