Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, think of the excitement next month as so many young Americans return to school; and what this legislation does, it would greet them with a big cut in funds to our most disadvantaged schools. I can tell you that in Texas, Governor Perry and his cohorts will redirect these funds from disadvantaged students faster than you can say ``oops.'' And you will find other Governors across America with a similar tepid support for public education--the same kind of people who have come to this floor and called them ``government schools'' instead of public schools--you'll find them seeing cuts to disadvantaged students as the easiest way to plug a State budget gap. While No Child Left Behind is flawed, removing support for economically disadvantaged students is not the way to fix it. At Wheatley Middle School in San Antonio, in one of our poorest neighborhoods, title 1 funding has helped Principal Mary Olison and her team make real progress--a 30 percent improvement in math, reading and science scores; now the district's second best record in attendance; and disciplinary actions have been reduced 75 percent. Those educators are out there struggling. Now is not the time to remove the support they need to do their very difficult jobs. Cutting this support would turn back the clock on the progress there and across America. Title 1 funding has already been cut for the next school year.…”