Patty Murray: “Thank you, Mr. President. I listened with interest to my colleague from the other side of the aisle debate the issue of…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. I listened with interest to my colleague from the other side of the aisle debate the issue of whether or not we as parents across this country believe that our class sizes should be reduced and that it will make a difference. I heard numbers that don't take into account what is really happening, because that is the number of adults in a school that my colleague from Arkansas referred to--the nurses, the counselors, librarians, social workers. What we are talking about here is the need to put new teachers across this country into classrooms so we can reduce class size. I speak to all of the people who are listening to this debate today. When you hear somebody say your class sizes are the right size, think about how many kids are in the classroom in your local school; think of the amount of attention they are getting; think about whether or not they are getting the skills that you as a parent want them to get. If you agree with me that class size reduction will make a difference, call this Senate and let us know. Call this Senate and let us know. People across this country need to let us know that you recognize it is our responsibility as adults at every level to make sure that our children are getting a good education. Parents know it, teachers know it, and studies show it: Class size reduction makes a difference. We can't pass this off and say it is somebody else's responsibility; it is our responsibility.”