[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 5, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SUPPORT ADEQUATE FUNDING LEVELS FOR EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Sawyer] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of maintaining 
adequate funding levels for education, because as we end, as we near 
the end of another continuing resolution, I think we all agree that the 
improvement of public education is one of the greatest challenges 
facing our entire Nation on every level of government and in every 
locality.
  Investment in the learning capacity of this and future generations is 
crucial to both our long-term economic strength and our continued 
cultural growth. It is at the heart of what many families mean when 
they talk about personal economic security and the stability of their 
families themselves.
  I think we all recognize that education has traditionally been, and 
should remain, a local function and a State responsibility, but Federal 
support for education as an overarching national concern can make a 
crucial difference, especially where local resources are strained or 
where a coordinated effort can help achieve national objectives; in 
short, where we can begin to unify our Nation in common purpose.

                              {time}  1615

  Poll after poll today shows education as the highest economic 
priority for voters, more than crime or the budget deficit, Medicare, 
moral issues, Federal taxes, and welfare reform. Education stands at 
the top of the list for 82 percent of the Americans who oppose cutting 
education.
  To that end, Mr. Speaker, on February 1 of this year I introduced 
House Concurrent Resolution 144, a sense of Congress resolution that 
demonstrates support for education funding at this critical time. The 
bill calls for an appropriation for education programs by March 15 that 
is no less than the amount spent on those programs in 1995. I am 
pleased to tell you as of today 192 bipartisan colleagues of ours have 
joined me in cosponsoring this resolution, and I am confident that more 
will join.
  I am hopeful this showing of unity, of purpose, will send a message 
to the people of this Nation and the leadership of this Congress that 
America is serious about protecting our children's education. School 
districts that do not receive notification by March 15 that they will 
have adequate funds for the upcoming school year will have to start 
planning which teachers to lay off, which programs to cut, which 
classes to eliminate. These kinds of choices will be grim reality in 
many school districts around the country.
  But March 15 is only the deadline for the schools most immediate 
needs. A commitment to education funding in the future is necessary to 
satisfy longer term needs, funding for things that include the basic 
tools of learning as well as technology adaptation, to professional 
development, and an elevated curriculum for all kids. All of this comes 
at a time when we really need to talk about investing in education.
  In the fall of 1996 we will have more students enrolled in K through 
12, elementary and secondary education, than at any other time in our 
Nation's history. This will surpass the previous record of the baby-
boom years. It is going to come at a time that will necessitate the 
hiring of about 50,000 new teachers, at the very same time that the 
cuts proposed through the continuing resolution, if extended throughout 
the year, would cause the loss of between 40,000 and 50,000 teachers 
and teachers' aides throughout the United States.
  This increase is not a 1-year anomaly. It is expected to continue. 
These demographic changes are no one's fault. This is not a matter of 
throwing bombs from one side of the aisle to another. They really come 
at a time when we all need to recognize that the force of demographic 
change is at the heart of what is driving policy imperatives throughout 
the Nation. We need to recognize that this investment is an investment 
in the security of all of us, and I would urge all Members to consider 
the consequences of our decisions over the next several weeks. They 
will undoubtedly reverberate through our population for decades to 
come.

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