[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 4 (Monday, January 24, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S138-S139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONFIRMATION OF MARGARET SPELLINGS AS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for Ms. 
Margaret Spellings as our new Secretary of Education.
  This is a key position at a key time. As I travel around the great 
State of

[[Page S139]]

Utah, there is no single issue area of greater concern than education. 
I am proud of the way Utah has been educating the children of my State. 
Our schools and teachers are among some of the best anywhere. Although 
we spend less per student than many other States, we are getting a 
great bang for our buck.
  As a strong supporter of education, I have been pleased to play an 
active role in every piece of education reform legislation that has 
come before the Congress in the past 28 years. I attended public 
schools, as did my children and now my grandchildren, and I have faith 
in our Nation's schools. I look forward to working closely with Ms. 
Spellings and the Department of Education, particularly as I return to 
the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  I have been impressed by the President's complete confidence in Ms. 
Spellings and her ability to serve our Nation and its most valuable 
asset, our children, as our top educator.
  While Ms. Spellings' credentials and experience are very impressive, 
none is greater than her role as a mother and primary educator of her 
two daughters, Mary and Grace. Without a doubt, the home is the 
greatest classroom.
  We are all aware of Ms. Spellings' background of service in Texas as 
chief education advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush. I have been 
pleased to work with Ms. Spellings during the past four years in her 
capacity as the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Since 
the announcement of her nomination by President Bush, I have received 
numerous letters in support of Ms. Spellings by various groups and 
individuals concerned about education issues.
  Education is the hallmark of domestic issues. While I believe our 
Nation's education system ranks among the finest in the world, we can 
still make improvements. Funding for schools is vital, and I have 
consistently supported federal funding to assist our Nation's teachers, 
schools, and students. I will continue to support programs to enrich 
and improve our school system.
  Ms. Spellings has indicated her strong commitment to the No Child 
Left Behind Act, NCLB, signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 
2002. I have been supportive of NCLB. Even those who don't agree with 
everything in NCLB agree that they are now focused on making sure every 
child is progressing, and they are using innovative approaches to 
tracking student achievement and motivating them to meet the new 
standards.
  For example, an inner-city school in Utah with a large number of 
students in low-income, non-English-speaking families is using funds 
from NCLB to purchase a student tracking database that shows how each 
child is doing in each subject with every teacher. They know who needs 
the extra help and in what areas. They are enlisting the support of 
parents, teachers, and the community to make sure that these kids get 
the help they need. And they are having great results. Test scores are 
up. Honor roll is up. Parents are more satisfied. Students are taking 
pride in their education. And, that's what NCLB is all about.
  Of course, this does not mean the law is perfect. We need to fund it 
better, and too many schools do not make Annual Yearly Progress or AYP 
because they just do not understand what is required, or misinterpreted 
the law. I think it is going to take some time to adjust. We need to 
continue to do what is working in NCLB and look at what is not.
  Utah has been in the forefront of the debate and was one of the first 
States to make moves toward possibly opting out of No Child Left 
Behind, due in part to concerns about retaining State control and 
objections to federal mandates without sufficient funding.
  Make no mistake, I am a strong advocate for local control of 
education and want to make sure that there is sufficient flexibility 
for our States. I trust that the Department of Education will keep open 
lines of communication with the States and localities as we work 
together to ensure that truly no child is left behind.
  I was particularly pleased that during her hearing before the Senate 
HELP Committee, Ms. Spellings accepted my invitation to personally 
visit Utah to meet with legislators and educators there. We look 
forward to her visit.
  With her confirmation, Ms. Spellings will replace Secretary Roderick 
Paige. I would like to take a moment to note outgoing Secretary 
Roderick Paige's service. During his tenure, he led the implementation 
of major education reforms. He showed great commitment to providing our 
children a quality education, notwithstanding their circumstances, 
thereby honoring the pledge to leave no child behind. While so doing, 
Secretary Paige demonstrated willingness to consider certain 
adjustments in an effort to align the implementation of the No Child 
Left Behind Act with the intent of the law. We thank him for his 
service.
  Without a doubt, Ms. Spellings has many challenges ahead, but I am 
confident that she will serve our country with dedication and 
distinction.
  I yield the floor.

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