Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and the Senate amendment to H.R. 1586. The new school year is just around the corner. Families across our Nation are preparing to send their kids back to school; and the experience that their children have this school year directly depends, Madam Speaker, on our actions here today in this Chamber. The package before us today recognizes that we can't afford to stand idle while our schools are being hammered by budget crises across the country. In Colorado, districts are facing the deepest budget cuts in memory. Colorado school districts have cut more than $288 million out of their budgets for next school year, so the $160 million that Colorado will receive under this program provides much-needed funds. Now I want to describe that that is typical of the experience of many States. In no way, shape, or form are we avoiding making the tough decisions or tough cuts during this recession. The States have made those. Districts have made those. We have the opportunity today to make sure that those cuts don't affect the kids going back to school. What have districts done to balance their budget? They have reduced their staff size and salaries, they have increased furlough days, they have created larger class sizes, they have reduced instructional hours, cut after-school programs, established 4-day school weeks.…”