[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 101 (Friday, July 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           EDUCATION FUNDING

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                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 24, 1998

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, I met with 
principals from schools in the 4th Congressional District of Colorado 
and I would ask my colleagues to consider the issues raised by these 
education professionals. Congress, they told me, has mounted 
bureaucratic obstacles which prevent them from putting federal 
education dollars to use for their students. The paperwork and 
bureaucratic red-tape associated with federal money are hurdles which 
prevent dollars from reaching the classroom.
  Principal Betsy Dumph from the town of Hudson, Colorado, stated that 
small schools like hers simply do not have the money to hire 
professional grant writers to negotiate the extensive federal grant 
applications and are therefore at a competitive disadvantage to large 
districts when seeking federal grants. Another principal described how 
bureaucratic rules often keep her school ineligible for federal grants. 
The entire group expressed frustration with federal rules concerning 
special education which restrict them from removing dangerous students.
  These principals aren't the only ones who feel this way. Teachers and 
parents in northern Colorado told the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce they share the same sentiments. Over 79% of respondents to an 
education survey in my district support sending the majority of all 
federal education funds directly to the classroom. Nearly 85% would 
support efforts to eliminate onerous federal mandates affecting 
education.
  The objective of these Oversight hearings was to produce the 
Education at a Crossroads report to Congress. Based on witness 
testimony, the Subcommittee has made four recommendations--send dollars 
to the classroom not the education bureaucracy, strengthen local 
control, emphasize basic academics, and promote parental involvement. 
These suggestions came after two years of investigations and the 
testimony of 225 witnesses in 15 states including Colorado. The report 
was adopted by the Subcommittee on the 17th of July.
  Before developing these recommendations, the Subcommittee made 
several observations: There are 760 federal education programs. An 
average of 48.6 million hours are spent doing paperwork. As little as 
65 cents of every federal tax dollar makes it to the classroom. There 
are over 18,000 federal employees and full-time equivalents 
administering federal education programs.
  There are disturbing national trends that Congress should address. 
For example, almost half of America's fourth-graders do not read at 
even a basic level. Half of all students from urban school districts 
fail to graduate on time, if at all. The average 1996 NAEP scores among 
17-year-olds are lower than they were in 1984. American senior high 
students only outperformed two out of 21 nations in mathematics 
according to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. 
Public higher education institutions spend one billion dollars on 
remedial education.
  The answer to this situation is simple: Listen to educators, parents, 
and administrators and take their advice. For once, the government 
needs to support what works and take the suggestions of professionals 
who are making the grade and making a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, the principals I met with, the letters, responses and 
phone calls I have received have pointed to the same thing. The 
findings in the Education at a Crossroads report come as no surprise 
because they simply state what people have been saying for some time--
get rid of the red tape and put dollars in the classroom; trust 
teachers, local administrators and parents to make decisions about 
policy and budgeting rather than Washington bureaucrats in the 
Department of Education. It is time we listen.

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