Heidi Alexander: “I wish to speak for a few minutes about 11 million low-income children in America, children which all of us would like…”

“I wish to speak for a few minutes about 11 million low-income children in America, children which all of us would like to help. These are children that I wish would have a chance to get a little help getting to the starting line towards realizing the American dream. I am talking about the children we help through the Federal education program called title I of the elementary and secondary education act. It is the largest of our Federal programs aiding elementary and secondary schools. It provides $14.5 billion a year to local school districts. The express purpose of it is to help low-income children in schools across our country. The problem is that the money is not going to help those children as it was intended. It is being diverted for other purposes. As part of our discussion today and tomorrow on the budget, I will be offering an amendment on behalf of myself, Senator Paul, Senator Rubio, Senator Toomey, and Senator McConnell, which will redirect the 14.5 billion Federal dollars we spend on behalf of 11 million children living in poverty. This is the way we would do it: We would simply pin $1,300 in funds to each of those children, and let this money follow the child to the school they attend, any accredited school, public or private. In a contentious Washington world this is a problem which seems to have a broad amount of agreement from the left and the right.…”