[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6569-6570]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MAKING EDUCATION A PRIORITY

  (Mr. HOLT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, over the past 2 weeks I had the opportunity 
to hold a series of town meetings in my district in central New Jersey. 
Everywhere I went I heard the same message, from parents, from 
teachers, from students. We need to invest in education.
  In Plainsboro, educators talked to me about the importance of having 
teachers who are well trained in academic subjects like science and 
math.

[[Page 6570]]

In Clinton, I spoke with parents who want their children to be taught 
in small classes, where they can get personal attention from teachers. 
In Freehold, I heard from high school students who are concerned about 
how to pay for college.
  The budget resolution that was passed by the House yesterday does not 
do enough for these New Jerseyans. It will not help hire more teachers. 
It will not help districts modernize their schools. It takes money away 
from higher education.
  Madam Speaker, if we are going to prepare our children for the 
future, we have to do better. We have to make education our top 
priority.

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