Eva M. Clayton: “The Ed-Flex bill certainly has many features in it. The issue is not whether we are for that or against it, but it is…”

“The Ed-Flex bill certainly has many features in it. The issue is not whether we are for that or against it, but it is that there are other important issues to make it better. Last week, all of the school systems were reporting out how their schools fared in the fourth grade and whether it went up. Indeed, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania indicated, California did not do so well. But I suspect their investment in teachers is not to be pooh-poohed to suggest that we should not do it. Certainly we need that 100,000 teachers more that the President has indicated... Good teachers indeed are essential just as good doctors are good for health, just as good engineers are for constructing buildings. I cannot conceive that one would think that putting 100,000 teachers... would not be an appropriate action, and we would not embrace it where the American people want it. So voting for Ed-Flex is indeed a good thing. But this amendment, however, this rule that does not allow germane amendments is the wrong thing.”