Political Quotes

“it's been more than a year and a half since the No Child Left Behind Act became law. By passing that bill into law, we reaffirmed our commitment to provide every American child with a quality education. The education of our children must be one of our top priorities, because they are the future of this country. We have to give them the tools they need to succeed. Unfortunately, the fight against terrorism and the war in Iraq have driven education off the national agenda. This is especially disappointing now because public schools across the Nation are in jeopardy as States struggle to close unprecedented budget deficits. At a time when NCLB is imposing new unfunded mandates on States and local governments, schools have watched helplessly as their budgets have been slashed. Many of these schools are located in poor and rural areas, where the achievement gap is widest. These schools simply don't have the resources they need to do their job, and children are being left behind as a result. Some States, including Nevada, face an additional problem. These States have extremely high rates of population growth, and as a result they find themselves in a never-ending race to fund the growing demand for education. The formulas that allocate Federal education dollars usually don't factor high growth rates into their calculations. So, schools in these States find their backs against the wall even in the best fiscal conditions.”