[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13862-13863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          WE MUST PREPARE TODAY'S YOUTH FOR TOMORROW'S ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, last week, Microsoft's Bill Gates and other 
leaders of the high-tech industry came to Washington and they came to 
tell us, among other things, that we need to do a better job of 
preparing today's youth for tomorrow's jobs.
  Bill Gates is not alone. I hear the same message everywhere I go in 
my district from CEOs of pharmaceutical companies in Hunterdon County, 
New Jersey, to managers of local restaurants in West Long Branch.
  We literally cannot afford to wait to help our schools recruit, 
retain, and train qualified teachers. We cannot postpone work any 
longer in making sure Federal aid provides more flexibility conditioned 
on more accountability for results. Now is the time to work in 
partnership with our communities to ensure that we have a school 
infrastructure that we need for the 21st century.
  The number of school children is growing at a record-setting pace. 
More than 52 million students are in school today, an all-time high. In 
my home State of New Jersey, we are experiencing very rapid growth. 
That is why New Jersey communities need assistance to help pay for the 
bricks and mortar required to have the smaller class sizes so our kids 
can learn and compete with students throughout the world.
  Last week, I joined with other freshmen Democrats in writing a letter 
to our Speaker asking that we bring willing school construction 
legislation to the floor of this House for a vote. We look forward to 
his answer. And even more, we look forward to legislative action.
  We are investing billions in new prisons. We are investing billions 
of dollars into our military installations. But should we not also be 
voting on providing the resources to help our communities build 
schools, as well? I think so, and so do the families of Central New 
Jersey.
  Together with my colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Etheridge), I am working to help New Jersey towns afford modernized and 
new schools by providing tax credits to the holders of school 
construction bonds, in effect paying the interest on those bonds.
  Under this bill, the local entity will still be responsible for 
paying the principal. The interest-free capital will leverage the 
amount of money available to meet the need to modernize our educational 
infrastructure in fast-growing communities, as we have in Central New 
Jersey. But ``infrastructure'' does not just mean classrooms, desks, 
and chalk boards. It means technology.
  One of the areas I am most concerned about is technology education. 
It is changing our lives. Today, with the touch of a key, we can send 
billions of dollars of capital around the globe, where the cars we 
drive have more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft. There are 
no unskilled jobs. Even entry-level jobs demand basic computer 
knowledge.
  Yet there is a move underway here in Congress designed to rob 
hundreds of thousands of Americans from developing the computer skills 
they need to compete in an increasingly competitive technological 
world. The e-rate, the popular program that provides discount 
telecommunications and Internet technologies to elementary and 
secondary schools and libraries, may fall victim to politics. We simply 
cannot allow this to happen.
  Telecommunications and computer technology are effective in helping 
students master complex skills that the business community sees as 
critical for the future workforce. According to a recent study, 
students who actively use the Internet for classroom projects submit 
more ambitious and more complete project. Other studies are also 
showing that on-line resources boost student interest and student 
motivation. Students are learning more and in greater depth because 
they have access to resources beyond their classroom, resources that 
are more current than their textbooks and sometimes more knowledgeable 
than even their teachers. However, we need teachers who can teach these 
subjects.
  A recent survey published by the Department of Education tells us 
that only 20 percent of teachers feel qualified to use the technology 
that is available to them now. That is why I have joined my colleagues 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman) and the gentlewoman from 
New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema) in cosponsoring legislation to help teachers 
teach technology education.
  Teachers deserve to be treated like the professionals that they are 
so they can continue to grow in their profession. We need to ensure 
that they are receiving the training they need to perform the miracles 
we ask of them. Of all the important jobs in our society, nothing makes 
more of an impact on our children than a well-trained, caring, and 
dedicated teacher and no job is ultimately more important to our 
society.

[[Page 13863]]

  Across the Nation, recruiting and retraining high-quality teachers is 
becoming a major concern. Topping our list should be better targeted 
and more effective professional development programs. It is time we 
encourage partnerships with other school districts, universities, labor 
unions, and the business communities.
  My colleagues, Mr. Davis and Mr. Roemer, who will be speaking with us 
shortly, have introduced legislation to give grants to colleges and 
universities to help them train these professionals as a second career. 
This is patterned on the very successful ``Troops to Teachers'' 
programs, and I recommend strongly that we support this legislation.

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