Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that our young people not only have the best teachers and the best resources, but also the best classrooms to meet the challenges of this oncoming 21st century. Children cannot learn if their schools are falling apart. Children cannot learn when they are packed beyond capacity in a classroom. Children cannot learn when they cannot get the individual attention they need. Kentucky serves about 590,000 students, with over 350 schools in either fair or poor condition, suffering from deterioration and requiring immediate attention. The 1998 Kentucky school facility need assessments indicated there is $2.4 billion worth of unmet need, including new construction for growth and renovation of existing facilities to address declining infrastructure, life safety upgrades, technology wiring, and handicapped access. We must provide our local school districts with tax credits to modernize classrooms, to improve the learning environment for students, and to end overcrowding. We owe it to our children, we owe it to our future.”