Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “it was with great reservation that I will vote yea on final passage of H.R. 1, the Elementary and Secondary Education…”

“it was with great reservation that I will vote yea on final passage of H.R. 1, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The children of this country deserve the best education that is available, regardless of whether they attend a public or private school. I believe that there are parts of this bill that will serve these children and others that could see some improvement. I am very pleased that this bill will double the authorization level for Title I over the next five years to $17.2 billion. This increase in funding will assist our schools in closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students, something which is of vital importance to the children living in cities such as Detroit. This increase will be targeted to improve low performing schools through the investment of additional help and resources. I am also encouraged by the fact that this bill will permit parents of children in low performing schools to use Title I funds to provide supplemental educational services such as tutoring, after-school programs and summer school. My reservations in voting for the passage of this bill stem from the fact that this bill does not include funds for new school construction. There are too many schools in this country that are falling into disrepair. Our children are crammed into overcrowded classrooms, and this bill does nothing to help resolve this problem.”