[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     BAKE SALES AND BUDGET CUTS--THE IMPACT OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain the effects on 
our States of the administration's cut of the No Child Left Behind Act. 
The $20 billion in education cuts could not come at a worse time as 
States scramble to close budget gaps and schools struggle to comply 
with the rigorous new law.
  Across America, desperate measures are being taken. In Alabama, 
schools are being forced to raise class sizes. In Florida, two-thirds 
of the pre-kindergarten programs are being terminated. In Idaho, 
parents must raise money for teacher salaries through bake sales and 
auctions. In Illinois, they have laid off thousands of teachers and 
staff to increase class sizes and, in some schools, to nearly 40 
students. Detroit plans to close 16 schools this month. In South 
Carolina, 2,000 teachers have been let go, and class sizes are up to 35 
students.
  This is just a sample of the consequences of the failure of the 
Federal Government to make good on its promises.
  That is why I intend to introduce H.R. 2366, the Fully Fund the No 
Child Left Behind Act. Before we ask our schools to hold bake sales and 
our States to live with budget cuts, we should live up to our own 
budget cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress should honor its commitment to our students.

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