[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24363]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                TODAY'S CHALLENGE: EDUCATION IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, the challenge confronting us today is 
education. Before us is the future of education. We as a Nation must 
place education as the number one priority if we are to meet the 
challenges and needs of the 21st century; if we are to look where our 
children are going to be and if they are well prepared to meet those 
challenges.
  We need to invest in education. We need to come together in a 
bipartisan effort and support H.R. 4094; 228 Members are cosponsors. 
This is not a partisan issue. This is a bipartisan issue. This is about 
education and putting a high priority and investing in the future of 
America.
  We need to make sure that class size reduction for our children is 
there. We have got to make sure that our children have the same 
opportunity that many other individuals have where they have small 
classes, but it can only happen through modernization and class size 
reduction.
  We need to fund education at the highest level. When a child comes 
into school, they must feel comfortable to know that the ratio is 25 to 
one, student to teacher. If the atmosphere is good, the students feel 
good, the teachers feel good. They are in an atmosphere that they can 
learn. That is positive for a lot of our students. The individual 
attention is important to a student, because a student has to develop 
self-esteem, self-confidence in themselves. If he or she has confidence 
in himself and they know that the teacher is working in areas that they 
need, then we can have the accountability to make sure that our 
students are progressing and learning in our public institutions. It 
can only happen if we reduce the class sizes.
  Yes, Mr. Speaker, we need teacher training; and, yes, we do need 
accountability. That is very important for us as well. But we must 
invest in education; we must allow that to happen. We must provide the 
tools and the instruments to make sure that our teachers have the 
resources and the funding. I know that it is very difficult in today's 
society. When we look at California alone, that has over 6 million 
students in our K through 12. More and more students are coming in, and 
yet we have a ratio of 45 to one in many of our schools. We need to 
make sure that we look across the Nation and we provide the funding.
  My son, Joseph Baca, Jr., is a teacher in junior high, and he is 
going out and buying supplies. This should not happen to him and many 
other teachers because we are not providing the funds that are very 
much needed in our classrooms. We need to make sure that we provide not 
only the funding to make sure that teachers have the equipment, have 
the supplies, and create the atmosphere; we want to make sure that when 
children go into our schools, that they know very well that they are 
coming into a school that they do not have to worry about leaking 
roofs. They do not have to worry about not having any faucets that are 
fixed, and they do not have to worry about looking at windows that are 
broken. They do not have to look at walls that have graffiti. We want 
to create an atmosphere that is good for them.
  If an atmosphere is good for them, then they will begin to learn. And 
if it is good for them, then teachers feel good about being energized 
in teaching.
  At the same time, we have to make sure that we look at not only 
modernization, but the digital divide, to look at technology to make 
sure that we fund every one of our schools so that our children are 
well prepared to meet the 21st century and well prepared and well 
trained. If they are not, what is going to happen to our Nation? What 
is going to happen to our Nation? It is our responsibility that we 
provide the funding at a higher level. We have got to invest more. We 
are not investing enough in education.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the answer and the beginning and the right 
steps are in H.R. 4094. That is a step in the right direction. When an 
individual receives the funding, then that means we have the 
accountability. At the same time, when we look at where are our 
students, we must prepare them to meet the 21st century so they are 
ready to go to a community college and State college and our 
universities.
  Are community colleges ready for them? We have to make sure that we 
provide tax incentives and tax rates and tuition that is available for 
our students to go on to our community colleges. More and more students 
are going to our community colleges right now, and we have to make sure 
that we provide the funding there. And as we look at those students who 
are transferring on to 4-year institutions, to make sure that they can 
get into a State college or university.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that we have honors programs and other programs, 
but it becomes difficult when we do not have the funding and we do not 
have the financing that are available for a lot of our students. The 
tax incentives and tax breaks are there. Mr. Speaker, we need to invest 
more in education. We can take the right steps. The steps are ahead of 
us, but we have to come together in a bipartisan effort.

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