Harry Reid: “I am very happy we are finally getting the opportunity to have a serious debate about some of the educational problems…”

“I am very happy we are finally getting the opportunity to have a serious debate about some of the educational problems we face in America today. It doesn't matter which of the 50 States you go to, there are problems dealing with education. I would be very happy if, rather than debating alternatives to public education, we started debating how to improve public education. More than 90 percent of the children in America go to public schools. We should be focused on how best to educate that 90-plus percent of children in America today. The Federal Government provides 6 percent of the total education spending--roughly $38 billion. That $38 billion, by the way, is just 2 percent of the total Federal Government's budget. So we spend in America, the greatest nation in the world, the only superpower, 2 percent of our budget to educate our kids. Most Americans do not realize how little the Federal Government contributes to education. I repeat that figure. The Federal Government spends about 2 percent of its budget on education. Within these tight budget constraints, we must focus on what works.”