Pete Domenici: “I rise today to discuss the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act. Education no longer simply involves students…”

“I rise today to discuss the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act. Education no longer simply involves students learning the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Rather, students must possess the resources to compete and succeed as we proceed into the new, highly technical millennium. The computer and the Internet have become integrated into every aspect of our lives, and are becoming essential teaching tools in our schools and a basic component of any classroom. To meet this challenge, we must strive for innovative ideas and to determine exactly how we can maximize the Federal Government's resources because: Even on its best day the Federal Government can never be a replacement for local administrators, educators, and parents. Simply put, New Mexicans are in a far better position to know exactly what our schools and students need than government officials here in Washington. Most Washingtonians probably do not know the Corona School District has 82 students, the Deming School District has 5,300 students, and the Albuquerque School District has 85,000 students. Additionally, the Gallup School District encompasses nearly 5,000 square miles, an area greater than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. My point is simple, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot work in New Mexico and will not work in many areas of our country.”