Political Quotes

“today I wish to talk about my reasons for voting against Senator Burr's amendment to change the title I formula and on cloture to cut off debate on the Every Child Achieves Act. The bill before us is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction towards giving all kids a shot at quality education and fixing the failures of No Child Left Behind. I support a number of the provisions in this bill, including raising academic standards for students, supporting teachers with additional development tools, and providing resources to the lowest performing schools. However, the bill also includes an amendment offered by Senator Burr to change the title I formula, which would drastically and negatively affect Maryland. Every single school district in my State would have lost money. I could not let that happen. So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I formed a coalition with other Senators whose students--like mine--would lose under this amendment. The amendment was eventually changed. Now it says that any funds Congress appropriates for title I above $17 billion will be subject to a new formula. Since title I is currently funded at $14.5 billion, the new formula will not kick in at any time soon and Maryland won't lose any of its funds. I am happy that I saved Maryland from losing $40 million, but the language sets a terrible precedent. It penalizes States that do right by their students and their schools.…”