Tom Harkin: “I wanted to comment a little bit on the continuing resolution that we just passed--and to express my dismay and perhaps…”

“I wanted to comment a little bit on the continuing resolution that we just passed--and to express my dismay and perhaps a little bit of frustration at what has happened here in the last week or so, and with this continuing resolution. In school after school in Iowa and across this country school administrators and school boards are wrestling with the decision about which teachers will lose their jobs and which students will not get title I reading assistance. They are contemplating what vocational educational activities will go by the wayside; how to deal with the cuts in the Safe and Drug-Free School Program. In my State of Iowa, school districts must send the layoff notices by April 30, a mere 6 days after this resolution expires. That means school districts will have less than a week to make important decisions about how many teachers they will be able to keep on the payroll, how many kids will be denied the opportunity to improve their reading and math skills. In the next 4 weeks, the uncertainty about the level of funding for our schools will cause problems for many families.”