Political Quotes

“I believe that it does redirect some of the funding allocated under the bill for title I programs so that it goes to the States with the highest percentage of poor students in their student population. These are students we decided needed special attention many years ago when the program was first authorized as title I under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Federal Government has the responsibility to address that program--not by supplanting the primary responsibility of the States to run their education programs and to provide the resources for teachers and school districts to educate those students in the States. We have decided some States have such serious problems in this respect that the Federal Government ought to step in and provide some additional assistance. When the program was authorized, not all of the authorized activities were funded. This is one example of an unfunded but authorized activity and a program that was designed to help those States with very special needs. Obviously, my State is one of them. Sixty-five percent of the student population in the State of Mississippi is classified as eligible for title I support. These are poor children.”