[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 147 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12381-S12382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama, and Mr. 
        Sanders):
  S. 2122. A bill to amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 to reduce class size through the use of highly 
qualified teachers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to join my colleague, 
Senator Murray, in introducing legislation--the Facilitating 
Outstanding Classrooms Using Size Reduction (FOCUS) Act of 2007--that 
will provide $2 billion in funding to help, States and school districts 
hire 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size, particularly in the 
early grades.
  When a teacher is responsible for a classroom of 25, 30, or more 
students, how can we expect each student to receive enough time and 
attention? One pillar of our education system should be small classes. 
The body of research around class size has consistently shown that 
smaller classes improve student performance, including reading and 
mathematics, in the early grades as well as in subsequent years when 
students are placed in larger classes. Research also shows that at the 
end of fifth grade, students who were in small classes in first through 
third grades were about half a school year ahead of students from 
larger classes in all core subjects--reading, language arts, math, and 
science. Additionally, studies have found that students from small 
classes earn better grades in high school, take more advanced courses, 
and are more likely to take college-entrance exams. They are also more 
likely to graduate from high school than students in larger classes.
  Small classes also enable teachers to teach better. Any teacher will 
tell you that small classes make a difference. Small classes allow 
teachers to spend more time on instruction, get to know their students 
better, spend less time on discipline problems, and better identify 
students who need individually tailored assistance. The difference 
between teaching large classes and teaching small classes is 
substantial, and the pedagogy required for each differs.
  I have stood with Senator Murray on previous legislation to reduce 
class size in our Nation's schools, and I am proud to stand with her 
again today in support of a class size reduction bill. The bill we 
offer today strengthens our earlier efforts to reduce class size. 
First--the FOCUS Act would provide a dedicated funding stream for class 
size reduction. The No Child Left Behind Act incorporated the Class 
Size Reduction Program into title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act. The Murray-Biden FOCUS Act would create a separate 
funding stream in title V for the class size reduction initiative--
ensuring that efforts to reduce class size would not have to compete

[[Page S12382]]

for funding with a broad array of other teacher and administrator 
professional development and training funds.
  Another provision that has been added are instructions that States 
and schools districts allocate their funding in a manner that creates a 
continuum of small classes for students as they progress from 
kindergarten to third grade and beyond. Research has shown that the 
benefits of attending small classes are the greatest for students in 
kindergarten through third grade, with further benefits accruing to 
those students for each additional year spent in small classes. The 
ultimate goal is that a student in the kindergarten grade matriculates 
through first, second, and third grades--each with an average class 
size of 18 students or less.
  The bill also establishes a Web-based National Clearinghouse on Class 
Size that would provide research, best practices, and resources for 
small classroom instruction. This information needs to be broadly 
available and easily accessible to the education community as well as 
the public.
  Additionally, the legislation requires an independent evaluation to 
be conducted to determine the impact and effectiveness of the 
initiative and the National Center for Education Statistics to report 
on average class size data. It is imperative that we understand, 
objectively, how these funds are spent, and what outcomes are achieved.
  Mr. President, the ultimate success of our education system depends 
on teachers. Ask any teacher if it matters whether they are teaching a 
class of 18 students or 25 students and you will get the same answer 
every time: absolutely. Smaller classes will provide teachers with the 
resources they need to create the opportunities for learning that our 
students deserve.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. GREGG (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Dodd, 
        Ms. Collins, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Domenici, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
        Martinez, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Snowe, Mr. 
        Obama, Mr. Specter, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Brown, Mr. Stevens, Mr. 
        Lieberman, Mr. Sununu, and Mr. Pryor):
  S. 2123. A bill to provide collective bargaining rights for public 
safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is a privilege to join Senator Gregg 
today in reintroducing the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation 
Act, to guarantee that all firefighters, police officers, emergency 
medical personnel, and other first responders across the country have 
fundamental collective bargaining rights. The issue is one of basic 
respect for this valuable workforce, and I urge all of my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan bill.
  The first responders of our State and local governments are on the 
front lines of the effort to keep America safe. They perform difficult, 
exhausting work, day and night, to preserve and protect our 
communities. In this post-9/11 era, they have an indispensable role in 
homeland security as well. It is vital to our national interest to 
ensure that these essential public services are carried out as 
effectively as possible.
  Strong partnerships between first responders and the cities and 
States they serve are vital to public safety. Studies show that 
cooperation between public safety employers and employees improves the 
quality of services communities receive and reduces worker fatalities. 
These strong, cooperative partnerships are built on bargaining 
relationships. Every New York City firefighter, emergency medical 
technician, and police officer who responded to the disaster at the 
World Trade Center on 9/11 was a union member under a collective 
bargaining agreement, and those agreements strengthened their ability 
to respond in that time of crisis.
  Unfortunately, many first responders across the country do not have 
basic workplace protections. Twenty-nine States and the District of 
Columbia guarantee all public safety workers the right to bargain 
collectively, but 21 States deny some or all of their public safety 
workers this fundamental right.
  Our Nation's first responders have earned the right to be treated 
with respect. The Cooperation Act will ensure that they receive that 
respect and will benefit from the same protections enjoyed by many 
other workers across the country. The bill gives public safety officers 
the right to bargain over wages, hours, and working conditions, and 
ensures that these rights are enforceable in State court. It also 
provides an efficient and effective means to resolve disputes in labor-
management conflicts.
  The Cooperation Act accomplishes these important goals in reasonable, 
moderate ways. States that already have collective bargaining in place 
for public safety workers are not affected by the bill. States that do 
not currently provide these protections may establish their own 
collective bargaining systems or ask the assistance of the Federal 
Labor Relations Authority in doing so. This approach respects existing 
State laws and gives each State full authority to decide how it will 
comply with the basic standards.
  America's public safety workers are prepared to put their lives on 
the line for their community each and every day. They deserve a voice 
at the table in the life-and-death decisions about their work. It is 
essential for their safety, the safety of our communities, and the 
safety of our entire Nation. It is a matter of basic fairness for these 
courageous men and women to have the same rights that have long 
benefited so many other Americans. I urge Congress to act quickly to 
provide these fundamental protections.

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