Political Quotes

“reluctantly, because I have such respect for the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Boehner], I rise to oppose the amendment which would eliminate title I transition projects. Over the past year the Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education of the Committee on Appropriations has demanded of the administration greater accountability for the education programs we fund. We know that Head Start dollars, for instance, are simply being lost because in the transition to elementary school, children lose the gains they have made in Head Start by the third grade. Mr. Chairman, I know that transition programs can work. I have seen it in my own district at the Carmen school, in Waukegan where children get transition assistance. They do not have the Head Start fade. Their students maintain high achievement throughout the elementary grades. I invite anyone who questions the value of transition programs to look at the letters I get from these kids. Their ability to write as well as they do is eloquent testimony to their transition program. Normally, I would be down here with Mr. Boehner, supporting a consolidation or termination of these programs. But, Mr. Chairman, I have been a strong supporter of transition programs from the beginning because they have proven their effectiveness. They work. Congress allocates over $3 billion a year on Head Start to give economically disadvantaged students the opportunity to start school ready to learn.”