Sam Farr: “I rise, first, to thank the President for challenging this Nation and those who are elected to govern it, and also for…”

“I rise, first, to thank the President for challenging this Nation and those who are elected to govern it, and also for his reasonable stand on our budget crisis. Second, I want to thank the President for recognizing the importance of educational technology in our schools. While serving in the California State Legislature, I authored the California Educational Technology Act, which now drives public schools throughout California into modern technology. In his State of the Union Address, the President spoke of continuing and expanding on this project. The California Educational Technology Act highlights the importance of computer technology in the classroom. In my district, children at Manzanita Elementary School in Seaside, use computers to communicate with students from around the world to learn about geography, different cultures, and languages. They can also communicate with scientists doing research in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary together with the National Weather Service to learn more about science. This project is an outstanding example of the benefits that come from local, State and Federal Government partnerships with private industry. Connecting our schools to the information super highway is exactly the type of program that will prepare America's youth to lead American economic growth and technological development into the next century. Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership in education.”