[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 135 (Wednesday, October 25, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H10815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EDUCATION IS AN AMERICAN PROBLEM

  (Mr. FORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, to all of my colleagues, it is interesting 
when I hear and all of us in this debate about Federal versus local. 
Let us just deal with the facts for one moment.
  Ninety-four cents of every dollar raised and spent for public 
education is raised and spent at the local level. Virtually all the 
policy setting authority for all of our schools across the country, in 
my district in Memphis and in districts all across this country, is 
done at the State and local level.
  If we want to point fingers or blame people, we have to blame locals 
for our problem. But I am not in the business of blaming. What my local 
school districts suggest they want, Democrats, Republicans, 
conservatives and liberals, big government people and little government 
people, are actual solutions. They want help.
  They have problems because kids are learning in trailer homes in my 
colleagues' districts and in our districts all across the country. They 
have problems because they have kids learning in closets and bathrooms 
in schools all across this country.
  Now, we can sit here and pretend that this debate is meaningful and 
useful about Federal or local, liberal or conservative, Democrat or 
Republican. Reality is that there are kids that are not learning, there 
are kids that are caught in bathrooms and closets and trailer homes all 
across this country, because we would rather debate whether it is a 
local or Federal problem.
  This is an American problem. I hope all of my colleagues will do the 
right thing and pass the education bill.

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