Robert Smith: “I rise today in an effort of bipartisanship with Senator Kerry, to present our plan to improve the quality of education…”

“I rise today in an effort of bipartisanship with Senator Kerry, to present our plan to improve the quality of education for the children of this country. The legislation that we are introducing with Senators Chafee, Collins, Snowe, Bayh, Cleland, Kennedy, Levin, Edwards, Bryan, and Murray, combines the best ideas from the Republicans with the best ideas from the Democrats--it is a way of reaching across the aisle to accomplish education reform. Our shared goal is legislation that empowers educators, parents, and principals to initiate positive change in the local school districts without burdensome Federal mandates. The Kerry-Smith Plan to Educate America's Children acts upon that goal and incorporates what the President proposed in his State of the Union Address--that our Federal dollars must be invested in programs that work. I couldn't agree more. We need to ensure that we're getting the biggest bang out of our education buck--not only for the Federal Government--but for the taxpayers who deserve it, and who expect it. The taxpayers are not only the watchdogs of how we spend our money, they are the stockholders and have the right to determine the direction and quality of our investment.”