[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 4, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H1479-H1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING LUTHERAN SCHOOLS
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 106) congratulating Lutheran schools, students,
parents, teachers, administrators, and congregations across the Nation
for their ongoing contributions to education, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 106
Whereas the Nation's Lutheran schools deliver high-quality
education and challenge students to reach their potential;
Whereas there are 4,841 Lutheran early childhood centers,
elementary schools, and secondary schools in the United
States served by 40,076 teachers;
Whereas the Nation's total Lutheran school student
enrollment is 572,877;
Whereas Lutheran schools produce students strongly
dedicated to their faith, values, and morals by providing an
environment that encourages honesty, trust, respect, and
responsibility; and
Whereas the week beginning on March 2, 2003, has been
established as National Lutheran Schools Week for the purpose
of recognizing the vital contributions of the Nation's
Lutheran early childhood education centers, elementary
schools, and secondary schools: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals of National Lutheran Schools Week,
which is celebrated by several synods that have educational
institutions, for the purpose of recognizing their academic
achievement; and
(2) congratulates Lutheran schools, students, parents,
teachers, administrators, and congregations across the Nation
for their ongoing contributions to education.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
General Leave
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H. Res. 106.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Delaware?
There was no objection.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 106. This resolution honors Lutheran
schools and their students, parents, teachers, administrators and
congregations for their ongoing contributions to education.
I would like to thank the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman
from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner),
the Chairman of the Committee on Education, and the Workforce for
bringing this resolution to the floor today.
In 1524, Martin Luther said that a city's best and greatest welfare,
safety and strength consists rather in its having abled, learned, wise,
honorable and well-educated citizens. Lutheran churches and schools
have long been active in meeting this mission by providing education
opportunities as early as 1640 in what is now Delaware, my home State.
In Delaware, I am proud of the contributions of the nine Lutheran
schools, the names of which I will submit here for the Record.
Concordia Lutheran Preschool, 3003 Silverside Rd,
Wilmington, DE 19610, 302.478.3876.
Faith Lutheran Preschool, 2265 Red Lion Rd, Bear, DE 19701-
1849, 302.834.3417.
Our Redeemer Preschool, 10 Johnson Rd, Newark, DE 19713,
302,737.617.
Little Ones Lutheran Preschool, 7 Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth
Beach, DE, 302.226.7860.
St. John's Elementary School, 1156 Walker Rd, Dover, DE
19904, 302.734.3767.
St. John's Early Learning Center and Day Care, 119 Lotus
St, Dover, DE 19901, 302.734.1211.
Hope Lutheran Child Care, 230 Christiana Rd., New Castle,
DE 19720, 302/328-7909.
St. Paul's Lutheran School, 701 S. College Ave., Newark, DE
19713, 302/368-0553.
Zion Lutheran Preschool/Kindergarten, 2101 Lancaster Ave.,
Wilmington, DE 19805, 302/655-7874.
Lutheran schools deliver high quality education where individuals are
challenged to reach their full academic potential. The Lutheran school
system is the largest Protestant school system in the United States and
consists of 4,841 early childhood centers, elementary schools and high
schools, over 40,000 teachers and more than 570,000 teachers.
Lutheran schools serve a diverse population. For example, in the
schools affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America,
one-third of the students and one-quarter of the staff are persons of
color, many of whom are not Lutheran. In Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
affiliated schools, 44 percent of elementary school students and 37
percent of high school students are not Lutheran.
Lutheran schools produce students strongly dedicated to their faith,
values and morals by providing an environment that encourages honesty,
trust, respect and responsibility.
National Lutheran Schools Week, celebrated this year from March 2 to
March 8, recognizes the vital contributions of America's Lutheran early
childhood education centers and elementary and secondary schools. We
congratulate Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers,
administrators and congregations across the Nation for their ongoing
contributions to education and urge my colleagues to support this
resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume, and I rise in support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague the gentleman from Nebraska
(Mr. Bereuter) for introducing this resolution because it is a good
resolution, and it gives me an opportunity to highlight the importance
and value of education in our Nation.
H. Res. 106 recognizes the contribution of Lutheran schools to the
mix of fine educational opportunities available to American children.
We are very fortunate in the United States to have such a diverse
system of education.
