Burgess Owens: “I rise in support of H.R. 438, the ``Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003.'' The bill increases from $5,000 to…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 438, the ``Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003.'' The bill increases from $5,000 to $17,500 the maximum amount in which student loans can be forgiven for math, science and special education teachers in Title I schools. While the bill is clearly a step in the right direction, the Republican majority has failed once again to fully fund key education programs. Prior to the enactment of the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' (NCLB) President Bush and the Republican leadership promised to provide funding to place a ``highly qualified'' teacher in every classroom. Tomorrow the House will vote on the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill which freezes funding for the Teacher Quality State Grant programs for FY04. Several weeks ago the Republican leadership forced through a monstrous tax cut with the promise that vital domestic programs would not be cut. However, the bill which was reported out of the Appropriations Committee freezes funding for Teacher Quality State Grants at $2.9 billion in FY04, the bill falls far short of the $3.175 billion promised in the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' funding schedule. Overall, the Republican leadership is more than $8 billion below the amount authorized for the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' for FY04. The $24.3 billion authorized for FY04 is consistent with the Republican leadership's attack on domestic programs. The 1.6 percent increase over FY03 continues a downward trend for key education programs.”