[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5651-S5652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S5651]]
                           HISPANIC EDUCATION

  Mr. REID. Madam President, we speak frequently of America's security 
needs and we do it with understanding. It is important to understand, 
though, that the strength and security of our Nation requires more than 
bombs and bullets and our brave men and women in uniform. The future of 
our great country will be determined by our children and our 
grandchildren, and their futures in turn will be shaped by the 
education they receive today.
  So what is a higher priority for America than educating our children 
and making sure all children have the tools and opportunity to succeed?
  In the future, classrooms and communities all across America will 
resemble those we already see in the State of Nevada where students 
from racial and ethnic minorities comprise an increasing percentage of 
the school population. The Presiding Officer knows about which I speak, 
being from the State of Florida which is diverse in nationalities, 
ethnic groups, religions. It is a State of great diversity, as is 
Nevada.
  This is new in Nevada. It has been longstanding in Florida. Nevada's 
schools now serve a large and rapidly growing number of Latino 
students, including many with limited English language proficiency. The 
Clark County School District, Las Vegas, is the sixth largest school 
district in America, with about 240,000 students. Over 25 percent of 
those students are Hispanic, and we support programs that provide all 
students the resources they need. Therefore, we must keep in mind the 
educational needs of Hispanic children. They have special needs in many 
instances.
  My Democratic colleagues and I will host our third annual Hispanic 
Leadership Summit this week. We have invited 100 Hispanic leaders from 
across the country to share their ideas and work together on key issues 
facing the Hispanic community. Certainly education will continue to be 
a top priority for the Democratic caucus.

  Health care, jobs, the economy, immigration, and civil rights will 
also be among the priorities on our agenda, and we will speak about 
these subjects with Hispanic leaders who will come to Washington this 
week.
  Though education is viewed as a local issue because most decisions 
are made by local leaders, school boards, principals, teachers and 
parents, the Federal Government should and does play an important role 
in helping to educate our youth.
  Congress and President Bush agreed last year to work together to 
improve the quality of education in America's public schools. We worked 
in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act and passed a strong educational reform program that 
requires States to set high standards for every student and strengthen 
Federal incentives to boost low-performing schools and significantly 
improve educational achievement.
  The legislation even had a catchy name: The No Child Left Behind Act. 
Unfortunately, though, President Bush has not backed up his rhetoric 
with the resources our children need. Just 1 month after signing 
educational reform into law, the so-called No Child Left Behind Act, he 
proposed a budget to cut almost $100 million in funding for the No 
Child Left Behind Act. To highlight the impact of the Federal budget, 
for example, on Nevada's schools, I hosted an Appropriations Committee 
field hearing in Las Vegas this spring. We heard compelling testimony 
about programs that have worked and passionate appeals for continued 
support.
  I, for one, will do all I can to restore funding for successful 
educational programs that President Bush wants to cut. My Democratic 
colleagues will join with me in this effort.

  The Secretary of Education conducted townhall meetings in Las Vegas 
shortly after our hearing--actually north of Las Vegas--as part of the 
President's Commission on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
  I am pleased Secretary Paige visited Las Vegas so he could learn 
about the challenges that teachers and students face. While the entire 
Nation is struggling with overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages, 
these problems are particularly severe in Nevada, the fastest growing 
State in the country.
  At the hearing that I held, one of the witnesses was a young man by 
the name of Alberto Maldonado. This was a hearing of the Appropriations 
Committee. Alberto was born in Mexico City and moved to Las Vegas when 
he was 15 years old. At age 15, he did not speak a word of English, and 
he was mainstreamed into the schools. He enrolled in the 10th grade at 
Las Vegas High School.
  On the first day of school, Alberto was terrified. He walked into the 
school not understanding a word of English or certainly much of our 
culture. He now recalls with gratitude, he testified, the names of his 
teachers in his English Language Learners Program and how they 
influenced his life. Ms. Hernandez and Ms. Williams taught him English 
words and sentence construction. Mr. Luna helped him learn about 
English culture, and Ms. Monroy helped him learn to write English and 
to read advanced materials.
  Just 1 year after this young man, who could not speak a word of 
English, enrolled in his new school, he passed the Nevada High School 
Proficiency Examination in reading, writing, and mathematics. In his 
senior year, he served as vice president of the Student Organization of 
Latinos. After graduating from Las Vegas High School, Alberto attended 
community college and went on to work with mentally and physically 
challenged children.
  He is a bright young man, and the reason I am sharing his story today 
is because right now, there are tens of thousands just like Alberto in 
Clark County--students who need to participate in the English Language 
Learners Program if they are to have any hope of achieving the American 
dream.
  It is estimated there are 40,000 students just like Alberto. By the 
2004-2005 school year, there will be almost 90,000 who will need these 
services. I cannot understand why, at a time when our Nation needs to 
support education more than ever, our President wants to freeze funding 
for English Language Acquisition and Bilingual Education Programs.
  Nevada also has the Nation's highest dropout rate. It is nothing I am 
proud of, but it is a fact. One out of every 10 high school seniors in 
Nevada drops out of school. This does not count those who dropped out 
before they even got to high school.
  The Dropout Prevention Program, which was authorized as part of the 
No Child Left Behind Act, which was pushed strongly by Senator Bingaman 
and me, is the only Federal educational program specifically targeted 
to dropouts. The Hispanic community suffers from a persistently high 
dropout rate, higher than any other ethnic group. Yet the President 
wants to eliminate this dropout prevention program.
  It is the only program, I repeat, that deals with dropouts. I hope he 
will reconsider the administration's plans to eliminate a program of 
such great importance for youth across America, including Hispanic 
students who already have a high risk for dropping out of school.
  There is another program called the GEAR UP program which supports 
early college awareness for low-income youth starting in middle school 
and helps them complete high school and enter college. Over one-third 
of the students in the GEAR UP program are Hispanic.
  This program is critical for Hispanic students who are more likely 
than any other students to drop out of high school and, consequently, 
less likely than others to attend and complete college. Again, I have a 
hard time understanding how, as our Latino population continues to 
increase, the President wants to freeze funding for yet another program 
that is critical to the long-term success of Hispanic Americans. But 
this is yet another example of saying the right thing without paying 
for it.
  The No Child Left Behind Act provides a blueprint for educational 
reform. Real reform cannot occur without real resources. Without 
adequate funding, it is reform in name only. That is not enough. We can 
do better. We must do better.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.

[[Page S5652]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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