Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to extend and improve a program aimed at addressing the unique needs of rural schools. The Rural Education Achievement Program, or REAP, is designed to help level the playing field for small and high-poverty rural school systems. It is the only dedicated federal funding stream to aid rural school districts in overcoming certain challenges associated with geographic isolation. Nearly \1/3\ of America's public schools are in rural areas, and more than 21 percent of our public school students attend these schools. Students in rural America should have the same access to federal dollars and quality education as those students who attend schools in urban and suburban communities. For this reason, in 2001, I worked with former Senator Kent Conrad to author the law creating REAP, and I am now pleased to work with Senator Max Baucus on its reauthorization. REAP created two grant programs: the Small and Rural Schools Achievement program SRSA, which provides additional funding and flexibility to small rural school districts, and the Rural and Low- Income School program, RLIS, which provides additional funding for poor rural school districts. Prior to enactment of this law, rural school districts received funds based on school enrollment. In many of these districts, Federal formula programs, which are population-based, do not produce enough resources to carry out important programs, which these grant programs help make possible.…”