[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24293]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           EDUCATION IS FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS ABOUT CHILDREN

  (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, education is first, last and always about 
children. The education debate is not about money. It is about Federal 
versus local control of schools and our children's future.
  Republicans emphasize local education flexibility, not a Federal 
straitjacket so parents and teachers can decide if they need to hire 
more teachers or upgrade skills of their existing teachers. We promote 
basic academics and encourage parental involvement, not replace the 
role of children's parents in their lives. We support locally designed 
accountability standards, not mandated Federal testing.
  We have tried to drive at least 95 cents of every Federal dollar 
directly to the classroom, not bureaucracies bloated by expanding the 
Federal role in neighborhood schools.
  Mr. Speaker, the liberals have made it clear that in a Democrat 
Congress the education focus would once again shift back to the vision 
of big government, Washington-knows-best approach to dealing with local 
education issues.
  Americans know better. They care about education and they are 
concerned about whether students are learning, whether they can read at 
grade level, and whether they are learning to add and subtract.
  Under Republican leadership, we have placed the focus and quality on 
results with parents and teachers in control.

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