Dan Crenshaw: “I rise today to address this important measure to reform and improve our public education system. As an original…”

“I rise today to address this important measure to reform and improve our public education system. As an original cosponsor of H.R. 1, I, like many of my colleagues, was disappointed at some of the changes that the bill underwent during committee consideration. For instance, I believe that the school choice provisions that the President outlined in his education reform package represented a reasonable compromise. He provided a graduated series of steps that bolstered a failing school's efforts to improve without jeopardizing the students who attend that school awaiting improvement. His three-year program recognized that every year a child is in school is a precious opportunity to instill knowledge in her mind and a love of learning in her soul. I intend to support amendments that will be offered on the floor to restore these school choice provisions to the bill, and I am hopeful that these efforts will succeed. But, in the event that a majority of my colleagues do not share my belief in empowering parents through school choice, I am likely to still support this legislation. Mr. Chairman, we cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. There are many innovative and important proposals included in H.R. 1. It consolidates federal programs, cutting their number by half. It gives local school districts flexibility to transfer up to 50% of federal funding between programs--that is 10 times more flexibility than they are now afforded.”