Joe Cunningham: “Mr. Speaker, I would say what is really cruel is to leave the system, in view that we have some very good schools across…”

“Mr. Speaker, I would say what is really cruel is to leave the system, in view that we have some very good schools across the country, but across the board, a system in which I think every American sees there is a lot wrong with that system, and to where the majority of our children who are applying for entry-level jobs do not even qualify for that entry-level job, because they cannot read, write, do the math, or speak English; that we have only been in the majority for 1 year. This is after 40 years of letting the Government manage and control even the 94 percent from the rules and regulations and paperwork. Mr. Speaker, I do not think it is asking too much that they give us a chance to prove that we can ensure quality, we can ensure results, by focusing more dollars down not to the Washington bureaucrat, but to the teachers, the principals, the parents, and the children. And they should make those decisions on a local level. I think that concept is worth taking a look at. We are not killing education, but we are focusing those dollars down the maximum to local control.”