William L. Clay: “I rise in support of Mr. Obey's motion because it seeks to ensure that H.R. 4577 includes dedicated funding to address…”

“I rise in support of Mr. Obey's motion because it seeks to ensure that H.R. 4577 includes dedicated funding to address two critical needs of our public schools. First, the motion seeks to preserve the Clinton/Clay class size reduction initiative, which is intended to eliminate overcrowded classrooms and boost student achievement. Thus far, the class size initiative has enabled communities to hire nearly 30,000 teachers for the current school year, providing smaller classes in the early grades to an estimated 1.7 million children. President Clinton has proposed spending an additional $1.75 billion in FY 2001, which would allow support for almost 50,000 teachers. We should fully fund the President's request, and also provide a long-term authorization to ensure that the benefits of smaller classes, led by highly qualified teachers, are extended to even more school districts and students. Mr. Speaker, I also support Mr. Obey's motion because it would ensure H.R. 4577 includes funding to build and modernize 6,000 schools nationwide.”