[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SUPPORT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILL

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues to 
join me to pass legislation to build new schools for all of education 
and for all of our children. Yesterday I taught a class to a group of 
sixth graders in Terrell Lane Middle School in Louisburg in my 
district. It was part of my Give a Teacher a Break program.
  As superintendent for 8 years of my State schools, I know I probably 
have spent more time in public schools than any other Member of this 
Congress. I know what it takes to improve education for our children.
  Mr. Speaker, we must make the investment necessary to strengthen our 
public schools. We must provide resources to assist our communities in 
the drowning enrollment growth they are facing. And we must have the 
foresight to target these funds to the areas that we know will 
experience tremendous growth of the baby boom echo in the near future. 
I am drafting school construction legislation that will accomplish 
these goals. My bill will provide $7.2 billion in school construction 
for States and communities that are growing. My bill will be paid for 
by the same offset others would use to finance their risky private 
school voucher scheme.

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