Sheila Jackson Lee: “I think the real question has to be, how do we go forward in helping the children of America? The real driving force…”

“I think the real question has to be, how do we go forward in helping the children of America? The real driving force behind this Republican proposal on vouchers is not parents who want a better education for their children, but the likes of Jerry Falwell, who says, ``I hope to live to see the day when we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again, and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be.'' Mr. Speaker, I believe in the first amendment, I believe in Christianity, the freedom of religion and I believe in all Americans. However, I also believe in public school education. This is what we should be doing: early childhood development; basics by 6; well-trained teachers; well-equipped classrooms; relief from crumbling and overcrowded schools; support for local plans to review neighborhood public schools; efficient and coordinated use of resources; parental choice, like charter schools. That should be the message for public schools and those who support our children, not a denial of civil rights, as these vouchers will do, to parents and children; not where the parents will be denied admission by private schools when they come with their vouchers. We need a real plan for our public schools, not a system that destroys them. I support public schools. I ask my colleagues to do so as well by voting against the voucher bill which destroys public schools.”