[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H784-H785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SUPPORT EDUCATION FLEXIBILITY PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1999

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Maloney) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999, known as Ed-Flex, 
which was filed today by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), myself, and a number of other 
cosponsors. This is critical legislation that helps States and local 
school districts effectively prepare our children for the 21st Century.
  We are, in this Congress, engaged in a number of educational efforts. 
We are trying, for example, to provide additional teachers so that our 
class sizes can be reduced. We are fighting to provide school 
modernization funds so that our facilities can be brought up to 
standard and can be made ready for the new educational efforts that the 
new economy and the new technology require.
  Now, however, is also the time to take a look at doing better with 
the funds that we already have. Now is the time to give our schools the 
flexibility they need to adopt rigorous educational standards, to raise 
academic achievement levels and empower our children for the challenges 
of the future.
  In exchange for increased accountability for results, the Ed-Flex 
bill gives States and localities greater flexibility in using Federal 
education funds to support locally designed comprehensive school 
improvement efforts. Our Ed-Flex bill expands current law by making all 
50 States, including my home State of Connecticut, eligible to apply 
for Ed-Flex.

[[Page H785]]

  Let me take a moment to give some examples of the benefits of Ed-Flex 
that have already been achieved in the pilot program that we currently 
have underway.
  In Oregon, for example, community colleges and high schools have 
worked together to improve their professional technical education 
programs together rather than creating two separate and duplicative 
programs.
  Maryland has used Ed-Flex to reduce student-teacher ratios, for 
students with the greatest need in math and science, from 25 students 
to one teacher to 12 students to one teacher. A dramatic improvement in 
student-teacher ratios.
  The State of Kansas has used Ed-Flex to better coordinate Title I and 
special education services so that there is a consolidated delivery of 
services. The waiver of Ed-Flex in Kansas has allowed a more integrated 
approach to education for these students.
  In preparing to file this legislation today, I have been in touch 
with the education officials in my home State of Connecticut, and they 
have indicated that they would use Ed-Flex authority to provide 
flexibility on the eligibility of students for remedial services, the 
kids who need the help the most.
  Connecticut, as a matter of State policy, is committed to empowering 
parents with a variety of options for educating their children; in 
allowing, for example, various forms of cross district enrollment. But 
there are times when a child goes from an old district to a new 
district.
  Under the proposal that we have made for education flexibility, the 
money that is associated with that child, say a Title I child, would 
accompany the child to the new district. This would, in turn, enhance 
the new district's ability to provide services to the child. It would 
also, of course, support the State of Connecticut's efforts to provide 
public school choice opportunities and, fundamentally and most 
importantly, to give each child the best education possible.
  This Ed-Flex legislation provides accountability for results. It 
allows education reform, which we in this Congress support, to work 
from the bottom up instead of enforcing top-down mandates. And the most 
successful and impressive education experiments and new procedures and 
new techniques are springing from the local school districts. The 
Federal Government needs to give those local school districts the 
flexibility to take advantage of the ideas and energy that they have, 
in turn equipping our children with the best possible education for 
their futures.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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