[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10046-H10047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             BACK TO SCHOOL

  (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, in my home State of California, which is 
being called the epicenter of the school enrollment explosion, 5.5 
million students are returning to school this week, 100,000 more than 
last year. Nationwide enrollment is expected to rise by 7 percent over 
the next 6 years. Instead of responding to this crisis, the majority, 
however, is contributing to it by proposing tax cuts on the rich while 
voting to cut education spending by 7 percent, 7 percent below 1995 
levels.

[[Page H10047]]

  President Clinton, on the other hand, and the Democrats want to help 
our schools, help our schools prepare for the future by ensuring that 
every child enters the classroom ready to learn, by training more 
teachers and raising learning standards through Goals 2000, by 
expanding the use of technology in our classroom and by making college 
more affordable.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to make education our No. 1 priority and 
ensure that every student enters the classroom ready to learn and has 
the opportunity.

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