[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H6076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRESS MUST ACT TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  (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 this Congress to 
pass legislation to strengthen our neighborhood public schools. As a 
former superintendent of schools in my State, I know firsthand what it 
takes to improve education for all of our children. We must raise 
academic standards for our students and ensure accountability to our 
parents, the taxpayers and our communities. We must build new schools 
to reduce overcrowding and to provide a safe and orderly disciplined 
environment, free from drugs, violence and gangs. We must reduce class 
size and equip our children with the basic skills they need to make the 
best of their God-given ability.
  But instead of helping our public schools, where over 90 percent of 
all of our children attend, this Republican-led Congress, has chosen 
risky voucher schemes that would divert public resources to subsidize 
private schools.
  Using taxpayer money to provide private schools tuition is wrong. Our 
neighborhood public schools need all the resources we can provide them. 
I commend the President for his veto yesterday of the private school 
voucher scheme.
  I have a better bill for our public schools. My bill would provide 
money out of that voucher bill to provide building new schools. I urge 
this Congress to take action.

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