[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H2552-H2553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EDUCATION

  (Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

[[Page H2553]]

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, last September, I toured Daniel Boone 
School in Chicago to see firsthand its overcrowded conditions. Boone 
School has an enrollment of 1,100 students, 300 more than the school 
can reasonably accommodate.
  Classes were being held in hallways, and students were learning in 
makeshift classrooms like the teachers' lounge and cafeteria. Three 
different classes were being taught in the same room at the same time.
  Last week, I returned to Boone School; and I am sad to report that 
nothing has changed. Classes are still being held in hallways and 
teachers' lounges. But what moved me most was the seventh grade girl 
who stood up and looked me in the eye and said, ``You came last 
September, how come nothing is changed; and when will we see 
improvements in our school.'' That is a legitimate and tough question.
  Boone School, however, is not alone. Eighty-nine percent of Illinois 
schools are in need of repair, rebuilding, or upgrade. How can we 
expect to deliver the best quality education to our students when they 
are learning about gravity from falling ceiling tiles. It is just 
unacceptable to send our children to 19th century schools when we go 
into the 21st century.
  Yesterday, a study released by the NEA shows that it costs $322 
billion to repair and modernize American schools. I urge my colleagues 
to support H.R. 4094, America's Better Classroom Act of 2000.

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