[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 168 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 168

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Education, 
     States, and local educational agencies should spend a greater 
     percentage of Federal education tax dollars in our children's 
                              classrooms.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 27, 1998

Mr. Hutchinson (for himself, Mr. Lott, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. 
Coats, Mr. Gregg, Mr. DeWine, Ms. Collins, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. 
 Shelby, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. Faircloth, Mr. 
Helms, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Allard, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Roberts, and 
Mr. Mack) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                 Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Education, 
     States, and local educational agencies should spend a greater 
     percentage of Federal education tax dollars in our children's 
                              classrooms.

Whereas the people of the United States know that effective teaching takes place 
        when the people of the United States begin (1) helping children master 
        basic academics, (2) engaging and involving parents, (3) creating safe 
        and orderly classrooms, and (4) getting dollars to the classroom;
Whereas our Nation's children deserve an educational system which will provide 
        opportunities to excel;
Whereas States and localities must spend a significant amount of Federal 
        education tax dollars applying for and administering Federal education 
        dollars;
Whereas several States have reported that although the States receive less than 
        10 percent of their education funding from the Federal Government, more 
        than 50 percent of their paperwork is associated with those Federal 
        dollars;
Whereas while it is unknown exactly what percentage of Federal education dollars 
        reaches the classroom, a recent audit of New York City public schools 
        found that only 43 percent of their local education budget reaches the 
        classroom; further, it is thought that only 85 percent of funds 
        administered by the Department of Education for elementary and secondary 
        education reach the school district level; and even if 65 percent of 
        Federal education funds reach the classroom, it still means that 
        billions of dollars are not directly spent on children in the classroom;
Whereas American students are not performing up to their full academic 
        potential, despite the more than 760 Federal education programs, which 
        span 39 Federal agencies at the price of nearly $100,000,000,000 
        annually;
Whereas, according to the Digest of Education Statistics, in 1993 only 
        $141,598,786,000 out of $265,285,370,000 spent on elementary and 
        secondary education was spent on instruction;
Whereas, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1994 only 
        52 percent of staff employed in public elementary and secondary school 
        systems were teachers;
Whereas too much of our Federal education funding is spent on bureaucracy, and 
        too little is spent on our Nation's youth;
Whereas getting 90 percent of Department of Education elementary and secondary 
        education funds to the classroom could provide approximately $1,800 in 
        additional funding per classroom across the United States;
Whereas more education funding should be put in the hands of someone in a 
        child's classroom who knows the child's name;
Whereas President Clinton has stated: ``We cannot ask the American people to 
        spend more on education until we do a better job with the money we've 
        got now.'';
Whereas President Clinton and Vice President Gore agree that the reinventing of 
        public education will not begin in Washington but in communities across 
        the United States and that the people of the United States must ask 
        fundamental questions about how our Nation's public school systems' 
        dollars are spent; and
Whereas President Clinton and Vice President Gore agree that in an age of tight 
        budgets, our Nation should be spending public funds on teachers and 
        children, not on unnecessary overhead and bloated bureaucracy: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate urges the Department of Education, 
States, and local educational agencies to work together to ensure that 
not less than 95 percent of all funds appropriated for the purpose of 
carrying out elementary and secondary education programs administered 
by the Department of Education is spent for our Nation's children in 
their classrooms.
                                 <all>