[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
REPUBLICAN SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 6, THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                      EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1993

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT H. MICHEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 23, 1994

  Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, today I have submitted a Republican 
substitute amendment that may be offered at the end of consideration of 
H.R. 6, the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1993. I am 
submitting this amendment on behalf of myself and the Republican 
members of the Education and Labor Committee, including Mr. Goodling, 
Mr. Petri, Mrs. Roukema, Mr. Gunderson, Mr. Armey, Mr. Fawell, Mr. 
Ballenger, Ms. Molinari, Mr. Barrett, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. 
Hoekstra, Mr. McKeon, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Castle.
  Below please find a description of the guiding principles underlying 
this amendment, as well as a summary of the provisions of the 
amendment:

      21st Century Excellence in Education Act--Guiding Principles

       Local control: This legislation honors the tradition of 
     local control of education and exemplifies the belief that 
     Federal programs, which supply only 6% of the funds, should 
     to the maximum extent possible defer to educators, parents, 
     and leaders in the community to craft and implement the 
     activities to educate their children.
       Flexibility: Since we believe that the best educational 
     programs are those designed at the local level to respond to 
     unique local circumstances, we must give schools the 
     flexibility to adapt Federal programs to their own 
     experiences and needs. In return, the Federal government 
     should demand accountability in the form of improved student 
     learning outcomes.
       Bureaucracy and red tape: The demands on the resources and 
     energies of local schools and school districts are great 
     enough without the added burden of excessive Federal 
     paperwork and reporting requirements. Accountability for use 
     of Federal funds should be linked to student learning rather 
     than reams of regulations dictating how money may and may not 
     be spent. Access to Federal funds should be streamlined so 
     that they move quickly and as directly as possible to the 
     schools.
       High standards and expectations: For too long we have 
     short-changed our most disadvantaged students by refusing to 
     forcefully declare that they can and must perform as well as 
     other students. Federal programs to aid disadvantaged 
     students must set the same high standards and expectations 
     for them that we have for all other students.
       Parental rights: No single factor is more important to 
     student success than parental involvement. Federal education 
     programs should foster parental involvement and access to 
     training. Furthermore, Federal policies should foster greater 
     access to quality education by encouraging approaches such as 
     magnet schools, parental choice and charter schools.
       The 21st century: A rapidly changing and increasingly 
     demanding world means the Federal government must assist 
     States and school districts to move toward technology-based 
     education that will meet the demands of the next century.
       General: Streamlines the legislation that was reported out 
     of Committee; provides greater flexibility to SEAs and LEAs 
     in the use of Federal funds; eliminates programs that 
     Committee Republicans and the Administration argued do not 
     serve useful purposes;
       Title I: Carefully limits provisions and requirements to 
     children served under this Title; the Federal Government is 
     only justified in demanding accountability for those funds it 
     provides.
       Establishes an accountability mechanism that requires high 
     standards for students served and assessments of student 
     progress but does not permit the Secretary to dictate or 
     condition the receipt of funds on specific standards or 
     assessments.
       Allows hundreds more Title 1 schools to operate schoolwide 
     projects which them to combine funds from nearly all ESEA 
     programs to benefit the entire school.
       Encourages activities to increase parental involvement and 
     to integrate these with programs such as Even Start and Head 
     Start without specifically directing methods or funding 
     levels.
       Allows LEAs to use Chapter 1 funds to develop local option 
     public schools choice programs for students served under this 
     Title.
       Establishes programs to recognize successful schools and 
     educators based on student learning improvements, and directs 
     the Secretary to develop a Presidential recognition program 
     to provide cash awards to exceptional schools.
       Retains the funding formula carefully worked-out in 
     Committee that protects services to all eligible students, 
     particularly in rural areas, and focuses new funds more on 
     schools with greater concentrations of disadvantaged 
     students.
       Eliminates opportunity to learn standards and the unfunded 
     reporting requirements imposed on schools; decisions on the 
     resources and strategies to be employed to educate all of our 
     children are necessarily local matters, and this legislation 
     protects that important prerogative.
       Even Start, Migrant Education, and Neglected and Delinquent 
     programs are retained as reported by Committee.
       Title II: Retains the Eisenhower Professional Development 
     program but restores greater flexibility by eliminating 
     limits on use of funds for curriculum materials; the 
     provision on teacher certification that concerned home 
     schoolers is stricken.
       Restores the Chapter 2 program with the enhanced focus on 
     the National Education Goals contained in the amendment 
     offered by Messrs. Goodling and Gunderson.
       Incorporates the Administration's attempt to streamline and 
     consolidate technical assistance efforts and requires that 
     the regional centers develop expertise in assisting 
     schoolwide projects and in better coordinating services 
     provided under a range of programs such as Chapter 1, Even 
     Start, Bilingual Education, etc.
       Employs the more realistic technology education program 
     crafted by Messrs. Gunderson, Goodling, and Castle, and 
     provides for a proportionate distribution of such funds 
     between rural and urban districts. Incorporates the Star 
     Schools program as an allowable use of funds under this part.
       Directs the Secretary to establish a commission to study 
     and make recommendations about the best ways to assist SEAs 
     and LEAs to move toward technology-based education.
       Title III: Incorporates a more flexible version of the Fund 
     for Improvement of Education and adds charter schools as an 
     allowable demonstration project.
       Creates a competitive grant program to assist in the 
     planning and implementation of charter schools; in exchange 
     for waivers of restrictive regulations these schools are to 
     develop innovative approaches to raising student achievement.
       The Community Arts Partnership Act is folded into Arts in 
     Education as an allowable use of funds.
       The Gifted and Talented and Inexpensive Book Distribution 
     programs are retained as reported by Committee.
       Title IV: Mr. Barrett's amendments restoring the governors' 
     funds and removing restrictions on contracting out are 
     included in the Drug Free Schools Act.
       Titles V, VI, VII: These programs are retained as reported 
     by Committee.
       Title VIII: Payments for civilian ``B'' students are 
     eliminated and the Mink amendment moving funding to the 
     Department of Defense budget is stricken.
       Title IX: Waiver language is modified to provide the 
     maximum flexibility at the State and local levels while 
     preserving reasonable assurances for the use of Federal 
     funds.
       Title X: Adds language prohibiting the use of funds for 
     family planning and reproductive services.
       National Center for Education Statistics: Preserves the 
     National Assessment Governing Board to assure that policy-
     makers and the public have a voice in shaping the assessments 
     used to measure student progress.

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