Political Quotes

“last week this House took a defining vote for public schools in this country. By a vote of 228 to 191, we defeated a risky voucher scheme to take tax money out of our public schools to finance private schools. I am pleased my colleagues took this stand in defense of our school children and our Nation's public schools. Taking tax money out of our public schools and giving it to private schools and turning our backs on our public schools is wrong. I call on my colleagues to defend, protect and strengthen our public schools. As a cochair of the Education Task Force, I know what we must do to strengthen education for all of our children. We must help set high standards of excellence in education. We must empower teachers, parents, and students to achieve these high standards. We must rebuild crumbling schools and build new schools to relieve overcrowding. We must strengthen professional development for our teachers. We must get back to the basics in core subject areas, and we must encourage character education and ensure that every child can attend a school that is safe from violence and free of drugs. This House did the right thing in defeating vouchers, and now we must move forward to strengthen our public schools for every child in America.”