[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4060]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               ED FLEX ACT A FLIMSY PIECE OF LEGISLATION

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, last year Democrats were successful in 
passing a measure to improve education by hiring 100,000 new teachers. 
We are a third of the way there. This year there are 30,000 new 
teachers, reducing class size, improving discipline and increasing the 
individual attention that our kids need.
  Democrats want to pass the next installment toward 100,000 teachers, 
but the Republican leadership is fighting us tooth and nail. The 
Republican leadership's ed flex act is a flimsy piece of legislation, a 
fig leaf to cover its barren agenda. It makes no provision for new 
teachers, no measure to ensure that the neediest school districts 
receive funds, and it has no accountability. Democrats believe that 
local school districts should have flexibility when they administer 
Federal education programs, but there should be flexibility coupled 
with accountability to ensure that our teachers, students and parents 
receive the support that they deserve. What we ought to do in this 
Congress is authorize 30,000 more teachers on our way to 100,000 and 
hold schools accountable for student performance. These are the 
measures that are going to make a real difference for our students, 
ensure that our schools have the support that they need to make the 
decisions that they need and to provide our youngsters with the best 
possible opportunity for their future.

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