The goal of the education system in America, both public and private,
is to give every child in every State the opportunity to succeed, and
that recipe for success, Mr. Speaker, certainly includes Lutheran
schools, as well as other religious schools, non-religious private
schools and, of course, our public schools. It is this variety, this
diversity that makes our education system a success and makes America a
strong, strong Nation.
Mr. Speaker, as we recognize the educational contributions that
Lutheran schools make to our Nation, let us recognize, too, the
importance and value of all the many different types of schools in
America and the contributions they make to the lives of our children
and our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).
(Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the
resolution. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I
thank the leadership of the committee for bringing this resolution to
the floor in such a timely fashion.
Mr. Speaker, as a graduate of a Lutheran Elementary School myself,
St. Paul's Lutheran School of Utica, Nebraska, and an individual well
acquainted with the many first-rate Lutheran educational institutions
in his congressional district, this Member rises today to congratulate
Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers, administrators and
congregations across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to
education.
Lutherans have long been active in providing education for children.
As mentioned by the distinguished gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle),
the first Lutheran school was established in the colonies in 1640 by
Swedish Lutherans, and it was located in the State of Delaware. There
is evidence that Lutherans from Salzburg, Austria, started schools in
what is now the southern part of the United States in the 1730s.
Pastor Henry Muhlenberg, known as the patriarch of the Lutheran
Church and father of two members of the 1st
[[Page H1480]]
Congress, one the first Speaker of the House, established a significant
number of Lutheran churches and schools in Pennsylvania.
{time} 1415
By 1800, some 400 Lutheran schools dotted the east coast from New
York to Georgia.
Today, our Nation has a total of 4,842 Lutheran schools, which are
served by 40,076 teachers. This Member is proud of the 122 Lutheran
early-education centers, elementary schools, and secondary schools in
Nebraska, as well as the three Lutheran colleges and universities in
this Member's district, and those Lutheran schools located throughout
the Nation which deliver high-quality education opportunities and
challenges students to reach their full academic and spiritual
potential.
Not only are Lutheran schools known for their academic quality but
for their ability to aid in their students' moral development. These
institutions provide spiritual guidance to students, instilling
fundamental values that are crucial to personal development. Through
their education, Lutheran schoolchildren gain an appreciation of the
importance in their lives of family values, community service, and in
their religious faith. This in turn has helped shape students of
Lutheran schools into good civic and educational leaders for America,
past, present and future.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this Member urges his colleagues to support
the resolution honoring the contributions of Lutheran schools in
American education; and I thank the cosponsors of the resolution, which
are numerous.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this
piece of legislation rapidly to the floor. As my kids went to school
yesterday, I got a chance to drop them off and in front was a big
banner saying ``Lutheran Schools Week.'' So I got to do it officially
yesterday and I get to do it, I guess, officially now on the floor
today; but I rise today in recognition of National Lutheran Schools
Week, which began on March 2 of this week.
Mr. Speaker, I am a graduate of a Lutheran school, Holy Cross
Lutheran School, in my hometown of Collinsville, Illinois. My father
also attended this school. And a known fact is that my first grade
teacher was my father's first grade teacher, a patriarch of education
in Collinsville, Miss Bohland. It is a story I like to tell quite a
lot. I also had a fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Richter, who taught me and
who I tried to keep from retiring so that I could tell the same story
for my sons, or so they could tell the same story. But she retired to
an enjoyable life and is still very active in the church.
That is really something to be said, when you have that longevity in
a teacher in a grade school. Two generations. And it is something that
makes Lutheran schools a critical aspect of our society. My three sons
now attend. David is 10, Joshua is 7, and Daniel will be attending next
year in the preschool program, but who does get involved in the Sunday
school program on Sunday and the weekends. My wife even teaches music
at Holy Cross Lutheran School with the church programs and the choirs
and all that stuff. So Lutheran schools have been a key component of my
life for many, many years.
Before I became a Member of Congress, I returned to Illinois to teach
government history at a Lutheran high school, Metro-East High School in
Edwardsville, Illinois. As a teacher, I had the opportunity to instill
the fundamental values and morals of the Christian faith, which is
involved in the total educational aspect of the school. Parental
involvement is key in Christian education; and Lutheran doctrine talks
a lot about law and gospel, how we are condemned by the law but saved
through God's saving grace, which is a critical aspect of the Christian
faith, but it ties very neatly into the educational program.
