Bill Clinton: “I support the Byrd amendment, which provides $6.15 billion in additional funding for title I grants. Two years ago, we…”

“I support the Byrd amendment, which provides $6.15 billion in additional funding for title I grants. Two years ago, we promised school districts that they would have the resources they needed to meet new standards mandated by the Federal No Child Lift Behind Act. As it stands, this bill fails to adequately fund title I--the cornerstone of No Child Left Behind, NCLB. In fact, it provides $6.15 billion below the amount promised to school districts for fiscal year 04. This funding level in this bill is even $334 million below the increase that was slated for title I in the budget resolution for fiscal year 04. Children are failing in many of our schools in all of our states. These children need extended learning time. They need instruction from high-quality teachers and they need to learn in smaller classrooms. The Byrd amendment gives schools the resources they need so that they can create the best possible condition in which all teachers can teach and all children can learn. Today, 23.3 percent of all children in New York are living in poverty, more than all but six other States. The proposed appropriation in this bill fails to meet the need for more resources for these children. As a result, 458,745 eligible New York children would not be fully served and will consequently be left behind. Funding title I at its NCLB-authorized level of $18.5 billion would provide New York with $682,595,000 more than the current proposal.”