[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                IMPROVING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                               speech of

                           HON. JILL L. LONG

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 3, 1994

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6) to extend 
     for 6 years the authorizations of appropriations for the 
     programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
     1965, and for certain other purposes:

  Ms. LONG. Mr. Chairman, as chair of the Congressional Rural Caucus, I 
am opposed to the Boehner amendment which would eliminate much needed 
assistance for rural schools.
  Approximately 60 percent of our country's public school districts are 
rural. Rural schools face unique challenges to providing adequate 
educational services including poverty, geographic isolation, and 
teacher recruitment.
  In fact, the General Accounting Office recently reported that the 
rural school-age poverty rate rose to 20.4 percent in 1990, well above 
the 1990 urban rate of 16 percent. Rural schools also face logistical 
difficulties due to geographic isolation. More often than not, rural 
schools cannot offer the variety and depth of courses commonly 
available in metropolitan areas, or target programs to specific groups, 
furthermore, rural schools have difficulty recruiting and retaining 
qualified teachers.
  However, these problems are not insurmountable; the difficulties 
rural schools face, can be remedied through additional attention and 
funding. The Rural and Urban Education Assistance Program would assist 
rural school districts in undertaking genuine school reform, preparing 
more rural graduates for higher education and vocational training, and 
training and recruiting teachers. It would also enable rural school 
districts to use the most advanced telecommunications technologies for 
learning.
  Title 12 of H.R. 6 is an important and essential step in addressing 
the education needs of rural America and rural children. For these 
reasons, I am opposed to the Boehner amendment to strike this program.

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