[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 108 (Tuesday, August 4, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7006-H7007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      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. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell my colleagues what 
America's teachers are saying about the need to get tax dollars to the 
classroom.
  The Association of American Educators has found that 82 percent of 
the teachers surveyed support consolidating Federal education programs, 
sending those funds in a formula grant to

[[Page H7007]]

the States, just what the Dollars to the Classroom Act does.
  I would like to share with my colleagues some interesting comments 
from teachers who support the Dollars to the Classroom approach.
  ``The Federal Government should quit dictating to local communities 
what should be taught to children, mainly because the Federal 
Government is totally out of touch with reality.'' Kansas City, 
Missouri.
  ``It's time we realize that no one program can meet the needs of 
every region.'' Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  ``I'm all in favor of localizing control of school budgets. Local 
educators are professionals with the training and experience to make 
the best decisions for their schools.'' Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
  Those are thoughts of teachers.
  The question we need to ask is who do we trust to educate our 
children, Washington bureaucrats or local teachers, parents, and school 
officials?
  Let us pass the Dollars to the Classroom Act. Send $2.7 billion to 
our classrooms.

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