[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 108 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1044-E1045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          STUDENT SUCCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5) to 
     support State and local accountability for public education, 
     protect State and local authority, inform parents of the 
     performance of their children's schools, and for other 
     purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5, the 
``Student Success Act,'' which would harm the education of our nation's 
youth.
  I thank Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Scott, and all the members of 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their work to improve 
education for our nation's children.
  Unfortunately, the bill before the House for consideration, should it 
become law, would harm our most vulnerable children, including those 
who attend urban and rural schools, and special needs children who need 
equal access to an excellent education.
  In my 18th District of Texas, over 30% of students in the Houston 
Independent School district (HISD) live below the poverty line.
  H.R. 5 threatens to cut over $17 million from HISD, one of the 
largest reductions in Title I funding in the state of Texas.
  I cannot stand by and support legislation that takes funds and 
resources away from children who are already struggling to meet their 
own basic needs.
  This bill allows Title I ``portability'' which would allow states to 
redirect funds away from high concentrations of poverty and siphon 
monies to low-poverty schools.
  This proposal, if enacted, would allow states to redirect funds away 
from districts with the highest concentrations of poverty, and into

[[Page E1045]]

more affluent districts with less need for such support.
  The vast majority of the children affected by ``portability,'' are 
black or Hispanic.
  As legislators, as Americans, we have a generational responsibility 
to enhance the lives of those who will follow us, especially the most 
vulnerable.
  H.R. 5 guts education funding, while diverting funds away from high-
poverty schools by freezing funding at FY 2015 levels for six years, 
which represents over $800 million in cuts to these programs compared 
to pre-sequester funding.
  Mr. Chair, what does it say about our commitment to our youth that we 
are willing to cut funding for the future leaders of America?
  For decades, we threw money at education without making sure our 
schools were actually improving, or whether we were giving teachers the 
tools they need, or whether our taxpayer dollars were being used 
effectively.
  And our students too often paid the price.
  The bill as it exists now allows for the establishment of separate, 
lower standards for students with developmental disabilities.
  As a result of these standards, opportunities available for students 
with disabilities later in life would suffer considerably.
  H.R. 5 converts much of the funding currently directed at English 
learners, migrant students, or at-risk students into block-grants, 
which would enable those funds to be spent outside the target 
populations.
  Support for these students would also be eroded by suspending 
requirements that school districts improve the English-speaking ability 
of such students.
  It is my concern as H.R. 5 is currently drafted abdicates the 
historic Federal role in elementary and secondary education of ensuring 
the educational progress of all of America's students, including 
students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English 
learners, and students of color.
  `No Child Left Behind' needs to be fixed, but Republicans are pushing 
a bill that would gut education funding, eliminate and weaken 
protections for disadvantaged students, does not provide a well-rounded 
education for all students, and does not support educators.
  The Statement of Administration Policy from the Obama administration 
agrees on the need for high-quality statewide annual testing as 
required in H.R. 5, so parents and teachers know how children and 
schools are doing from year to year and to allow for consistent 
measurement of school and student performance across the State.
  However the administration has stated that this bill should do more 
to reduce redundant and unnecessary testing, such as asking States to 
limit the amount of time spent on standardized testing and requiring 
parental notification when testing is consuming too much classroom 
learning time.
  In its current state the Obama administration recommends a veto of 
H.R. 5.
  It is sobering to me, as the founder and co-chair of the 
Congressional Children's Caucus and someone who has long advocated on 
behalf of young people from all backgrounds, to see a bill that would 
have such a negative impact on the very children who need our help the 
most.
  In addition to these sad truths, the bill currently under 
consideration would strike a devastating blow to our schools' ability 
to provide the variety of programs that our children deserve.
  It repeals dedicated funding for programs such as student safety, 
after and summer school programming, STEM education, education 
technology, arts education, literacy and block-grants support, forcing 
high-need districts to choose between funding vital services.
  It should not be overlooked that one of these programs that is 
considered expendable is STEM-focused education, an area of importance 
both nationally and to my constituents in Houston.
  The Houston region is one of the most important industrial bases in 
the world and was recently ranked the No. 1 U.S. manufacturing city by 
Manufacturers' News Inc.
  Houston is also home to the largest medical complex in the world--the 
Texas Medical Center--and provides clinical health care, research and 
education at its 54 institutions.
  These jobs, and truly the middle class of this decade as a whole, are 
dependent on workers who get the right STEM education and job training 
today.
  Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program's report ``The Hidden STEM 
Economy'' reported that in 2011, 26 million jobs or 20 percent of all 
occupations required knowledge in 1 or more STEM areas.
  The same report stressed that fully half of all STEM jobs are 
available to workers without a 4 year degree and these jobs pay on 
average $53,000 a year, which is 10 percent higher than jobs with 
similar education requirements.
  To eliminate federal funding aimed at enhancing STEM education is to 
cripple an entire generation of America's youth, leaving them without 
skills that may be essential in securing their own future and the 
economic prosperity of our nation.
  Finally, it must be addressed that the defining characteristic of our 
primary and secondary education system has been to prepare our students 
for college.
  H.R. 5 does not contain any provisions that states consult with 
institutes of higher education in order to ensure that their academic 
standards are consistent with what will be demanded of those students 
once they graduate.
  As a result, many students, even after receiving a high school 
diploma, will find themselves unprepared to pursue a college degree if 
they choose to.
  We must look at the environments in which we are asking these 
students to succeed and ensure we have the best protections in place to 
provide safe educational institutions.
  Amendment #93 of this bill, Jackson Lee Amendment, supports 
accountability-based programs and activities that are designed to 
enhance school safety, which may include research-based bullying 
prevention, cyberbullying prevention, disruption of recruitment 
activity by groups or individuals involved in violent extremism, and 
gang prevention programs as well as intervention programs regarding 
bullying.
  H.R. 5 eliminates the current requirement that districts take action 
when their schools are under resourced and unable to meet the needs of 
all students.
  Together with the lack of consideration and support for at-risk and 
low-income youth, this will result in those students being marginalized 
and denied educational opportunity rather than given the support and 
resources they so desperately need.
  I urge all my colleagues to join with me and oppose the passage of 
H.R. 5.

                          ____________________