Jim Baird: “if this Nation sincerely believes that education is the foundation of our democracy, then it is time to act like it. In…”

“if this Nation sincerely believes that education is the foundation of our democracy, then it is time to act like it. In high-growth areas like the Evergreen School District in Clark County, Washington, the growth rate is too high for the local district to keep up. Evergreen is the fastest growing school district in our State, with a growth rate of 4.5 percent a year; and by 2004 their student enrollment is projected to increase by 26,000 students. To respond to the number of students enrolling, Evergreen has put up 320 portable classrooms where 20 percent of our school district students are educated. This is not an effective environment in which to teach or to learn. That is why I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the School Construction Act of the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) which will create new tax credits to leverage $7.2 billion in school construction bonds. Under this bill, the bonds would be allocated according to enrollment growth over the next 10 years. It is a good bill for our students, it is a good bill for our communities, and it is a good bill for our democracy. I urge my colleagues to support it.”