Political Quotes

“last year the Senate approved the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. I was the only Member to vote against this bill, not because I disagree with the premise of IDEA to ensure that children with special needs receive an education, but because its focus is so narrow it avoids entirely or interferes with the overall quality of education provided to all of our young people. This narrow focus also abrogates the rights of those who are closest to our children--their parents, teachers, school administrators and their elected school board members--to make judgments about how to provide the best possible education for the largest number of students. The new law, like the previous statute, proposes a series of largely unfunded mandates on every school district in the Nation. What Congress did was to say to each school district: We know what is best for you. We are going to tell you what to do and how to do it, but we won't pay the costs associated with our decisions. I was so frustrated by this attitude that Washington, DC, knows best, that last year I offered two amendments, one on school safety and the other on school funding. The two amendments were based on the same philosophy: Education policies are best determined by those closest to our children--their parents, teachers, principals and school boards.”