[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ROLE OF EDUCATION IN ONGOING BUDGET BATTLE

  (Mr. GREEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, public education is a local responsibility 
but a national concern. We have provided more police on the street to 
make our neighborhoods safe. Now, let us go the next step and spend it 
smarter by providing 100,000 new teachers to make our country stronger 
and hopefully not have to provide more police on the street. Let us 
help local public schools and parents have smaller classes to teach and 
mentor those children so we do not need those 100,000 new police 
officers in the next generation.
  My Republican friends oppose the new 100,000 teachers and the smaller 
class sizes. In fact one of their Members was quoted a few months ago 
as saying that public education is a relic of communism. Well, my 
district does not share that. More than 90 percent of my children go to 
public schools.
  My Republican friends brought a bill to the floor, the Labor-HHS 
appropriations bill about 2 weeks ago that would cut first Goals 2000, 
which is a block grant, 51 percent; cut School-to-Work 40 percent; cut 
American Reads Challenge 100 percent; cut summer youth jobs 100 
percent.
  Where are the priorities they have for education?

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