[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 39 (Thursday, March 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             EDUCATION FLEXIBILITY PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DAVID D. PHELPS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 800) to 
     provide for education flexibility partnerships:

  Mr. PHELPS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong support 
for H.R. 800, the Education Flexibility Partnership Act, of which I am 
proud to be a co-sponsor. I have made the improvement of our nation's 
public education system one of my top priorities as a legislator, and I 
believe that the Ed-Flex bill represents an important step towards the 
fulfillment of this goal. This legislation should not be viewed as a 
solution to the myriad problems which plague our schools, but I 
wholeheartedly support it and hope that the valuable debate it 
generates will catalyze our continued efforts on critical education 
issues.
  H.R. 800 extends to all 50 states the opportunity to participate in 
the ``Ed-Flex'' program, currently in place as a demonstration program 
in 12 states. Under Ed-Flex, the Department of Education allows states 
to grant local school districts waivers to certain federal regulations 
if the state believes such a waiver would enhance local school reform 
efforts. I believe it is important for those of us in Washington to 
recognize that local officials, parents, teachers and students are 
often in a better position to creatively and effectively address the 
particular educational issues being faced in their communities. H.R. 
800 will allow localities the flexibility to begin responding to the 
unique needs of their school systems, and I embrace any measure that 
will help our children obtain the top-quality education they need and 
deserve.
  I must voice some concern that the accountability provisions of H.R. 
800 are not as strong as they should be. I am, for example, 
disappointed that this body did not agree to the Miller-Kildee 
amendment, which would have required states to have in place a viable 
plan for assessing student achievement, as well as concrete goals for 
such achievement. In addition, it must be clearly understood that, 
although Ed-Flex can be an important component of our education reform 
efforts this session, many critical issues remain to be addressed, such 
as class size, school safety and student discipline.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Ed-Flex 
today, not because it solves all of our problems, but because it 
represents a substantive bipartisan effort to begin addressing the many 
difficulties which plague our local school systems. I am pleased that 
we are getting an early start in meeting our obligations to America's 
students, and I look forward to confronting these crucial education 
issues as the 106th Congress continues.

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