[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 105 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H6754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE DOLLARS TO THE CLASSROOM ACT

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to focus on the schoolchildren 
of our Nation. Parents in all 50 States are concerned that their 
children's classrooms are overcrowded, that their kids do not receive 
enough individual attention from their teachers, that classrooms are 
not yet connected to the Internet and many schools are not safe and 
well-supplied, and that basic academics are not being effectively 
learned.
  For 30 years, the Federal Government has been trying to improve 
America's schools by creating big Federal programs. While the goal was 
admirable, this strategy has failed the schoolchildren of America. It 
is time for a new approach.
  We know that effective teaching takes place when we begin helping 
children master basic academics, when parents are engaged and involved 
in their children's education, when a safe and orderly learning 
environment is created in a classroom, and when dollars actually reach 
the classroom.
  The Dollars to the Classroom Act addresses the linchpin of these four 
key education premises, directing dollars to the classroom so that a 
teacher that knows the name of your child can educate more effectively.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Members to improve the education of America's 
kids by supporting the Dollars to the Classroom Act.

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