[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S3030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BUDGET CUTS AND EDUCATION

  Mr. SIMON. On March 12 the Senate voted to restore $2.6 billion in 
Federal funding for education. While this would still leave Federal 
support for education below 1995 levels, I was pleased to see the 
Senate take bipartisan action to at least partially reverse what was 
clearly an unwise decision. Senator Harkin, Senator Specter, and the 
other Senators who have shown strong leadership on this issue deserve a 
great deal of credit for their efforts.
  Recently, the Chicago Tribune published an article on the effect that 
Federal education cuts would have for the State of Illinois and the 
city of Chicago. The article gave a compelling account of what such 
cuts would mean for the millions of students. I strongly urge the 
Senate to maintain its position in conference to prevent the harmful 
impact that the House-proposed cuts would have on Illinois and on the 
Nation.
  I ask that the Chicago Tribune article be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

               [From the Chicago Tribune, Feb. 13, 1996]

                U.S. Budget Cuts Impact Chicago Schools

                      (By Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.)

       Three years ago, at least two fights a day broke out at 
     Ravenswood Elementary School in Chicago's rough and tumble 
     Uptown community.
       That number is down to about two per month, according to 
     school officials, largely due to a Peer Leadership project 
     that is part of a nationwide program known as Safe and Drug 
     Free Schools and Communities.
       Despite the program's success at Ravenswood and other city 
     schools, it is at risk of becoming a casualty in the battle 
     between Congress and President Clinton over the Federal 
     budget.
       It is one of several programs that could be crippled by 
     cuts of $54 million in Illinois' share of Federal funds under 
     the Title I program for the Nation's neediest children.
       The cuts are incorporated in a temporary spending bill, 
     known as a continuing resolution, that is keeping the 
     government functioning during the budget crisis.
       Under the stopgap measure, Federal funding for Title I 
     programs in the State is cut from its $317.2 million level in 
     the 1995 fiscal year to $263 million in fiscal 1996.
       The cuts could lead to substantial layoffs of teachers--as 
     many as 600 in Chicago alone, according to Department of 
     Education estimates--and could hobble programs that have 
     become the centerpiece of national and State efforts to make 
     schools safe, drug-free and internationally competitive by 
     the year 2000.
       The 30-year-old Title I program is the largest run by the 
     Department of Education.
       It provides remedial aid to more than 50,000 under-
     performing students in public and private schools, including 
     two-thirds of all elementary schools.
       The program also funds salaries for thousands of teachers 
     and aides.
       Congress passed the temporary spending bill in December to 
     keep agencies running after parts of the government were shut 
     down twice last year in the budget dispute.
       Clinton has agreed to Republican demands to balance the 
     budget in 7 years using economic assumptions of the 
     Congressional Budget Office. But Democrats and Republicans 
     still disagree over how deep some budget cuts should be.
       Republicans argue that Democrats exaggerate the harm the 
     cuts will cause and say that in several areas, their reforms 
     will lead to increased funding for education programs.
       Nationwide, cuts in the Title I program total $1.1 billion 
     or 17 percent over last year, under the current continuing 
     resolution.
       That reduces spending to $7 billion for individualized 
     instruction, smaller classes, after-school study programs, 
     computers, projects to encourage parental involvement in 
     schools and other strategies some educators say are critical 
     to meeting the federally mandated year 2000 goal.
       ``The cuts are a serious problem that threatens the safety 
     and well-being of 40 million children and nearly every public 
     school teacher, principal, and support staff member in 
     America,'' said Secretary of Education Richard Riley.
       Nationwide, safe and drug-free school and community 
     programs would be slashed $107.8 million, Education 
     Department officials say. That, they add, is enough to pay 
     for 400,000 hand-held metal detectors, hire 3,300 security 
     officers, keep 3,600 schools open for 3 hours of extra-
     curricular programs, hire 2,000 teachers for conflict-
     resolution courses and train 50,000 teachers and 
     administrators in drug and violence prevention and education.
       ``For us, the impact will be devastating,'' said Patricia 
     McPhearson, manager of the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program 
     in Chicago. Its budget is cut 25 percent to $4.3 million in 
     Chicago under the stopgap funding.
       Statewide, cuts in the program total $4.7 million. Under 
     even larger cuts proposed by House Republicans, the State 
     would lose $10 million from the program.
       Popular projects such as those at Sauganash and Ravenswood 
     schools, and Amundsen High School could become skeletal 
     programs, McPhearson said.
       The program at Amundsen seeks to change the climate of 
     community violence.

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