In teaching kids to achieve all they can achieve, we know that you
can never get 100 percent all the time, and there are failures along
the way. That is where in the law and gospel aspect of education, the
foundational principle of what makes Lutheran schools an exciting place
to be, is that the constant love and compassion and actually the gospel
aspect of forgiveness is involved in the educational setting.
Today, approximately 572,877 students attend Lutheran schools; and
over 40,000 teachers provide an environment that encourages honesty,
trust, respect, and responsibility. This also is a benefit to society
because that are half a million kids that are not burdening, if we
would call it a burden, to society. It is not an additional cost to the
public school system. So the parents who choose Lutheran education, or
perhaps Catholic education or other types of private schooling, take
these kids out of the public school arena where more of the tax dollars
can then work in public education, which I think is an additional
benefit. Sometimes we forget that.
I am proud of the education that the students are able to receive
from dedicated parents and teachers because of the efforts of Lutheran
educators. Students throughout my district in central and southern
Illinois receive spiritual guidance through an outstanding learning
environment. I would like to congratulate the Lutheran schools,
parents, teachers, administrators, and congregations across the Nation
for their outstanding work in educating our youth.
One of the primary aspects of Martin Luther, when he changed the
course of history, in essence the Protestant revolution, was education
of the great masses, actually the education of children and youth. That
is why the Lutheran faith education has a critical pillar in what we do
on a day-to-day basis.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I
also thank the sponsor for bringing this legislation forward.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), a new member of the Committee on
Education and the Workforce.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman
for yielding me this time, and I too want to join with my colleagues in
congratulating Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers, and
members of the congregation for outstanding contributions they have
made and continue to make in education.
In my congressional district, they are indeed the mainstay for early
childhood education. Lutheran Family Services provides any number of
early childhood education programs; and we are fortunate to have one of
the top high schools in the State, Trinity Lutheran, in our
congressional district, where practically all of the young people who
come through end up going to college. It has been, and continues to be,
an outstanding institution.
I want to commend and congratulate all of those who are a part of the
Lutheran congregations for the outstanding contributions that they have
made and continue to make to education.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to simply say that we support this resolution, and I am proud to be
here doing that.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to
thank the sponsor of the legislation and the other cosponsors with him,
as well as all those who came to the floor to speak today about this
subject of a great deal of significance in terms of education in this
country; part of the overall global education that means so much to our
young people. I encourage everybody to support this legislation.
Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lutheran Schools for
their continuing contributions to educating young Americans. Lutheran
schools impact not only the intellectual life of our Nation's youth but
also their moral, physical, and social lives.
The Lutheran schools in Louisiana deliver high-quality education and
challenge students to reach their potential. The administrators and
faculty provide students an environment that encourages honesty, trust
and responsibility.
This year more than half a million students in the United States will
be enriched by their Lutheran school education. America's Lutheran
schools are internationally acclaimed for their academic excellence and
can boast a student-teacher ration of 14 to 1.
[[Page H1481]]
During National Lutheran Schools Week and throughout the year, I
salute the Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers,
administrators, and congregations across the Nation for their ongoing
contributions to education.
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
allowing me to offer my comments congratulating Lutheran schools.
In his 1524 letter, ``to the councilmen of all cities in Germany that
they establish and maintain Christian schools,'' Martin Luther wrote,
``My dear sirs, if we have to spend such large sums every year on guns,
roads, bridges and dams, and countless items to ensure the temporal
peace and prosperity of a city, why should not more be devoted to the
poor neglected youth--at least enough to engage one or two competent
men to teach school?''
Since this very humble request, the Lutheran Church's role in
educating our young has flourished. There are currently 4,821 Lutheran
schools operating in America, instructing over half a million students.
These schools not only provide a traditional education, but also
produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, values, and morals
by providing an environment that encourages honesty, trust, respect,
and responsibility.
In a world which faces such grave social, political, and economic
choices as ours today, it is especially important to remember the words
of Martin Luther and recognize the contribution that the Lutheran
Church has made to education in our own Nation and around the world. I
congratulate our Lutheran schools and I thank them for all that they
have done for the spiritual and educational well-being of our youth.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 106.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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