[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E999-E1000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

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                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2007

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to America's 
teachers and commemorate them for the infinite number of ways they make 
us a better nation by inspiring our children to think beyond the bounds 
of home, school and community.
  Today is National Teacher Day and this is Teacher Appreciation Week. 
National Teacher Day, sponsored by the National Education Association, 
is a time for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting 
contributions they make to our lives and to our communities.
  While this year's theme for National Teacher Day is ``Great Teachers 
Make Great Public Schools,'' all of us must also remember that great 
teachers make a better tomorrow for all

[[Page E1000]]

of us. Teacher Appreciation Week is sponsored by the National PTA and 
is a time to strengthen support and respect for teachers.
  One of the top priorities of the fiscally responsible budget recently 
passed by the House of Representatives was to put our children and 
families first by increasing investments in education and expanding 
access to a high-quality education for all of America's children.
  Unfortunately, the President's fiscal year 2008 budget cut education 
funding by $1.5 billion below this year's level--at a time of record 
school enrollments and the challenging academic requirements of No 
Child Left Behind.
  In sharp contrast, the budget passed by the House reverses the 
administration's policy of under-investing in education for our 
children. It rejects the President's proposal to cut funding for the 
Department of Education by $1.5 billion below the 2007 enacted level 
and eliminate 44 different programs, instead providing for new 
investments in vital programs such as Head Start, special education 
(IDEA), Title I and other programs under the No Child Left Behind Act.
  Overall, the House budget provides for investments of nearly $8 
billion more for 2008 and 11 percent more over the next 5 years for 
education and training than the President deemed necessary.
  To see the future, we must stand on the shoulders of giants, and 
giants in our local communities are our school teachers who--despite 
the many challenges they face in classrooms each day--get up every day 
to teach and inspire our children.
  On this day, let us remember why the House--in our recent budget--
invested in our schools to ensure that our teachers have the tools and 
resources they need. Only when teachers have all they need to teach, 
can they give our children the high-quality education necessary to 
succeed in this increasingly competitive global economy.

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