Roscoe Bartlett: “Republicans know that children are our top priority. We are working to get dollars directly to the classroom. We want to…”

“Republicans know that children are our top priority. We are working to get dollars directly to the classroom. We want to encourage greater accountability for schools to raise test scores and graduation rates. We want to maximize our education funding by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. Parents should have the right to save money for educational opportunities for their children, and they should be able to choose the school that best works for them. Even Democrats realize that there is growing frustration with the current state of education in America, and perhaps it is time for major reform. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government must continue to free States to use funds for proven State education programs. President Clinton and Vice President Gore want more Washington control. They think Washington knows best. We know that parents, teachers, and local school boards know better. There is no one-size-fits-all program for America's children. Some schools need more teachers, others need better teacher training, new computers or new buildings. Even the hardest working, best intentioned bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. cannot know what our needs are at home.”