[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE PRESIDENT'S OBSESSION WITH EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Green] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the Washington Times 
reported on President Clinton's obsession with education, when he was 
at the Maryland State Assembly earlier this week. I am happy to note 
that he is also obsessed with a competitive America in the future, and 
obsessed with giving children the opportunity for an education.
  Although the Times, I think, meant it as an insult, I would be glad 
to accept this characterization with honor. I would hope that all 
Members of Congress, including my Republican colleagues, would be 
obsessed with education.
  During the State of the Union, President Clinton set the tone for the 
second term by indicating that education will be his top priority. The 
President's education agenda is ambitious, but I believe we are up to 
the challenge. Two key elements of the President's plan are already 
part of the Democrat's family first agenda, the $10,000 tax deduction 
for tuition and training, and the 2-year $1,500 HOPE scholarship. I 
will continue to work with the President to ensure that college will be 
made more affordable for working families.
  The President also stressed the importance of every child reading 
independently by the third grade and every child knowing algebra by the 
eighth grade. Ensuring that these goals are met requires more attention 
and resources focused on early childhood training and childhood 
education.
  The President puts his money where his mouth is by proposing to 
expand Head Start to cover 1 million children by the year 2002. The 
President also recognizes the need to give disadvantaged children the 
help they need in order to succeed in school. Part of that effort is 
the President's budget would allow for $7.5 billion in requested aid 
for title I funding for elementary and secondary schools. This is an 
increase of over $347 million over the funding for 1997.
  Title I supplements local school efforts to improve reading and math 
skills of students who are at risk of school failure. This program 
serves 6.8 million disadvantaged children annually, and helped the 
students in my 29th district, that I am honored to represent, to 
improve their basic skills performance.
  In fact, Monday of this week, I was at a school in Galena Park School 
District and talked with the principal and the teachers and the 
students about the importance of title I funding at that particular 
elementary school.
  Title I is successful, and even my Republican colleagues on the 
Committee on the Budget agree. In their analysis of the President's 
budget, the Committee on the Budget reports the following about title 
I, the Title I Program. This program, title I basic grants, is one of 
the most important Federal programs for local schools. I hope my 
colleagues remember this statement during the appropriations process.
  I am especially proud that the President has chosen to use the 
formula that we developed in the 103d Congress to improve the way title 
I grants are distributed.

                              {time}  1900

  Our formula provides greater funding levels to counties with high 
numbers or percentages of children who are living in poverty. Texas and 
States like ours that have a large population of disadvantaged children 
will benefit from this formula.
  On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Richard Riley will give his state 
of American education address. I am proud to participate in Houston as 
a host of the satellite uplink of the Secretary's speech. The fact that 
we will be able to watch the address via satellite at Channelview High 
School is a testament to the benefits of one of President Clinton's 10 
points he outlined in the State of the Union Address, the value of 
bringing technology into our schools.
  Channelview Independent School District has built a state-of-the-art 
high school to educate children for the 21st century. That money was 
local money that they voted themselves to build a state-of-the-art high 
school for their children to be educated for the next century.
  As Americans, we are leading the way in showing how our global 
classroom is a better educated classroom. The Internet and satellite 
communications expand learning beyond the classroom, the classroom 
setting. In Channelview High School they have that. Every school, every 
room is capable of having Internet capabilities in Channelview High 
School.
  The value of technology is best appreciated when it builds on the 
foundation of essential skills. I am looking forward to hearing 
Secretary Riley's state of the America education address and look 
forward to working to improve our schools based on standards of 
excellence to help States and school districts cope with the growing 
elementary and secondary enrollments and to modernize our schools for 
the 21st century.
  Yes, we should all be obsessed with education.

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