[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     DIRECT CHECK FOR EDUCATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 1999

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, when I talk with parents, teachers 
principals and school administrators throughout Southern Missouri, it 
becomes very clear that much needs to be done to strengthen our local 
school systems. Aging facilities, increasing class sizes, and tight 
funding are placing a tremendous strain on the quality of education 
available for our children. And no two school districts are alike in 
their specific needs. Whether it's building new classrooms, repairing a 
hole in the gymnasium roof, hiring more teachers, or acquiring new 
computers or test books, only the parents, educators, and locally 
elected school boards really know what priorities need to be met in 
their schools.
  There is no question that our local school districts are faced with 
significant challenges in preparing our children for the future. 
Unfortunately, our current federal education programs falling well 
short in assisting our communities to succeed. One of the problems is 
that 35 percent of federal education funds are spent on meeting the 
operation budgets of the more than 760 federal education programs 
spread out between 39 different agencies. This means that only 65 cents 
of each education dollar is actually making it to our classrooms. This 
diversion of funds is particularly burdensome on rural communities. 
Southern Missouri's school districts are limited in local funding 
options and we simply need more of our federal education dollars 
returned to us.
  Another significant problem is the burdensome federal regulations and 
mandates that tie schools' hands and cut into educators' valuable 
teaching time. According to Vice President Gore's National Performance 
Review, if a local school district decides to apply for a Department of 
Education grant, the entire process takes 26 weeks and 487 steps from 
beginning to end. That's 6 months and countless hours spent on applying 
for a grant--all without any guarantee that the funds will be approved. 
I have heard from teachers in Southern Missouri who personally spend up 
to three days out of the week writing grants and filing out paperwork. 
This is time that our teachers--who are already overloaded with large 
classes and limited resources--could be dedicating to planning lessons, 
teaching their classes, and reviewing student's work. It seems to me 
that our education system needs fewer bureaucrats in Washington 
crunching numbers and dreaming up federal mandates and more teachers in 
our local schools educating our children.
  I introduced legislation that begins to address the problems of 
funding and over regulation in our nation's education policy. My 
legislation--known as the: ``District Check for Education Act,'' or 
simply ``Direct Check''--would consolidate several Department of 
Education competitive grant programs and return federal education 
dollars directly to the local school or school district based on the 
number of students served. ``Direct Check'' funds are not tied to any 
burdensome federal regulations or mandates, and they can be used for 
purchasing text books, computers and technology, teachers' salaries, 
and classroom construction or renovation. Other allowable uses of these 
funds include literacy programs, job training initiatives, and drug and 
alcohol programs.
  Education is a national priority, but it is a local responsibility. 
It has always been carried out and implemented at the local level. The 
bottom line is that no Department of Education bureaucrat who lives and 
works in the city of Washington, DC or its suburbs can possibly 
understand the educational needs of our children in rural Southern 
Missouri. My ``Direct Check'' bill empowers local school districts by 
giving them the control and flexibility to use federal education 
dollars in a way that best meets their priorities for improving the 
education system for their children. And by freeing up resources and 
giving them directly to local school districts, we can help preserve 
and strengthen our American public education tradition as we head into 
the 21st Century.




                          ____________________