[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   H.R. 1 EXPANDS CHOICE FOR PARENTS

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, children should not be trapped in failing 
schools where they cannot possibly reach their fullest educational 
potential. That is why H.R. 1 includes a school choice program that 
enables parents to remove their children from schools that, as 
President Bush says, do not teach and will not change.
  Before giving parents the option of sending their children to another 
school, H.R. 1 gives low-performing schools the chance to improve by 
offering them financial assistance to increase student achievement. If 
these schools do not make adequate progress after 2 years, parents will 
be able to send their children to another public school. After 3 years 
of chronic failure, disadvantaged students will be eligible for private 
school scholarships.
  H.R. 1, it should be noted, aims to bolster failing public schools by 
giving them special financial help. But more funding cannot be the 
final remedy. There must be a safety valve that allows children to 
escape continually low-performing schools.
  It goes without saying that we are all committed to improving the 
quality of our Nation's schools; but first and foremost, students 
themselves should be our most pressing concern. And it is our 
responsibility to empower parents to make the right decision for their 
children's future.

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