Norvell Emerson: “I am proud to support House Resolution 139, the dollars to the classroom resolution. I commend the gentleman from…”

“I am proud to support House Resolution 139, the dollars to the classroom resolution. I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Pitts], the sponsor; the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] and the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their continual hard work to ensure that real reform occurs in our Nation's education system. Mr. Speaker, this resolution would simply set a goal that at least 90 percent of Federal elementary and secondary education dollars reach the classroom. It is currently estimated that only 65 percent of all Federal funds actually reach our Nation's classrooms. This town is notorious for talking about reforming this education system, but this dismal statistic proves that nothing has been accomplished. The dollars to the classroom resolution is a great way to send a message to the administration that we in Congress are prepared to invoke real reform at the Department of Education. Our goal should be an education system where every child can outscore, outperform and outcompete the students of every other Nation in the world. It is time to put our children before bureaucrats. The decision of how our education money is spent needs to be made by local teachers, local administrators and parents, not the Federal Government. It is time that we invest more wisely, and we must spend our education dollars where they can achieve the most, right in the classroom.”