[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15738-15739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         EDUCATION UNDER SIEGE

  Mr. REID. Madam President, America's education system is literally 
under siege. This terrible recession we are involved in has put 
millions of families in our country in a desperate economic situation. 
It has also put our schools at risk.
  Since 2008, we have lost 300,000 education jobs, including 200,000 in 
the last year alone. Without talented, dedicated teachers and support 
staff, our schools cannot provide the world-class education students 
need to succeed in today's difficult economic climate. As State and 
local governments are forced to slash education funding again and 
again, it jeopardizes the future of millions of children, regardless of 
where they live or how much money their parents make.
  Nevada alone is facing a $1.2 billion budget shortfall in 2011, 
practically ensuring further cuts to State and local education. But 
Nevada can ill afford to lose more teachers, police, and first 
responders. The State has already slashed State education funding below 
previous session levels. Any additional cuts will place thousands of 
Nevada teaching jobs at risk. School districts in Nevada have already 
made difficult cuts: laying off teachers, eliminating programs, and 
reducing the number of hours children spend in school.
  The State has delayed expansion of all-day kindergarten, eliminated 
resources for gifted and talented programs, cut a magnet program for 
students who are deaf or hard of hearing. All around schools have been 
eliminated.
  Further cuts will affect the basic pillars of American education. 
Already the school board in one county, Lyon County, a rural part of 
Nevada, has considered moving to a 4-day school week. Students in the 
United States already spend much less time in school than students in 
other countries, including those with whom we compete for jobs. Most 
American people spend a month less in the classrooms than those in 
South Korea or Japan, whose students are among the highest performing 
in the world.
  At a time when Nevadans are competing for jobs with graduates from 
countries around the world, as well as those in neighboring States, 
school districts should not be forced to make decisions such as the one 
facing Lyon County, NV. The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work 
Act, filed last night and led by Senator Menendez, will ensure the Lyon 
County school district will not have to choose between laying off 
teachers and reducing the school year.
  It will protect gains made by school districts such as the one in 
Washoe County, which increased its graduation rate from 55 percent to 
nearly 70 percent in a period of less than 2 years. Budget cuts would 
threaten that progress. The district cannot expect to

[[Page 15739]]

improve on these gains if it has to jam more students in every class 
and lay off literacy and math specialists.
  The teachers legislation I introduced last night will stem the loss 
of education jobs and help districts such as Washoe to continue to 
improve. This legislation will provide Nevada with an additional $260 
million to keep teachers in the classroom and maintain class sizes. It 
will support 3,600 education jobs in the State and give the economy a 
jolt.
  It will not increase the deficit by one penny. It asks millionaires 
and billionaires to contribute a tiny fraction more to help turn our 
economy around. That is an idea two-thirds of Americans and a majority 
of even Republicans support. This Nation's schools have already been 
hit hard by State and local budget cuts. We cannot afford to lose more 
teachers or lay off more police or first responders.
  In Nevada, local governments have already made the difficult choice 
to cut almost 9,000 jobs. These unprecedented layoffs have extended the 
recession and slowed the recovery in Nevada. And further budget 
shortfalls threaten thousands more jobs. Nationwide, State and local 
budget cuts will cost as many as 280,000 teaching jobs next year unless 
we do something about that. This teachers and first responders 
legislation will invest $30 billion to create or save nearly 400,000 
teacher jobs; that is, those who are going to be laid off this year, 
plus those who have been hurt and laid off in past years. That money 
will help State and school districts stop more layoffs and rehire tens 
of thousands of teachers laid off since this severe recession began.
  We will also invest $5 billion to retain and rehire the police, 
firefighters, and first responders to protect our communities 
throughout this tough economic time. That is why it is so important 
that the Senate move to this as quickly as possible. Teachers out of 
work through no fault of their own and students who desperately need a 
good education are relying on us to act.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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