Dianne Feinstein: “today I will gladly vote for the Kennedy amendment to restore funding for education to last year's level. Education is…”

“today I will gladly vote for the Kennedy amendment to restore funding for education to last year's level. Education is an area that we should not shortchange. The bill before us today will continue funding for programs that do not yet have year-long funding until March 15. Education programs are cut $3.1 billion on an annual basis, the largest Federal education cut in history. This is a cut our schools cannot sustain. Under this bill, California's elementary and secondary schools could lose at least $169.8 million. For title I, programs for disadvantaged students, service to 1 in 5 students could be eliminated. Schools will have to lay off title I teachers and teaching assistants that provide those extra services that help these students learn. Programs like Safe and Drug-free Schools, Goals 2000, and student loans could lose 25 percent. The University of California will lose $111 million, much of which is student aid. I am also concerned about the stop-and-go pattern of Federal funding that we have undergone this year. This is the ninth short-term bill we've considered. We are almost 4 months into the school year and 3 months into the fiscal year. Once again, we are called on to vote on a short-term funding measure. This bill only funds programs for 49 days, until March 15. These short-term bills are particularly unfair to our schools. Like businesses, they have to plan.…”