[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E929-E930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) to close 
     the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and 
     choice, so that no child is left behind:

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, as the father of two young children in the 
public school system, I have a vested interest in supporting any 
measures that will further strengthen the current system. Ensuring that 
our children have access to every educational opportunity necessary to 
achieve is my top priority in Congress.
  The provisions contained in H.R. 1 will give states and local school 
districts the flexibility and decision-making authority they need to 
address the individual needs of their students and teachers. Paperwork 
mandates and regulations force states and local school districts to 
sacrifice student achievement in order to comply with bureaucracy; 
thus, taking time away from teaching. Giving state and local officials 
additional flexibility helps them tailor programs to more closely meet 
students' unique needs and priorities--whether it be through additional 
focus on teacher training and professional development or additional 
funding for technology needs or class size reduction. I firmly believe 
that local school districts, not Washington, know best what the needs 
of our children are and although the federal government can and should 
play an important role in our education system, it should not be the 
guiding force.
  In Michigan and throughout the country, an alarming number of 
children enter school without the language and literacy foundation 
necessary to succeed in school. Many children are incapable of 
deciphering that letters make up words and that words carry meaning. 
This problem spans all socioeconomic backgrounds and leads to children 
entering school behind their classmates before they even get started. 
Therefore, I am extremely pleased by the enormous step forward H.R. 1 
takes toward focusing on effective, proven methods of reading 
instruction and triples federal literacy funding from the present $300 
million to $900 million in 2002. Furthermore, this legislation 
authorizes $5 billion over the next five years on reading programs for 
children between kindergarten and third grade.
  At a time when our economy is slowing and we are facing fiscal 
restraint here in Washington, our commitment to funding education has 
never been stronger. H.R. 1 provides for a $4.6 billion increase, which 
represents an eight percent increase over current year funding for K-12 
programs. This is funding that is primarily directed toward the 
economically disadvantaged. While dollars alone are not the

[[Page E930]]

answer, combined with greater local autonomy over how those dollars can 
be spent, allows for targeted efforts on behalf of every school in my 
district. This could mean an increase in teacher salaries for the 
Lansing School District or extra computers for the Saline School 
District. Ensuring our school districts have the necessary resources to 
be successful is a positive step in the right direction.
  I am voting yes on H.R. 1 because it provides school districts with 
greater flexibility, a strong focus on reading initiatives and 
increased funding for quality programs. After listening to the 
constituents of my district, I am confident that these are reforms that 
we can all support for the benefit of our children's future.

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